RISE WILL OFFICIALLY LAUNCH SATURDAY AT EVENT

For Tim and Terrence Maiden, Dallas’ poverty problem really hits home.

The identical twin brothers grew up in Dallas County, a place where 29 percent of residents under age 18 are in poverty, according to county-level poverty estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau in December.

It wasn’t until they left Oak Cliff to attend Texas Christian University on football scholarships, that they realized the extent of the area’s poverty.

“Our environment exposed us to some of the challenges derived from poverty,” Tim said. “We didn’t know it ’till we were able to escape that environment. We’d never walked on a college campus ’till we were being recruited.”

Today, Terrence serves as managing partner for The Nediam Co., a capital venture company the twins formed in 2001, and as executive vice president for Corinth Properties. Tim is a senior vice president at Frost Bank.

But growing up in Oak Cliff taught the twins a few good lessons from the start and filled them with the desire to give back to their community.

In 2005, they established Two-Wins Foundation, through which they host and support initiatives, events, and programs focused on helping communities improve education and development.

Their newest project, RISE, will use clothing to raise awareness of the poverty in their hometown.

ZEROING IN ON POVERTY WITH RISE

Ten years of investing time and money taught the Maidens a lot.

In 2012, they decided to zero in on the systemic issue of poverty. Alleviating economic problems, they decided, was the first step in fixing scores of other community issues.

“It’s kind of hard to rectify a person’s situation if you don’t deal with the root cause.” -Terrence Maiden

“Dallas ranks top in the country in the area of poverty,” Terrence said. “It’s our backyard, and it’s important to us. It’s kind of hard to rectify a person’s situation if you don’t deal with the root cause.”

They named their newest endeavor, RISE. Through it, they aim to inspire people to rise above their current situations and seek more in their lives.

In search of a good product for their platform, the Maidens began working with the similarly titled clothing company, RISE. After months of negotiation and collaboration, the twins bought RISE, reimagined the brand for wider appeal, and officially combined their poverty-busting vision with an athleisure clothing line.

Though they’ve been working with RISE in various capacities for the past two years, the twins will officially launch the company with an event Saturday held at Aloft hotel in Dallas.

For each purchase, the Maidens plan to set a portion of the profits aside. The idea is kind of like the TOMS Shoes model, but with a specific focus on making a difference here in Dallas.

“Our focus is to be a top quality, respected athleisure clothing. And because of our involvement on the social level, we’re really committed to using this brand to make a difference.” -Tim Maiden

Each year, Terrence said RISE will host an event and present a portion of proceeds to a worthy organization. Plans are still mostly in the works, but the Maidens hope to foster a competitive atmosphere that will ensure that the money goes to the nonprofit, corporate partnership, project, or organization doing the most good to alleviate poverty in the community.

The clothing line will also help add more money to Dallas’s current philanthropic pool — a new avenue for nonprofits to obtain money to help with their work.

“Our focus is to be a top quality, respected athleisure clothing line,” Tim said. “And because of our involvement on the social level, we’re really committed to using this brand to make a difference.”

Follow RISE on Twitter @RiseClothingCom

Photo courtesy of RISE

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