Wednesday, February 13, 2008 4:27 AM

The Council For Unity Annual Gala Reception
& Awards Dinner
Roosevelt Hotel, NY NY
June 15th 2006

Council for Unity was founded in 1975, by Robert J. DeSena. At its inception, Council for Unity brought together six gang leaders from contending racial and ethnic groups to make peace. From this evolved the model that the Council of Unity uses today.

 The Council for Unity mission is to empower young people, individuals and groups with the skills necessary to promote safety, unity and achievement in schools and communities.

Working to Make A Change: In a society that often regards high-risk youth as passive objects for intervention or treatment, Council for Unity is guided by a positive insight about how to help them function constructively - give them a chance to be part of groups with meaningful larger purposes that they themselves help to define. Serving youth in grades K-12, Council for Unity invites them to join its chapters, where they spend at least an academic year developing and carrying out plans to promote school and community racial and ethnic harmony. Its original model, involving a credit-bearing yearlong course and a high school curriculum, has been adapted so that the organization now also serves elementary and middle school students, and youth in after-school programs and special settings such as group foster care homes. In 2000, Boys and Girls Club of America decided to use Council for Unity as a gang intervention strategy, and today chapters operate under Boys and Girls Clubs auspices in six states outside of New York.

Today Council for Unity serves over 80,000 youth daily. Council for Unity is a recognized leader in successfully addressing the issue of youth violence. The Council for Unity has been planting seeds of positive change, chapter by chapter. Together these chapters are growing into communities of peace.

At the 2006 Council for Unity Gala, Chairman of the Board William Serrano bought greetings to guests, and then introduced Robert J.DeSena Founder and President, Council for Unity, who went onto say under his leadership, The Unity Council has grown from a Community based nonprofit organization in Brooklyn,to an international non profit organization serving at risk youth across the country and in Europe.He has created over 100 chapters, engaging more than 100,000 young people and family members. Senator David A. Patterson , New York State Senator, Minority Leader was honored with The 2006 Champion for Children Award, which was presented by the Basketball Great and Hall of Famer Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Senator Patterson went onto to say that it is very important to have Organization’s like Unity For Council do great work for the community, to be up and running throughout the New York State also.He thanked Mr DeSena and his organization staff for honoring him.

Guest Performance was by Christian McBride, Grammy Award winning Musician,who played the Bass, accompanied  by The Nabate Isles Quartet, also Adam Graves former Rangers player was on hand to support the organization, Sean Dino Johnson, Associate Director,High School Programs was the Emcee for the night.Co-Chairs for the event were Lou Dibella, President, Dibella Entertainment, Gregory Floyd, Secretary-Treasurer Local 237, Randi Weingarten, President, United Federation of Teachers and Vice Chair of the Event was David Vogel, Chief Executive Officer, The Hamilton Agency.

We at liberty News like to thank Mr Robert J. DeSena, Founder and President, Council for Unity for his kind invite,for more information about the organization feel free to view their website at www.councilforunity.org

 

Gloria smith is a School teacher for the past 25 years based here in Queens NY,with a masters degree in Education, she loves to travel allover the world, & writes about different topics,on International Business, Cultural events, & All Kind of Women Issues. & Events pertaining to women of all nationalitys.If you are interested in having Gloria cover one of your events,please send an email 1 week inadvance, @ LNGloria@lnom.org or tel: 718 507 7616 between 8am to 8pm EST.