There are more than 5,000 students living below poverty in the S.O.P. target communities of Murfreesboro, Columbia, and Franklin performing below grade level expectations based on 2022 state testing data. Seeds of P.R.A.I.S.E.(S.O.P.) is committed to serving students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and providing these students with long-term mentorship and advocacy.

"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is NOW."

In the S.O.P. target communities of Murfreeesboro, Columbia, and Franklin 18-24 year old citizens are arrested at higher rates than other age groups in each community for weapon charges and aggravated assault they rank 1st or 2nd for these charges in each community.

Tennessee is ranked 19th in the nation for its high suicide rate. Throughout the state of Tennessee, suicide is the: 3rd leading cause of death for ages 10-24, 2nd leading cause of death for ages 25-34. Overall, suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in Tennessee.

At the local, state and national levels, mentoring should be leveraged as a key tool to address the pressing issues facing the next generation. When integrated into national initiatives, mentoring strengthens efforts to reduce poverty, truancy, drug abuse and violence, and promote healthy decision-making, positive behaviors, and strong futures.Already, mentoring has been connected to core outcomes for our country's youth, including educational attainment, poverty alleviation, and youth violence preventionthrough initiatives such as Grad Nation and Opportunity Nation.

Mentoring Impact

high school dropout rates fall
college completion rates rise
economic mobility increases
economy is stronger from an increase in productive workers
provides critical guidance to youth on path toward productive adulthood
intentional relationship building improves the lives of children
mentoring as a targeted intervention can improve outcomes.
mentoring should be prioritized for children with at-risk factors that jeopardize their path toward high school, college, career, and life success.

Our mission is to plant Seeds of Positive, Respectful, Awareness, Inspirational, Service, and Empowerment (P.R.A.I.S.E.) in the communities we live and serve in order to inspire others to maximize their potential.

Vision Statement

S.O.P. will produce great citizens prepared to lead the world, and serve their community.