SLS 19RS-1425 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 110
BY SENATORS CARTER AND BISHOP
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Bivian "Sonny" Lee III for founding the Son of a Saint
organization and for enhancing the lives of 100 fatherless boys in the city of New Orleans.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend Bivian "Sonny" Lee III for his work on behalf of the community and the Son
3 of a Saint organization for enhancing the lives of one hundred fatherless boys in New
4 Orleans.
5 WHEREAS, the New Orleans-based nonprofit organization, Son of a Saint, exists
6 to enhance the lives of fatherless boys through mentorship, emotional support, development
7 of life skills, exposure to constructive experiences, and formation of positive, lasting
8 peer-to-peer relationships; and
9 WHEREAS, Bivian "Sonny" Lee III founded Son of a Saint on January 1, 2011, in
10 honor of his late father, Bivian Lee Jr. and his mother; and
11 WHEREAS, his father was an NFL defensive back for the New Orleans Saints from
12 1971 to 1975, and tragically in 1984, died at the young age of 36 after suffering a heart
13 attack, leaving behind a wife who became a single mother to a five-year-old daughter,
14 Tamica, and three-year-old, Sonny; and
15 WHEREAS, as an adult, Sonny came to understand the struggles and challenges his
16 mother faced and he gained a real appreciation for the opportunities he had as a child,
17 opportunities the average boy would not be afforded; he aimed to "pay it forward" and
18 replicate his own experience for a special group of fatherless young males in the community;
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SLS 19RS-1425 ORIGINAL
1 and
2 WHEREAS, each year, Son of a Saint selects a group of boys ages 10-13 to join the
3 existing kids in its program; the boys must be fatherless due to their father's death or
4 incarceration; each boy remains an official Son of a Saint mentee until he is 19, but the
5 connections remain, and they continue to advise and support him in the years that follow;
6 and
7 WHEREAS, their goal is to graduate self-sufficient, independent thinkers who are
8 leaders who give back to their community as Son of a Saint equips boys with the tools they
9 need to become productive men; the boys are given hope, vision, and opportunity and
10 provided a secure and consistent environment as each boy must maintain a minimum 2.7
11 GPA, complete eight hours of community service each month, and maintain good conduct
12 at home, school, and within the Son of a Saint organization; and
13 WHEREAS, the Son of a Saint mentors' most important role is simply to be a good
14 example; and
15 WHEREAS, in January 2019, the organization reached a significant milestone of
16 serving 100 fatherless boys, the highest enrollment of young men to date and marks a tenfold
17 increase since the inaugural class of just 10 mentees in 2011 and, with a sense of pride, the
18 organization is following the collegiate careers of the first four Son of a Saint graduates who
19 are currently pursuing undergraduate degrees, each being the first in his family to attend
20 college.
21 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
22 does hereby commend Bivian "Sonny" Lee III of New Orleans, for his life's work on behalf
23 of the community and the Son of a Saint organization for enhancing the lives of 100
24 fatherless boys in New Orleans.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
26 Bivian "Sonny" Lee III, founder of Son of a Saint.
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SLS 19RS-1425 ORIGINAL
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
SR 110 Original 2019 Regular Session Carter
Commends Mr. Bivian "Sonny" Lee III of New Orleans for his life's work on behalf of the
community and the Son of a Saint organization for enhancing the lives of 100 fatherless boys
in New Orleans.
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