Reaching Out Community Services Raises $20,000

Brooklyn-based Reaching Out Community Services (RCS) honored a number of community leaders including Rocco Basile of Basile Builders as “Man of the Year” at their 3rd annual gala which raised $20,000 to help feed those in need.

The organization will continue to offer relief to over 3,800 families that depend on food supplies and social services provided by RCS. During 2011 thus far, hundreds of people have depended on us for help in their time of need. Today's economic challenges have made life difficult for many, and they are finding themselves on a food pantry line hoping for food.

The fundraiser will help RCS with its ongoing programs expenses. The next event will be the 3rd Annual Walk For Hunger on September 24, 2011.

Rocco Basile and Children of the City Provide Family Services to Prevent Child Abuse

Every year there are more than 3 million reports of child abuse in the United States and those reports often include multiple children. 5.8 million children were involved in an estimated 3.2 million child abuse reports and allegations in the year 2007. Fortunately the incidence of child abuse and neglect has been decreasing in recent years. But statistics reveal that children in low socioeconomic families have more than three times the rate of child abuse and seven times the rate of neglect than other children.

Basically, child abuse can involve children who were victims of neglect, or when a parent or guardian failed to provide for the child's basic needs. Forms of neglect include also educational, physical and emotional neglect. There are also children who are victims of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.

In 2007, an average of four children died every day as a result of child abuse or neglect.

There is no single group of children immune from being a victim of child abuse. However girls are more often the victims of sexual abuse than boys. Statistics are about equal for boys and girls for all other types neglect or abuse. Children of all races and ethnicities can be victims. Nearly one-half of all victims of child abuse and neglect in 2007 were white, one-fifth were African-American, and one-fifth were Hispanic.

Typically it's the youngest children that are the most vulnerable, although children of all ages experience abuse and neglect. Almost 32 percent of the victims of child abuse and neglect are under the age of four years. Plus children whose parents are unemployed have about two times the rate of child abuse and two to three times the rate of neglect than children with employed parents.

Children living with their married biological parents are at the lowest risk for child abuse and neglect, while living with a single parent and a live-in partner increased the risk of abuse and neglect to more than eight times that of other children. City organizations nationwide, like Children of the City, have increased the number of programs and mentors willing to educate and support families going through difficult times, in order to strive to change the culture of poverty.

In 2007, 57 percent, or more than half of all reports involving child abuse made to CPS agencies came from professionals who had come in contact with an abused child -- such as teachers, lawyers, marriage counselors, police officers, or social workers. Furthermore, professionals from these fields are required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect.

However, many reports, about 26 percent, came from nonprofessional sources, such as relatives, friends, and neighbors and parents, with seven percent of all reports in 2007 being anonymous.

For more information including the latest trends on educating children, and organizations in communities that assist in preventing child abuse and neglect, go to www.roccobasile.org.

--Rocco Basile

Source: "The Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect report.

Rocco Basile on Fund Raising and the Economy

At this year's Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) economists said that fund raisers should begin to prepare to take advantage of the economy's slow recovery. (Source: Economist Susan Raymond, Changing Our World).

As you know I enjoy researching and learning about different trends and ways that I can keep up with fund raising ideas for my charities like Children of the City.

They urged fund raisers to pay more attention to economic trends, including the high unemployment rate because the unemployment rate has a big influence on individual giving. The Department of Commerce doesn't anticipate the unemployment rate to drop to 5 to 6 percent, where it was in 2007, until the year 2013.

Also, America's recovery will depend on export products, forcing it to rely on the strength of foreign economies - so watch Europe.

In December 2009, 39 states were expecting new budget deficits in 2010 which is disasterous for philanthropic organizations that rely heavily on government support. The economists urged foundations to help educate local lawmakers about their roles.

However the good news is that overall, the nonprofit sector has huge opportunities including innovation towards strategies to diversify their revenue. Some ideas might include: marketing to female donors who are more financially conservative and philanthropic; exploring cause-related marketing; figuring out ways to take steps to access their situation and decide out how to overcome the psychological impact of the downturn on donors; then embrace change and plan to difersify revenue.

Other ways to do this include seeking funds from program-related investments, and social enterprises. Overall, the days are gone when nonprofit groups can rely on donations alone.

-- Rocco Basile

Rocco Basile Report: Trends in Education for 2010

Technology is truely evolving at the speed of light, so here is a list of trends that will influence education in the new year:

Check out eBooks -- the latest in reading, eBooks will proliferate, although they will not replace traditional textbooks anytime real soon. But the consulting firm - Frost & Sullivan in Atlanta - say the devices will gain traction in the K-12 arena in the year 2010

Netbooks and their functionality will grow in 2010 -- These are expected to become even more popular sd they become affordable, with prices of $200 - $300. Small, computers like this are helping bridge the technology between schools where students don't have access to computers.

