Programs help kids succeed

Whether in after-school or summer programs, they're instructed and encouraged by a largely volunteer five-member staff. Using money raised from corporations and individuals, the program also offers small college scholarships and ministers to senior citizens. It also supports a traveling basketball team.

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Vince Carter

"I think it's made a big difference in the lives of the people that we work with," says the 52-year-old Carter, a longtime educator who teaches algebra and science at Albany Park Academy.

"He's an administrator, he's a teacher, he's a role model. He's an energetic guy who brings organizational skills to any event he's involved in," says motivational speaker Darryl Royster, who has talked at Carter's scholarship dinners and followed his work in the community.

Mike Thomas