Founder's Message:
After spending almost 7 years with a Staten Island, NY based non-profit dedicated to helping decrease gun violence, I decided to start The Artest Foundation (TAF) in 2011. After working with the youth, I decided to take my devotion to them a step further. We have to target non violence from the root of the issue. If we can offer young people a quality education, a mentality that allows them to think outside of their daily stresses, we can help these kids. They won't have to resort to violence because they will be too busy thinking about going to college and assessing how to achieve their goals. It's important to me and the members of The Artest Foundation (TAF) that we start helping out kids while they are young and in their development stages. We need to groom them into responsible adults. If they need help during college (we'll be here) and if they come back to us for help and guidance, that is how to know we've made a positive impact. We will not have only impacted one life but the lives of future generations. Sometimes you look back and wonder what you could have done, what we are trying to do is make sure the unwritten future is not meek for the kids who may need help along the way. If experience is the best teacher, then it is our goal to allow them to learn from my experiences.
We at TAF want to thank you for visiting us. We hope that you will join us whether it be volunteering, becoming a member, or if you are a concerned parent looking to help your child. Our hope is to enrich the lives of others and to give back to the very same communities that raised us. What good are we if we get to the top and forget the very society that made us who we are? We decided to do something about that with the formation of The Artest Foundation (TAF). Embedded in the fabric of our foundation is
the love of community, education and formation of personal goals. It's not what we do in life, but the difference we make in people's lives.
We hope to see you again! Check back later for new updates to our website. There's so much more to come!
