When eight-year-old Nico Colon was in elementary school, he was asked to join a gang. Instead, he asked his father, Robert, if he could start a basketball league to help kids who were having problems with math and reading.

Together, father and son created the Children's Advocate(www.thechildrensadvocate.com), a nonprofit organization that provides after-school programs targeted for children of low income families living in high-crime, gang-dominated areas. These programs include a basketball league and a laptop-to-literacy program to help the working poor and/or economically disadvantaged youth.

Since the program is targeted at kids with academic problems, students must maintain at least a 2.0 grade-point average to play in the basketball league. Students are required to show their progress reports or grade cards to ensure they maintain a "C" average.

In addition, through the Children’s Advocate, Nico and his dad have provided basketball shoes to over 200 kids and scholarships to three basketball camps, horse camp, U.S.A. Campfire, Girl Scout sleep away camp and tennis camp. The organization also offers micro-software games such as Reader Rabbit, Carmen San Diego and the Oregon Trail.

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