Sneakers 4 Success Fundraiser on the Lower East Side

The obligatory posters are scattered about the Lower East Side.

Nonprofit newcomer Sneakers 4 Success is hosting its inaugural fundraiser, dubbed “Sole Connections,” at the Open Road Rooftop later tonight. The space atop the old Seward Park High School building will be transformed into a gallery for artists who “continue to break the mold and follow their hearts to success.” Creatives will reportedly include Nitty Scott, MC. Dillon Cooper, Uni Q. Mical, D’Menace, Claw Money, and Mark Bode

The event will also feature a screening of Doin’ It in the Park: Pick-up Basketball, NYC, a 2012 documentary exploring this urban scene.

Sneakers 4 Success was founded in the fall of 2011 as a means to empower, inspire, and motivate underrepresented youth toward academic success through sneaker culture. Full bio blurb and mission statement below:

Sneakers for Success was founded in September 2011 by University of Massachusetts Amherst engineering graduate and Queens, NY native Samuel del Pilar. The non-profit organization uses sneaker culture, urban lifestyle, and design to empower, inspire, and motivate underrepresented youth toward academic success. The organization’s services include workshops and curriculum development that focus on critical thinking and problem solving skills. The use of sneakers as an educational medium keeps the students engaged and connected to the standard classroom material as well as exposing them to ways they can transform their passion into anything