RiseUP is a nonprofit that supports teens and young adults (13-23 years old). By teaching life and leadership skills and by filling in service gaps, RiseUP is working to make sure that no child becomes a statistic. We believe every teen can learn the skills and principles needed to become responsible, independent, strong, empowered, upstanding, and productive adults with a positive mindset and self-esteem.
A desire to help all teens and young adults have the same opportunities as our own children is what inspired us to create RiseUP. A teen’s future is vitally important, which is why we provide the tools and knowledge each individual needs in order to have a better tomorrow. Our volunteers bring their passion and experience to every life and leadership skills workshop they teach.
We also offer workshops for adults, which give parents information they can use to help the teen(s) in their lives. We welcome all adults—those who work with teens, are raising teens, or just want to learn more about these valuable topics. This is one way RiseUP aims to help stop the generational cycle of poverty, trauma, and brokenness.
With a background in social services, I realized that too many teens grow up without someone in their life to make them feel special, to give them a family, or to be there for them. As a caseworker, too many teen girls would say to me that they were going to get pregnant so that they had someone to love them. I watched too many teens ‘age-out’ of the system without a support system. I witnessed child after child fall through the cracks and not have the tools needed to survive on their own, regardless of how hard I tried to help.
So, after years of saying we were going to adopt one day, our family became a foster to adopt home. We adopted a sibling set of three from foster care, but that wasn’t enough; we knew we could still do more, our calling to help all teens have the same opportunities as our own kids, continued.
So, we created RiseUP Cooperative, a non-profit charitable organization, that supports teens and at-risk youth, by filling in service gaps. We equip today’s teens to have better tomorrows with life and leadership workshops.
We know we cannot parent more children.
We know that we cannot help every teen.
We know that we need help with this mission.
We know that if we can help start a ripple effect, it can change generations of families.
We know that we can help those we do touch, succeed.
We know we can provide tools to create a better tomorrow for all.
We know teens will RiseUP for a better tomorrow! Being Responsible Independent Strong Empowered Upstanding Productive in society!
-Joe and Sandy Pricer | Founders RiseUP Cooperative

The Board

Sandy Pricer
Co-Founder, CEO,
Ex-officio Member
Foster and adoptive parent
B.S.W.



Heather Chapman
Board Secretary
Religious Ed Director at St. Augustine Catholic Church
M.A. in Counseling Psychology



Jeannie Sommers
Director, Volunteer Coordinator
Homeschooling, foster and adoptive, stay at home mother
M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology

Denise Johnson
Director
High School English Teacher
B.S. in English Education

Wendy Jenkins
Director
Assistant Director of Clinical and Coordinated Entry Services at The Family Justice Center
LCSW, CFSW, CCFP, CLC


Andy Dailey
Director
Background in Communications and Public Speaking



Some of our Volunteers


Debra Hicks
Blog Manager
Freelance Editor