Metro-Manhattan Links Honors HCZ's Geoffrey Canada 12/12

The Metro-Manhattan Chapter of the Links, Inc. honors Geoffrey Canada, president and chief executive officer of Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) at its tenth gala on Sunday, December 12th, 3:00pm - 8:00pm at Capitale. HCZ is a community-based organization serving over 17,000 children living in a 100-city-block area in Harlem, New York City. The Metro-Manhattan Chapter of Links, Inc. and HCZ have The Common goal to create safe, stable and encouraging environments for Harlem children and families.

Both organizations work to increase the number of Harlem children who will graduate from middle school, high school, college and graduate school. The evening celebrates educational achievement in Harlem and will take place at Capitale, 130 Bowery Street, NYC.

"We are proud to honor Geoffrey Canada for putting a line in the cement sidewalk of upper Manhattan and declaring that we will educate our children, we will support our families and we will grow stronger as a community," said Anna Maria Harris, president of the Metro-Manhattan Chapter of the Links, Inc. "We celebrate Geoffrey Canada's inspiring dedication, ground-breaking practices and the tremendous difference his work has made in so many lives," addEd Harris.

The evening is a fundraiser for the Metro-Manhattan Chapter of Links, a non-profit organization dedicated to substantially impacting the quality of life for children and families in Greater Harlem through arts, education and leadership development. The Governor and First Lady of the State of New York, David A. Paterson and Michelle Paige Paterson, will receive special recognition for their support of Metro-Manhattan Links' Harlem-based programs. Award-winning CBS 2 News anchor Maurice Dubois will serve as master of ceremonies for the evening of cocktails, silent auction, dinner and dancing. A special presentation by the Harlem-based Millennium dance company and the introduction of a Metro-Manhattan Links Young Achiever, Chris Gooding, a freshman at Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, will be part of the evening celebrations.

Supporters of Metro Manhattan Links, who will be dancing to the sounds of the soulful Total Package include: Kathryn C. Chenault, Corbett A. Price, Alma E. Rangel, B. Smith and Dan Gasby, and Donna Williams.
Metro-Manhattan Chapter of the Links, Inc. will announce the nationwide expansion of its 12-year-old Young Achievers program. With a record number of 55 students this year, the Young Achievers program provides mentorships and life skills workshops for young African American men. The goal for this program is to focus on helping these young men of color graduate from high school and college. Since the program started, Metro-Manhattan Links has been responsible for over 300 men going to college over the past twelve years.

About the Metro-Manhattan Chapter of the Links, Inc.
The Metro-Manhattan Chapter of the Links Incorporated strives to enhance the quality of life in the Harlem community through the four facets structured by the national organization: Services to Youth, The Arts, International Trends and National Trends and Services committees. The national organization, The Links, Inc., is one of the oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of women with a membership of over 12,000 professional women of color in 270 chapters in 42 states, the District of Columbia and The Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The Links was founded in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1946 to preserve the culture and insure the economic survival of individuals of African ancestry.