Posted on: May 17th, 2019 by New York Edge No Comments
Rachael Gazdick, CEO of New York Edge
We are thrilled to welcome Rachael Gazdick as the new CEO of New York Edge. Rachael brings more than twenty years of experience in education advocacy and has dedicated her career to building equity in education.
“I am grateful to lead an organization like New York Edge, which is on the forefront of providing groundbreaking programs that are closing the opportunity gap for young, under-resourced schools in New York’s metropolitan area, I look forward to working with the New York Edge team to continue growing our vast array of afterschool programming, while delivering positive educational outcomes for the more than 35,000 students we serve.”
Rachael Gazdick, CEO of New York Edge
Ms. Gazdick previously served as president and chief executive officer of Colorado’s “I Have A Dream” Foundation (CIHAD), a nonprofit organization focused on empowering children from low-income communities to succeed in school, college, and career. Before her time at CIHAD, Rachael served as the executive director of Say Yes to Education Syracuse, a nonprofit community-wide partnership focused on supporting public school children attain, afford, and complete a college or other postsecondary education.
Ms.Gazdick holds a master’s degree in education policy from Harvard University and a master’s degree in social work focused on community, organizations, planning, policy, and administration from Boston College. She began her career with Teach for America and then served as the executive director of Near East Side Community Development Organization of Syracuse (NESCO), focusing on job placement, training, mentoring and youth programs.
Ms. Gazdick has worked closely with outgoing CEO Maureen Fonseca who returns to her teaching roots with a new head of school position at The Elisabeth Morrow School in New Jersey.
We wish them both the best of luck in their new roles.
Posted on: May 13th, 2019 by New York Edge No Comments
Congratulations to New York Edge students Samantha Nowrang, and Roxanne Rosario of Flushing High School for becoming this year’s Meringoff Victory Prize Scholars. They are certainly MVPs in our eyes!
Stuart Post of the Meringnoff Foundation, Samantha Nowrang, and Roxanne Rosario
Samantha is looking forward to attending Syracuse University this fall while Roxanne is staying in the city for her higher education goals. Stuart Post of the Meringoff Foundation generously came to present the prizes personally.
New York Edge is proud to partner with The Meringoff Foundation in their mission to make hands-on philanthropic investments primarily in NYC-based nonprofits that are working to level the playing field for young New Yorkers.
Posted on: May 8th, 2019 by New York Edge No Comments
The Stoler Report – The Real Estate Community & Its Support of Public Education
By Francis Greenburger, Time Equities, Inc.
Real estate executives often leave behind impressive
legacies in the form of grand structures that give shape to a city’s skyline
and stand for decades on end.
And we ourselves are fortunate – because as we build these
structures, and as we set about populating them with residents, workers and
shoppers – we are also building our own careers, and enjoying the material benefits
deriving from our success in business.
That’s why it is comforting to realize that virtually every C-level
real estate executive you know, and every one you read about in these pages,
looks beyond his or her narrow self-interest — and devotes a portion of their
time and energy to community building and charitable causes.
While there’s no shortage of worthy causes, I find efforts
to support our youth especially aligned with the ethos of the real estate
industry. Building the city of tomorrow and creating stronger communities is as
much about investing in people as it is about constructing buildings. And
investing in young people is the best way to invest in the future of our city.
For the last XX years, I have
had the privilege of working with an organization called New York Edge, which
is one of the largest providers of afterschool programs in the metropolitan
region.
Working in cooperation with the New York City Department of
Education, the organization partners with under-resourced public schools across
the region, serving more than 36,000 students in grades K-12. New York Edge provides
afterschool programming that combine sports, the arts, and academic enrichment and
mentoring. We also help upper-grade students position themselves for future success
in both conventional and technical colleges.
And while my real estate company develops properties across
all key asset classes, one can readily see how our multi-family portfolio can
resonate with our work with New York Edge.
That’s because we often find ourselves delivering enrichment
services to young people residing in our own company’s apartment buildings.
