Rutgers-Camden Training of New Jersey's Community Leaders

As the 9th Annual Alfredo Santiago Scholarship Fundraising Gala on Friday, December 5th, 2008 draws near, the Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership is pleased to look back and reflect on the success of our previous galas and the support we’ve received from our friends.

Along with the leadership awards and the silent auction, one of the signature moments of the annual Gala ceremony is a video presentation highlighting LEAP Academy University Charter School and the continued support of our friends in the legislative and business sectors.

The videos feature a montage of images and stories from students, families, and staff of LEAP Academy, along with remarks from CSUCL Director Dr. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago and each year’s honorary leadership award recipients.

With the help of Creative Visual Images, the CSUCL is proud to present, for the first time, the Alfredo Santiago Scholarship Gala video archive. The archive features each of the annual video presentations shown at the Gala since 2001. Below are links to each three-minute video, beginning with 2001’s “An Inspiring Jewel” and concluding with 2007’s “Building a Legacy of Excellence.”

Gala Video Archive

Our Gala is the premier annual event for the Center, and there are several ways in which you can become a part of the event and support the scholarship. Please contact Randy Miller at (856) 225-2922 or RRmiller@camden.rutgers.edu to learn more about how you can purchase tickets or donate to the scholarship.

The 2008 Gala is in December, but the time is now to support the academic dreams and futures of LEAP Academy students at Rutgers University.

CSUCL Professional Development Program embraces Multicultural diversity in the classroom

The Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership has completed its 8-week Language, Literacy, and Culture in Early Education professional development program at LEAP Academy University Charter School. The program was a pilot effort to expand multicultural education in Camden.

For eight weeks, all LEAP Academy teachers from Pre-K through 3rd Grade participated in the program, which exposed them to new methods for working effectively with children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The program was created and supervised by Dr. Dina C. Castro, a scientist at the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

At the conclusion of the program, LEAP faculty met with Dr. Castro to discuss the training program and made presentations on how they implemented the lessons into their classrooms. Each teacher created a display that highlighted some of their classroom activities, which included bilingual word boards, bilingual puzzles, Spanish songs, and Father’s Day cards written phonetically in Spanish.
Click on the link below to see photos from LEAP classrooms, the teacher displays, and a PowerPoint presentation.

The Rutgers/LEAP Office of Pre College Programs has released its first issue of the Rutgers/LEAP Pre College Journal, a biannual publication that reports on the work and achievement of LEAP Academy students preparing for college.

Under the umbrella of the Center for Strategic Urban Community Leadership the Pre College Office, works closely with colleges, corporations, and community organizations to establish opportunities for LEAP students and to get them prepared for their college careers.

In this issue, LEAP students traveled across the country to participate in leadership conferences like the National Hispanic Institute and Princeton Model Congress, school activities like 21st Century after school programs and writing contests provided students with fun and exciting opportunities, and over 20 LEAP seniors became the first (but not the last) in their class to be accepted to 4-year college programs.

Please click on the link below to read more about the great work being done in the Rutgers/LEAP Office of Pre College Programs.

The Schumann Fund for New Jersey recently granted $100,000 to the Center (CSUCL) to provide support for the Parents Training Academy, as part of the CSUCL's efforts in building philanthropic support for the Early Learning Research Academy (ELRA). Schuman's $100,000 gift will support the Parents' Training component of the initiative. With these funds, ELRA staff will be able to design, Pilot, and deliver training modules to better prepare parents to address the needs of infants and toddlers, and providing them with the tools to maximize the involvement with the children's education and develop their leadership as partners in the educational process.

Play Ground Donation
LEAP is thrilled to announce the very generous donation by Linda Rohrer, of $150,000 for a new LEAP Academy playground. It will be developed on the open land advanced to the elementary school, and will be a welcome addition to exiting facilities. Rohrer, a trustees of the William G. Rohrer Charitable Foundation, is the daughter of the late William Rohrer, who developed the Foundation to fund local causes. He was a strong supporter of community improvement and education-both of which are reflected in this latest grant. The playground will be a great benefit to the children of LEAP.

Verizon Grant for $22,000 supports LEAP Library
The Verizon Foundation recently awarded LEAP a grant of $22,000 to improve and update the library. Funds will be used to purchase necessary supplies, including books, and enhance the learning experience of all LEAP students. To find out how you can contribute to LEAP’s library, please see below.

Mindy Holman, president and CEO of Holman Enterprises and generous benefactor to the LEAP Academy University Charter School, visited the school on October 31st, to spend time with some of the students. She presented a check on behalf Holman Enterprises for the Alfredo Santiago Endowment Scholarship Fund (Click for pictures of the Events )

Dr. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago received award as a National Honoree during a special ceremony in Denver Colorado on Nov. 9. Actress/activist Rosario Dawson received the 2007 Mujer Award as a Chair Honoree, while Mary DeFerreire, president and CEO of International Multicultural Psychological Services in Texas, received the 2007 Mujer Award as a Regional Honore
2007 National Mujer Award from the National Hispana Leadership Institute. (Read full story)
( Pictures of the event)

Empowering Regional Growth
This brief outlines the various education, training, leadership and service programs generated on the Rutgers-Camden campus to transform urban communities.

A Report to President Richard McCormick
The President's report summarizes the findings of an evaluation of Rutgers-Camden's leadership development efforts. Findings were highly positive, indicting that Rutgers is playing a critical role in training and developing the leaders who will move New Jersey's communities forward in the future.

Leading the way for Camden Students (Click for the story )
Since 2002, Knight Foundation has supported Dr. Gloria Bonilla Santiago’s vision of a better kind of education for students in Camden, N.J., a city across the Delaware River from Philadelphia working to overcome huge social, political and economic deficits. Some 15 years ago, she helped open Camden's first charter school — the Rutgers-LEAP Academy. Today, the LEAP Academy’s efforts encompass education for preschoolers through high school (and will soon encompass infant care). Black and Latino children from low-income neighborhoods wear crisp plaid uniforms and study in buildings lining a transformed block of Cooper Street. Parents participate in mandatory classes that teach them how to be involved in their children’s education and in the community. Teachers get leadership development training.

Center for Strategic
Urban Community Leadership
321 Cooper Street Camden, NJ 08102
Telephone: 856-225-6348
Fax: 856-225-6500