Children of the City and Partners Provide Safe Play Place
Children of the City again partnered with local and citywide businesses, and volunteers from all over New York to service disadvantaged children and families in Sunset Park by hosting Spring Carnival 2008 with all the food and festivities—free of charge.
Volunteers from Brooklyn Technical High School and Fort Hamilton High School came alongside Children of the City and its team of volunteers on Saturday June 14, 2008 to put together a power packed day of fun and games, including a watermelon eating contest, relay races, and more. Goods were also donated to C-Town Supermarkers, McDonald's, and Ginos Italian Ices. Children participated in a number of games and contests, visited various arts & crafts booths, and had their faces painted by one of a half-dozen local artists. Thanks to the generous financial support of Forest City Ratner Companies and Kingdom Management Services, hundreds of children also enjoyed a large-inflatible fun house and Alien Laser Tag all free of charge.
"Children need affordable places where they can play and be safe," said Joyce Mattera, Executive Director. "Every year over 10 million children are involved in violence; a recent study of students in middle school showed that 80% of the students had engaged in bullying behaviors during the previous 30 days. Children that come to participate in our programs and activities feel safe and valued. They also make tremendous progress in their educational and social challenges "
Since 1981, Children of the City has been serving the underprivileged children in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Starting out as a children's prevention outreach in the early years, our services have evolved to help children and their families achieve success in education, social relationships, home, financial and career. Our dedicated team of professionals and highly committed volunteers visit one thousand children every single month, and provide many services to hundreds of them on a daily and weekly basis. They are a positive influence to the young lives they reach every day, helping to give them a better tomorrow
