Stars of Tomorrow aids Hempstead homeless community

Stars of Tomorrow visited Hempstead to help feed and clothe people who are homeless. The organization set up at Hair Cutters on Centre Street to offer free haircuts, and volunteers handed out hot food, snacks, water, clothing, shoes, and more outside of the barbershop. 

Alan Jennings, the president of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists Long Island chapter, donated the clothes and shoes; the Stars of Tomorrow group purchased the rest of the free items.

“There was plenty of laughter, smiles all around, and people seemed so relieved,” Rakea Hightower, a volunteer with Stars of Tomorrow, said of the Sept. 8 event. “It was such a feel-good vibe!”

The Stars of Tomorrow nonprofit organization was founded by Taishawn Blanton, the chief manager, earlier this year, and the group’s main goal is to open up programs for the “younger youth” to keep them off the streets. They also want to show support to groups of people on Long Island that need it. 

“The less fortunate are the ones that are forgotten about, (and) a lot of people don’t really help them as much as possible, or in every way that they can be helped,” Blanton said. “So me and my team, we came up with a plan to give back, and we’re going to actually do it a lot more throughout the year.”

Blanton is currently working on a new program, Brother From Another, which is meant to be a mentorship experience for youth to give them guidance. Stars of Tomorrow also has a program called STAMPPED — Studio Therapy Artistic Multimedia Production for Positive Emotional Development — where kids can learn about music, from both the creation and the production angle in order to allow them to express their emotions in a constructive way.

Blanton is also working on another similar organization to be affiliated with Stars of Tomorrow called the Chosen Ones, which will be based in Queens, where he is originally from. He and his team are continuing to plan programs through Stars of Tomorrow as the organization grows, including a potential Halloween maze for kids. 

Blanton was pleased with the turnout of their first-ever event and was happy that he and his group of volunteers made a difference for the people in Hempstead.

“It felt good to hear the ones that we helped say that we made their day,” he said. “We made them feel good, and they appreciate us, and they hope for us to do it a lot more.”

To connect with Stars of Tomorrow, email them at Starsoftomorrow25@gmail.com or follow them at @Starsoftomorrow516 on Instagram.