Valdimir Joseph, Founder

Valdimir (Val) Joseph founded Inner Strength, Inc. in 1994 while pursuing his undergraduate degree at Morehouse College. Having survived the streets of New York City and gang life, Val made a commitment to help other young men who grappled with the same issues of poverty, violence and broken homes that he had experienced as a young man. Realizing the impact that education had on his own life choices, Val founded Inner Strength to expose young men to a positive lifestyle that helped them to concentrate on more than just surviving the chaos of the city. He concentrated his efforts on trying to save the children that society had written off. Experiencing positive interaction with one another and with Val along with many team-building activities (mountain climbing, white water rafting, and spelunking) propelled many of Inner Strength's first participants to completely change their lives.

His vision and determination led Inner Strength to grow from 1 participant in 1994 to over 50 participants. In 1998, Val's program started to receive national recognition. Val and Inner Strength were recognized by Essence Magazine December 1998, Oprah Winfrey and the Angel Network in 1999, People Magazine March 1999, Essence 50 of the Most Inspiring African-Americans 2002, and the Atlanta Journal & Constitution March 10, 2004.

In April of 2003 Val Joseph passed away, but his vision for a better opportunity for young men in America continues as we build an even stronger Inner Strength program for the future of our kids.

Stars, Inc.

Seeing the strong need for a strong educational process that would help young elite athletes prepare for life at the next level, Buck Jenkins and Larry Dorfman developed The Stars, Inc. in 2000. Recognizing that many of our schools were under considerable financial and operational strain and that our youth were suffering in their academic development, The Stars, Inc focused on supporting young men and giving them the opportunity to build an academic foundation that would allow them to graduate High School and proceed on to the advanced education of their choice.

Through the development of the Core Academic Program that provided individual and group tutoring, study skills sessions and reading and math assessments, The Stars, Inc successfully assisted 12 members of a youth basketball team. Several of these young men increased their math and reading levels by TWO to FIVE grade levels in just 8 months. By 2002 The Stars had grown into a full-fledged youth development program with 70 participants that used basketball as its vehicle to reach young men and to help prepare them for life.

Val Joseph had worked with Buck and Larry as an advisor and board member prior to his death in 2003. After Val's death 2003 The Stars, Inc and Inner Strength, Inc merged and today the program, called "INNER STRENGTH" helps over 110 young men and their families, with their academic, social and athletic growth challenges.

Inner Strength Today

Today Inner Strength has become a true combination of Val Joseph's vision for stronger, more successful youth and the Stars, Inc. philosophy of education thru motivation. Inner Strength is a vehicle to assist young men in their efforts to succeed in life. The work we are doing ties Val Joseph's "holistic" approach to youth development to a proven youth motivator; Athletics. This combination of positive influences is turning around the lives of the youth of Inner Strength and creating the possibility for unlimited results.

Inner Strength currently targets approximately 150 young males between the ages of 8-18. Program youth are drawn from the metro Atlanta area and have backgrounds that reflect multiple risk factors for poor academic performance, violence and/or delinquent behavior. Youth are referred to the program through current participants, school counselors, coaches, community residents, parents and juvenile courts as well as through tryouts for our teams in different age groups.

Our athletic program targets the exceptional athlete who, due to various risk factors, has not achieved at expected academic levels, but can reach his full potential with appropriate intervention. At Inner Strength we are all about. . .

"Helping Youth Find a Way. . . To Their Inner Strength"