9-year old Durham Murder Victim Inspires Youth Against Violence Foundation to be Kicked off at D3's Annual Charity Basketball Game

Durham, NC (PRWEB) February 12, 2014

Family and friends of Durham’s first murder victim of 2014, Jaeden Sharpe, have been inspired by the 9-year old's tragic death to begin a non-profit Foundation in the youth’s honor. JJ Sharpe Impact Foundation for Youth Against Violence, has partnered with long-time community outreach program, D3 Community Outreach, Inc., to launch the JJ Sharpe Impact Foundation at D3’s 4th Annual Charity Basketball Game to be held at the Emily Krzyzewski Family Life Center, located at 904 W. Chapel Hill Street in Durham on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014 at 4PM.

“We are ecstatic that D3 Community Outreach has agreed to partner with us as we join this battle against youth violence. D3 already has a reputation for assisting the exact children that JJ Sharpe Impact Foundation will be looking to uplift with our programs and initiatives. Jaeden would have been very excited about the number of lives that we will potentially IMPACT as a result of this partnership”, said a spokesperson for the newly formed JJ Sharpe Impact Foundation. Malcom Reed, Founder of D3 Community Outreach, Inc. added, “I believe that this is a great opportunity to bring awareness to a growing problem in our community, and we are excited to assist in any way possible.”

D3 holds its Annual Charity Basketball Game, which is free to the public, to help raise awareness and funds to support the various mentoring, tutoring, and scholarship programs that it offers to Durham inner-city youth throughout the year. Funds are raised via voluntary donations from attendees, participants, and sponsorships from area businesses. With the alarming number of recent shooting deaths in the Durham area, this year’s event is focusing on raising awareness about the growing violence against our children. Destined to be the most successful event yet, both youth and adult teams will participate, being represented by the following businesses and organizations from the Durham community: D3 Community Outreach Inc., JJ Sharpe Impact Foundation, TMAC Audio & Window Tinting, and the Triangle Heat Basketball Organization. All teams will pay tribute to young Jaeden Sharpe by wearing JJ Sharpe Impact T-shirts, a T-shirt line created & designed by Sharpe and his older brother Justin, just one day prior to the tragic shooting that lead to Sharpe’s death. In addition to basketball, the event is slated to include food, music, entertainment, give-a-ways, and a special tribute to Jaeden Sharpe's life.

About D3 Community Outreach, Inc.: D3 Community Outreach, Inc. is a Durham, NC based nonprofit organization that empower and encourage disconnected youth/young adults through academics, service, entrepreneurship and athletics to become leaders and good stewards of the community. Since 2006 D3 has provided programming intertwined with mentoring to be a change agent that transforms the lives of youth by giving them the ability to make decisions and implement change in their own lives. There is a need in the community to lower the statistics of disconnected youth involved in risky behaviors, who are unemployed and among those who are illiterate. D3 is an organization that works to mitigate these issues. Visit http://www.d3communityoutreach.org for more information.

About JJ Sharpe Impact Foundation: JJ Sharpe Impact Foundation is a Durham, NC based non-profit organization founded in remembrance of 9-year old murder victim, Jaeden Kasean Sharpe, whom had a positive IMPACT on hundreds of people through his vibrant personality, athletics, dancing and his JJ Sharpe Impact T-Shirt clothing line, along with his brother. JJ Sharpe Impact Foundation’s mission is to enrich, teach, uplift and advocate for children that have been impacted by violence via programs and initiatives that include: athletics, arts, community outreach, education, counseling and mentoring. The Foundation is also building a scholarship program that will assist children and families with College tuition and expenses. Its goal is to positively IMPACT children that have been affected by violence, by showing them there is another way, because when violence is involved "no one wins!"

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