The Vision of One Man....

"And are some of my kids belligerent? Yes. Do some of 'em come in and don't try hard? Yes, they do. Do they come from broken homes? Yes. Is there poverty and drugs and crime? Yes, it's all those things. Those kids are still going to college," Canada said.

 

Last night, as the Cowboys were losing terribly, I flipped over to 60 Minutes and this caught my attention: The Harlem Children's Zone.  If you didn't see it, I strongly encourage you to watch it here:  http://www.cbs.com/primetime/60_minutes/video/?pid=MTMwUqr8uNvsRoc_ZGQHWhsv9mWSrk5o

From searching it today, I guess it's all over the media. I may be the last one to hear about it.  But I sat there last night, mesmerized, with giant tears streaming down my face agreeing with every word.  It amazes me sometimes that one person can change so many lives.  One man's vision and leadership rallied so many to help for one cause.  Amazing!  This school is simply remarkable. Geoffrey Canada has given these children with little to no hope, an unbelievable start!  The Harlem Children’s Zone is an area that covers less than one square mile and is home to almost 10,000 children. Every child in this zone qualifies to attend, but there is not enough space, so there is a lottery.  And for these children, it truly IS like winning the lottery. They hit the "future jackpot."

The concept is so different from anything I've ever seen:  They go to school longer hours, on Saturdays, and have a three-week summer vacation to keep them off the streets, safe and learning.  They have discipline in the school and a strict dress code.  They teach healthy cooking from their garden on the roof and they have health care on-site if the children get sick. There are 6 students per teacher.  There is a "Baby College" to teach parenting skills for those with children 0-3 years. They actually have current books and working computers - top rate facilities....Crazy expensive?  To hold a kid in New York City jail is $60,000 a year.  Juvenile detention is $100,000 plus a year. So for $5,000 per child a year it's a bargain!  IT JUST MAKES SENSE!  

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for little kids - everyone who knows me knows that.  But I think this hit me even harder, because I work in such a poverty-stricken area.  I pass the homes where children live every morning and see the level of poverty, the broken windows, the boarded doors, the laundry hanging out in the wind.  I see the scary characters who may be their fathers, brothers, uncles, mother's boyfriends.  I've accidently turned down the wrong road and have seen the obvious drugs deals and even once a car with guns piled in the trunk.  I watch the little ones standing out waiting for the bus and a couple times a week see the one lucky little girl who has a Mom walking with her the same route, the same time, every morning. I see the middle school age kids out standing around when I go out for lunch, just knowing they aren't in school at all anymore.  No one probably even cares.  I see the adults sitting out on the steps at 1:00 in the afternoon with bottles in their hands, the men pushing shopping carts, the despair and the hurt.  And this isn't Harlem....it's Hartford.  And it's scary. I can't even imagine what it's like to be 4 or 5 or 6 years old in these neighborhoods I pass every day on my way to and from work, the printer, the bakery, the market and back to my home safe in a Connecticut country neighborhood more like Mayberry than the mayhem of the outskirts of the city where I work. I guess that's  the reason the tears flowed so easily last night and I was so relieved for these little children who are getting a chance greater than they can even understand at such a young age.  A chance to learn and grow and thrive and succeed and help others to do the same.  All because of the vision of Geoffrey Canada.  Amazing.