The S.T.A.R. Foundation stands for "Success Thrives Around Respect."

MISSION

Our mission is to provide a foundation of self-respect within girls and young adults through mentoring, educating and promoting the importance of living a healthy lifestyle which incorporates HIV/AIDS & STD prevention.

FUTURE

Women are the pulse of the earth; nothing happens unless it comes through us; in knowing that, we will embrace it! We will not only educate and change lives, but we will establish a network/sisterhood of accomplished women whom will embrace, educate, mentor, and successfully lead the girls and young women coming up behind us. We will ensure that healthy living is a way of life and not an obstacle. We will ensure that self-esteem, self-acknowledgement, and self-reliance are high; and that self-destruction is an ultimate low.

More than half of the 14,000 people newly infected with HIV each day are under 25 years old. Yet, young people are routinely disregarded when strategies on HIV/AIDS are developed, policies approved, and budgets allocated. The S.T.A.R. Foundation’s campaign addresses this gap in service and advocacy by using popular youth culture to effectively communicate life-saving messages and promote a healthy lifestyle.

OUR FOUNDER

Jennifer L. Payne is a native of Detroit, MI, and now resides in Sherman Oaks, California. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications, and a Master of Arts Degree in Organizational Management. She is also the single mother of a 7-year-old son.

After graduation, she took advantage of the opportunity to teach within the Public School system, and through supplemental interaction with students – beyond the traditional focus of reading, writing and arithmetic – she also discovered that a large percentage of the high school population was sexually active. During her tenure as a public school educator, sexual behaviors and activities were not only heard, but witnessed during school hours and shockingly on school grounds.

Through those experiences and various conversations regarding other students and young adults, Jennifer identified the clear connection of influence between the entertainment industry and young people. Therefore, it was decided that fine arts and entertainment will serve as the conduit to promote self-respect and spread awareness of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle; hence, the birth of the S.T.A.R Foundation.

When asked, "How do you think your Foundation will make a difference? How will your Foundation get through to our youth and maintain their attention? She replies, "Pop culture is the way to reach teens where they are. It’s an opportunity to communicate with them on their level, and an attempt to sway their attention from sex, drugs, and alcohol – driving their attention to respect, goals, and achievement."