06/016/11 National Education Visionary To Speak, Be Honored
He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine; was profiled on the Oprah Winfrey Show, 60 Minutes  and other programs—and was featured in the award-winning documentary Waiting for Superman, which profiled the success of his organization, the Harlem Children’s Zone, in closing the educational achievement gap--an effort The New York Times Magazine calls "one of the most ambitious social experiments of our time."
Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, will speak and be honored Tuesday, October 11, noon at the Rhode Island Convention Center as part of Family Service of RI’s “Brighter Futures” luncheon.
A press conference announcing the event was held Thursday at the Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School in South Providence. The school is the base for Family Service of RI’s newly created “Providence Children’s Initiative,” inspired by the Harlem Children’s Zone. The Providence Children’s Initiative works to improve educational, employment and social outcomes for children and families.
“Hasbro has been a longtime supporter of Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children’s Zone,” said event co-chair Karen Davis, vice president of community relations at Hasbro, Inc. “We believe the kind of change he brought to Harlem and the hope it has brought to the children there is possible here in Rhode Island, which is why we’re supportive of Family Service of RI’s work in South Providence.”
Hasbro is the presenting sponsor of the October 11 Brighter Futures fundraising luncheon honoring Mr. Canada. “We need to work together to bring around important change and we need all the stakeholders at the table. I hope we will have educators, parents, policy-makers, funders, students and others with a stake in our school systems at the luncheon to hear his inspiring message,” she said.
“Geoffrey Canada has shown that despite the challenges, our children can succeed, whether at Fogarty Elementary School in Providence or Calcutt Middle School in Central Falls,” said event co-chair Judge Robert Flanders, who serves as the Central Falls receiver.
He’s a partner at Hinckley, Allen & Snyder, an education reformer, a former chair of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Board of Regents, and former Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. “But it will take the kind of integrity, commitment, creativity and energy that Mr. Canada has shown at the HarlemChildren’s Zone. I look forward to hearing from him in person at the Family Service of Rhode Island Brighter Futures luncheon.”
“Demographics don’t define a child’s destiny, and our honoree has proven that,” said Angus Davis, event co-chair, noting that the achievement gaps between the state’s poor and wealthy students, between African-American and white students, and Latino and white students have been, according to research, some of the nation’s worst. Mr. Davis is a technology pioneer, the founder of Swipely, an education reformer, and a former member of the Board of Regents. “I applaud the leadership of Family Service of RI in forming the Providence Children’s Initiative to follow the example of the Harlem Children’s Zone model. I am thrilled Mr. Canada will join us in October to share his inspiring story of courage, struggle and triumph for Harlem youth.”
The Harlem Children’s Zone Project began in 1997 targeting a specific geographic area in Central Harlem with a comprehensive range of services. It has grown to 100 blocks and aims to serve over 10,000 children in 2011.
First Lady Michelle Obama has called Mr. Canada “One of my heroes,” and President Barack Obama based his national “Promise Neighborhoods” education initiative on the Harlem Children’s Zone. President Bill Clinton said, “I wish every city had a Geoffrey Canada.”
“We’re honored to have Karen, Angus and Judge Flanders lead this event, which is an opportunity to honor and learn from a great American who builds brighter futures for thousands of children and families every year,” said Family Service of RI CEO Margaret Holland McDuff. “His work inspired us to form the Providence Children’s Initiative, which has a goal of wrapping around needed social, medical and educational services for needy children from pre-natal to employment.”
Other major sponsors include GTECH; Citizens Bank Foundation; Hinckley Allen & Snyder; US Trust; National Grid; Delta Dental; and Christopher and Heather Crosby.
Mr. Canada grew up in the South Bronx, received a bachelor of arts degree from Bowdoin College, and a master’s in education from the Harvard School of Education. He is the author of Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America and Reaching Up for Manhood: Transforming the Lives of Boys in America.
Family Service of RI is a statewide human service and education non-profit.
For ticket or sponsorship information, contact Jennifer Salisbury at 401-519-2286, salisburyje@familyserviceri.org. Or purchase on-line.
(END) |
