Urban Tech Honors John Starks, Jessica Isaacs, Ramon Gonzalez

The National Urban Technology Center (Urban Tech) hosts its annual gala benefit on Tuesday September 20, 2011, 6:00 pm at Gustavino's, 409 East 59th Street in New York City. The evening celebrates Urban Tech's success in transforming 460,000 young lives through the implementation of 750 computer training centers and (creation or foundation) of 200 youth development programs through technology and training. However, this could not have been accomplished without the input and support of Urban Tech's heroes, especially the 2011 honorees:

- NBA All?Star John Starks, receiver of the Humanitarian Award
- "Intel School of Distinction" MS223 Principal Ramon Gonzalez, receiver of the Education Leadership Award
- Jessica Isaacs of Marsh Inc., receiver of the Corporate Leadership Award.

"Urban Tech is delighted to honor the vision of these great leaders. They understand the important role that technology plays in facilitating both individual and professional success," stated Patricia Bransford, founder and president of Urban Tech.

John Starks was a team leader of the New York Knicks and an NBA All-Star. Mr. Starks is a national advocate for underprivileged children and youth and has been an Urban Tech supporter for many years and on the board of Urban Tech for 2½ years, where he has supported Urban Tech's community programs addressing youth leadership, character education, bullying, financial literacy, technology training, substance abuse prevention, healthy habits, and HIV awareness. Urban Tech celebrates his impact as a great humanitarian.

Ramon Gonzalez is the principal of MS223, where he has successfully created an exceptional educational environment. He champions education as a civil right, going beyond the call of duty to ensure that his students are academically, financially, and socially prepared for success. Urban Tech celebrates his exceptional leadership in promoting education.

Jessica Isaacs is the Head of InternationAl Small and Medium Business Enterprises for insurance corporation Marsh Inc. Jessica is dedicated to revitalizing America's financial industry and its disenfranchised communities from the economic crises, serving as an exemplary role model for young and upcoming leaders. Urban Tech celebrates her impact as a corporate leader with an unyielding commitment to youth.

Proceeds from the gala benefit Urban Tech's Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) ®. The overarching goal of YLA is to enrich and supplement core academic subjects by strengthening the social and emotional skills, computer literacy, and higher-order thinking abilities essential for shaping the academic performance and career outcomes of youth. Recognizing that young people learn in many different ways, YLA uses varied approaches to build and reinforce skills, including culturally sensitive animated scenarios and case-study analysis to engage the attention of youth, interactive exercises and e-journals to promote participation, as well as simulation for problem-solving skills.

ABOUT NATIONAL URBAN TECHNOLOGY CENTER
Urban Tech is a 501(c)(3) non-profit education technology corporation. Their mission is to transform lives and communities through the power of technology. They accomplish their mission by partnering with schools and community-based organizations (CBOs) to implement two flagship programs: Youth Leadership Academy® (YLA) and SeedTech®. For more information visit www.urbantech.org.

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