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Sonny Lee, III on Son of a Saint and Mentoring

Karl Lengel
Sonny Lee, III of Son of a Saint

In 1984, former Saints defensive back Bivian Lee, Jr. died tragically at the young age of 36, after suffering a heart attack, leaving behind two young children. Thirty years later, Lee’s son, Bivian "Sonny" Lee founded Son of a Saint, a nonprofit in honor of his late father and single mother.

Recognizing the lack of opportunity for many young men, Son of a Saint pays it forward by mentoring fatherless young males in the community. The program currently provides support for 100 boys, aged 10-19 by offering services including guidance, social interaction exposure, anger management counseling and recreational activities. The logistics are daunting: for every one boy, there's a mother, a mentor, volunteers and a host of people in different activities. When coordinating the 24/7 program required better management, Son of a Saint turned to a local solution to build an app that would coordinate the efforts.

Karl Lengel worked at New Orleans Public Radio for more than two decades before leaving the station in 2023.

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