It’s a source of gratification for our development and property management teams
when New York Edge helps these youthful residents enter college and expand
their life horizons. The students’ families appreciate it. They make the
connection.
The organization itself is structured in a way that directly
promotes leadership skills. While New York Edge is overseen by a typical board
of directors, there is also a “junior board” that brings young people
themselves into the organization in a serious and active way.
Best of all, New York Edge succeeds. Participants in our “High
School Today, College Tomorrow” initiative have attained a 98-percent, four-year
completion rate — compared with the 61-percent citywide rate. Ninety percent
of them earn college admission.
At the middle school level, students in the “Middle School
Today, High School Tomorrow” program are 33 percent more likely to gain entry
to a specialized high school than those not benefiting from our help.
And 86 percent of parents we surveyed report that New York
Edge has helped their children learn things that have contributed to their academic
success.
Many of the youth served by New York Edge live in poverty,
which exposes them to various forms of trauma, and plants any number of obstacles
along their path to achievement. Organizations like New York Edge help prepare
students to overcome these hurdles and to advance toward a happy and fulfilling
adulthood.
I think it reflects well on the real estate community to be supporting
such programs – and to be building a spirit of hope and confidence among our
city’s young people.
In fact, though less visible, I’d say it’s a legacy greater
in value than shaping the city’s skyline.
Posted on: May 3rd, 2019 by New York Edge No Comments
Rashid Silvera and Tom Cornish honored for their contributions to the organization’s success
The 2019 New York Edge Annual Benefit Luncheon
NEW YORK, NY – May 6, 2019 – New York
Edge – one of the largest providers of afterschool programs in the metropolitan
region –held its annual benefit
Wednesday to honor outstanding individuals, board members, and program alumni
who have driven the organization forward and to raise funds for the
organization’s growing roster of afterschool programs.
Hundreds of
thousands of dollars were raised at the luncheon, which was emceed by WABC
reporter Bill Ritter and held at The Union League.
“For more than
a quarter of a century, New York Edge has been addressing the needs of
underserved students by giving them the tools they need to succeed,” said Maureen
Fonseca, CEO of New York Edge. “As we continue growing, we will build upon our
innovative programs and bridge the opportunity gap for even more young children
across New York.”
Tom Cornish, COO
of BankUnited was presented with The Gold Star Award for his support of access
to education in underserved communities.
Tom Cornish, COO of BankUnited, speaks at New York Edge’s Annual Benefit
“Every day
this organization gives kids from disadvantaged backgrounds the hope, focus and
opportunity they need to succeed,” said Tom Cornish. “If you can positively
impact 36,000 kids, and each one of these kids positively impacts another 10
people, the chain will continue and you can change the world. That’s what New
York Edge is doing.”
Rashid Silvera,
a member of New York Edge’s Board of Directors, was presented with the Excellence
in Education Award. Mr. Silvera
was a former history teacher and has an Ed.M from The Harvard Graduate School
of Education as well as a M.T.S. degree from The Harvard Divinity School. He
was a member of the Scarsdale High School History Department for 36 years and
has worked as a fashion model for over three decades and has appeared on the
cover of GQ, Essence and Code magazines.
Rashid Silvera delivers a speech to the audience at New York Edge’s fundraiser
“I joined New York Edge earlier this year and have witnessed just
how much everyone at this organization cares about improving educational
outcomes for under-resourced youth in New York,” said Rashid Silvera. “I look
forward to keeping up the good fight to tackle educational inequality and bring
fairness to even more students.”
Since 1992, New
York Edge has worked to bridge the opportunity gap among underserved students
by providing programs designed to improve academic performance, health and
wellness, self-confidence, character, and attitudes for success in life to
young people who attend New York City public schools. The organization offers
afterschool, weekend, and summer programs in many underserved communities
throughout the metropolitan area and currently serves more than 36,000 K-12
youth at hundreds of sites each year. Over the lifetime of the organization,
New York Edge has served hundreds of thousands of youth.
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