40 in 40 Day #22

Day # 22 Have you heard of Geoffrey Canada? If you are poor, black and attend school in New York's Harlem Children's Zone, you would know Mr. Canada very well.
Geoffrey Canada grew up poor in the South Bronx. His parents divorced and Canada's father had little contact with his children and there was no support for the family. Mr. Canada has become a champion of the need for fathers to be involved in their children's lives. As a society, we have come to accept the disappearance of fathers and have forgotten or denied their vital role in the raising of children. Geoffrey Canada keeps us reminded.
Knowing first hand how unfair life can be, Geoffrey Canada does not and will not succumb. Receiving a Bachelor's Degree from Bowdoin College, Canada went on to receive a Master's Degree in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Mr. Canada has used his degrees to help children whom he believes are born longing for something bigger.
Starting as president in 1990, Canada began working with the Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families which evolved into the Harlem Children's Zone. Unsatisfied with the scope of Rheedlen, Canada transformed the organization's makeup in the late 1990s into a center that would actively follow the academic careers of youths in a 24-block area of Harlem. The goal is to increase the high school and graduation rates of Harlem students, sometimes enrolling these children before birth. The Harlem Children's Zone has become a model for other programs in the country and expects to serve over 18,000 children by 2011. Tracking children from kindergarten through high school and beyond, Geoffrey Canada has shown what can happen when children are cared for by adults who believe in a child's promise, and work to bring that promise to the world.
Mr. Canada is the founder of The Harlem Children's Zone. This program is multi-faceted and addresses not only educational needs, but also social and health needs of the children who participate. Geoffrey Canada would love to replicate the success of this program in other cities. I would love to see him accomplish this goal.
His Action: He gives back. He sees a need, identifies with the longing, and gives back to the place from which he came.
In 2005, U.S. News and World Report named Geoffrey Canada one of it's Best Leaders.
To read more or contribute to this plan for the future go to http://www.hcz.org/