Laying the Groundwork in East New York

Children and teens at Groundwork.

East New York is one of Brooklyn's poorest communities. Richard Buery, Jr. knows this all too well because he grew up there. In 2002, Buery—who went to Harvard, became an attorney, and started a youth mentoring program in Boston—came back to found Groundwork to "help make East New York stronger."

Groundwork offers a variety of programs for kids in neighborhood schools from kindergarten through high school: mentoring, literacy instruction, arts classes, counseling, sports and physical fitness, internships, and college preparation. "All these programs support our main objective: giving students the tools to get to college," Buery said.

Chadlawney began participating in Groundwork in 2003. "It got me to focus and now I know exactly what to do. I would still be lost. Because of Groundwork I was able to visit colleges and make important decisions about my future," she said.

She spent the 2005 summer attending Howard University's Health and Career Opportunity Program. In May 2006, Chadlawney graduated from Maxwell High School in East New York and attend New York City College of Technology.

Groundwork helps about 500 students each year and grants from The Trust have enabled the group to expand its activities. Buery has begun working with preschoolers and measuring the impact of what the group has accomplished.

"I see a difference in the students we've helped," he said. "We want to reach more youth and give them the same tools."