Harlem CEO to speak at retreat

By Mark Wineka

mwineka@salisburypost.com

George Khaldun, chief operating officer for Harlem Children's Zone Inc., will speak next Wednesday at Salisbury City Council's 25th annual goal-setting retreat.

Mayor Susan Kluttz arranged for his visit after hearing Khaldun speak at an event sponsored by the James B. Hunt institute for Educational Leadership and Policy.

Kluttz was attending a Tri-State Summit: "Meeting the Needs of Disadvantaged Youth in the Afterschool Hours."

Kluttz said what the Harlem Children's Zone is accomplishing dovetails well with the council's recent efforts to address youth gangs and emphasize the importance of reading.

"We need to be doing more to provide hope for our young people," Kluttz said. "There's got to be more that we can offer."

Khaldun will review the nationally acclaimed program which combines educational, social and medical services, starting at birth and following children through college. The New York Times Magazine has called it "one of the most ambitious experiments of our time."

Khaldun will speak at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday in the Messinger Room at the Rowan Museum, 202 N. Main St.

The work of Harlem Children's Zone President and Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Canada has become a national model and featured in television programs such as "60 Minutes," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Today Show," "Good Morning America," "Nightline," "CBS This Morning," "The Charlie Rose Show" and on National Public Radio's "On Point."

Many national publications also have done stories on the program.

In 1997, Canada's agency launched the Harlem Children's Zone Project, which targets a specific geographic area in Central Harlem with a comprehensive range of services.

"The objective is to create a safety net woven so tightly that children in the neighborhood just can't slip through," The New York Times Magazine said.

If the program has had success in a much larger geographical area, "certainly there is something we can do," Kluttz said.

The mayor stressed that the council's invitation to Khaldun is not meant to offend, insult or interfere with all the good things Rowan-Salisbury Schools or non-profit agencies already are doing in Salisbury.

It's more a matter of investigating whether the city can do anything to enhance the programs in place. She said it's important to hear about programs that are working elsewhere.

"It's a fascinating story he has to tell," Kluttz said.

Council's retreat sessions next Wednesday and Thursday are open to the public. For citizens wanting to hear Khaldun, Kluttz recommends that they call City Clerk Myra Heard at 704-638-5222 to let her know they might be coming because of the limited seating capacity in the Messinger Room.