Interactive Whiteboards -- These are large display systems allowing teachers and students to work together and they are gaining ground in the K-12 schools. The tools have been around for a quite some time, but the educational arena wasn't ready to use them ten years ago. Now they are.

-- Rocco Basile

Race to the top for Education Reform - Competition Opens

If you haven't heard about the "Race to the Top Fund" and competition that is being organized by the U.S. Department of Education, then stay tuned. It is all part of the way our government can improve our country's educational accessment and improve math and reading skills, provide teachers with more useful instructional information, and then measure their effectiveness and how well the students are performing.

The Department has officially applied, as of today, for more than $4.35 billion from the Race to the Top program, which was established under the American Recovery and reinvestment Act. This will reward those states that have rasied student performance in the past and have the capacity to accelerate achievement by using innovative reforms. Every state is different of course.

Of the funds, $350 million will be reserved to help states create assessments that are alligned to a common set of standards, and the remaining $4 billion will be awarded in a natioanl competition. Ergo the name Race to the Top.

The final application also requires multiple measures to evaluate teachers with a huge emphasis on the growth in achievement of their students. It also reinforces that successful applicants will need strict teacher/principal evaluation programs, to inform what happens in the schools.

I enjoy my charity work for both Children of the City and the Joe DiMaggio Committee, which raises money to provide a good education for children of financially challenged families. Our fund raising event, the Joe DiMaggio Award Gala, benefits Xaverian High School, my alma mater. You can read more about it on my website at http://www.roccobasile.net/

It seems that Xaverian has already figured out a great system, that could serve as an example for the rest of teh country's "Race to the Top" program. This school offers the best secondary education for students with learning disabilities. Its Ryken Program serves as the model for the New York State Regents for all such endeavors. Xaverian has a tradition of serving young men from disadvantaged backgrounds, boys with learning disabilities and students that are in financial need.

In the meantime, let the race begin. Our country's youth deserve Race to the Top.

--Rocco Basile

How Educated are Americans?

This may come as shocking news ... but when I recently did some research on this topic, I discovered that the answer changes depending upon how you look at it. High school graduation rates have soared since the 1870s, yet although rates have fallen off in the last 30 years of the 20th Century, by 2000, the percentage of graduates was the highest it had been since 1960. I find this information fascinating, and often record the stats in my website www.RoccoBasile.net.

What's more, the number of college students has also been on the rise since the 1870s. There was a dramatic increase from 1950-2000. The good news is that for all racial groups, education has been rising steadily since the 1960s, and literacy rates for adults has been going up ever since the 1870s. It reached a rate of 99.3% in 1979.

Now here's an interesting concept: How do our children compare to other children in the world when it comes to education? The United States ranks in the top 10 for reading, and in math, we still rank in the top 10 for 4th graders. However, our scores drop in the rankings for 8th and 12th graders.

So you may wonder, why aren't the students in the U.S. keeping up with students from other countries? Standardized testing became a tool for measuring school performance in the 1970s, just as Federal spending on education increased.

If you would like to read more go to: http://social.jrank.org/pages/951/How-Educated-Are-We.html#ixzz0RPL72vNz

--Rocco Basile

The Cycle of Poverty Broken: One Family at a Time

In Brooklyn New York, it is hard to believe that one in three families are living in poverty. But since 1981, the charity at which I am on the Board of Directors - Children of the City - has served the underprivileged children.

The organization started out as a children’s prevention outreach in the early years, but our services have evolved to include trauma intervention, counseling, an after-school and summer program, courtroom and legal advocacy, social work, guardianship, financial counseling, youth mentoring, and other as-needed services to help children and their families achieve success in education, social relationships, home, financial and career.

Almost half of the students who have participated in this program believe it helped them from getting involved in drugs.

Family volunteers like Robert and Maritza Fred have helped to raise over 25 foster children within the Children of the City program, and several of whom they have legally adopted. Maritza is lively and loquacious. They have made a life long commitment to help restore families, as volunteers.

When the kids come home from school Robert takes them to the park. Later it’s time to sit around the kitchen table with Maritza to do homework, read and talk about their day. The Freds treat all of the children equitably, making them feel safe and secure about their place in a loving, nurturing household.

As you know, my website http://www.roccobasile.net/ focuses on educaiton, and the charities in whcih i am involved with, including the historical events at Children of the City, who reaches children at home, at school, on the streets and playgrounds, and at its facility. A dedicated team includes many certified professionals, along with 50 highly committed and trained volunteers who visit close to one thousand children every single month.

During the year we maintain current information on over 500 families in the community representing approximately 2,000 children, and we are able to be a positive influence to the young lives we reach every and every day.

--Rocco Basile