New Orleans 2013 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award Recipient Announced

Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans Division of the FBI, is pleased to announce his selection of Bivian “Sonny” Lee, III as the local recipient of the FBI’s 2013 Director’s Community Leadership Award in recognition of his work with Son of a Saint, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of fatherless young males that Lee established on January 1, 2011.

SAC Anderson honored Lee for his work during an all-Louisiana FBI employee annual conference at the New Orleans FBI office on December 13, 2013.

Since 1990, the FBI has publicly recognized individuals and organizations who have exhibited exemplary leadership within the local community and whose leadership has assisted the FBI and local law enforcement personnel in making safer communities with the distinction of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award.

Lee, the son of a former New Orleans Saints defensive back, lost his father at a very young age, and the impact of that loss in his life fueled his passion to provide direction and opportunity to young males who are fatherless as well, either due to death or the father’s incarceration. In establishing Son of a Saint, Lee’s vision is to help improve the community by holistically serving the boys in his program, doing so with the assistance of a team of diverse advisors who work with him to provide each child with support and a wide variety of experiences.

The child joins Son of a Saint between the ages of 9-13 and stays until he receives his acceptance letter to college. Lee strives to enrich each young man’s life through education, mentorship, and recreation. Additionally, in partnership with the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans and the Mercy Family Center, the organization provides mental health evaluations and counseling for the kids.

“The Son of a Saint organization is exactly the type of community outreach program the city of New Orleans needs to prevent young men raised under such challenging and difficult circumstances from either being victimized by violent crime or drawn into a culture of violence,” said SAC Anderson.

Lee will also attend a ceremony at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he and his organization will be honored by FBI Director James Comey.