BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/children?src=hash” target=”_blank”gt;#childrenlt;/agt;–The Robert
F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, a national leader in child
welfare and juvenile justice programs and services, is honoring Easterly
Chairman Darrell W. Crate with its prestigious “Embracing the Legacy
Award” for his work on behalf of at-risk youth. Crate will receive the
honor at the 50th
anniversary gala of the RFK Children’s Action Corps at the John F.
Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts on May
10.
Crate,
a strong supporter of the RFK Children’s Action Corps since 2005,
currently serves on its Advisory
Council. He is being recognized for his instrumental role in helping
the organization advance, refine and grow the Detention
Diversion Advocacy Program (DDAP) over the past 14 years.
DDAP, an evidence-based practice model, is a court-ordered alternative
to juvenile incarceration programs that provides youthful offenders with
intensive counseling and case management for 90 to 120 days. The program
focuses on accountability without criminalization and is designed to
reduce the likelihood of recidivism. Since its inception in 2005, DDAP
has served more than 950 young people aged 11-18. Ninety percent of
those who have participated in DDAP have had their criminal charges
dismissed. This year, DDAP expects to serve more than 150 at-risk youth.
Crate’s vision, leadership and investment have been essential to
sustaining and expanding the success of DDAP, which enabled site
replication. “DDAP saves taxpayer dollars, keeps youth in their
communities and helps them stay out of the juvenile justice system,”
said Crate. “We can’t expect judges to parent from the bench. This
innovative intervention strategy gives young people the tools they need
to make better choices, break emotional patterns and move past their
mistakes.”
Jasmin Young, who completed DDAP a decade ago, will present Crate’s
award. She will be joined by the Honorable Leslie E. Harris, the former
associate justice for the Suffolk Juvenile Court who presided over her
case. Young, a dental assistant and student at Bunker Hill Community
College, will be starting a pre-law program at Northeastern University
this fall. Both presenters credit the program with giving her a second
chance. Now retired from the bench, Harris serves on the Board of
Directors of the RFK Children’s Action Corps, and received the Embracing
the Legacy Award in 2013.
“I am especially touched to receive this honor from both Jasmin and
Judge Harris,” said Crate. “The judge cared enough to give Jasmin a
second chance, and now her life has come full circle. This demonstrates
the power of compassion and why the RFK Children’s Action Corps is an
essential lifeline for troubled youth in our community.”
In addition to the Detention Diversion Advocacy Program, Crate’s support
for the RFK Children’s Action Corps includes co-chairing its first major
capital campaign in 2006, which raised nearly $3 million to build and
operate its residence in Lancaster, MA. The Lancaster campus includes
special education services and residential facilities for young people
who are under the supervision of the Massachusetts Department of
Children and Families and who require longer-term stays lasting from as
little as 45 days to more than a year.
Crate’s support of at-risk or underprivileged youth extends to
incubating Think
of Us, an innovative technology solution that helps youth
transitioning or aging out of the foster care system, typically in their
late teens or early twenties. “It is vitally important that we prepare
young people about to age out of foster care. I hope that Think of Us
will make a difference in their lives,” said Crate.
Crate has provided meaningful financial support and mentorship to Sixto
Cancel, who originated the Think of Us concept. Last year, Think of Us
advanced its technology at an event held at the RFK Lancaster campus.
During a “hackathon,” Think of Us further developed an app to connect
youth aging out of foster care and help them make safe and successful
transitions. Massachusetts
First Lady Lauren Baker participated in this event, together with
Crate and his wife, Amy, who works with Think of Us and serves on the
Board of Directors of the RFK Children’s Action Corps. Crate’s teenaged
children also are involved with Think of Us and have volunteered with
the RFK Children’s Action Corps since they were young.
“The young people in our care have experienced significant trauma and
face severe challenges that require intensive support,” said Edward P.
Kelley, Chief Executive Officer of the RFK Children’s Action Corps.
“While others see insurmountable obstacles, Darrell Crate never fails to
see the value and potential of every child. We are proud to honor his
unwavering dedication to helping vulnerable youth find a pathway to
success.”
Others to be honored at the 2019 Embracing the Legacy event include: The
late Paul Lewis, Director for the Youth & Police Initiative; Robert
Lewis, Jr., Founder and President, The BASE; and Bob Scannell and Mary
Kinsella Scannell, President and CEO and Vice President, respectively,
of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester.
The honorees will join approximately 50 previous Embracing the Legacy
award recipients including such notables as New England Council
President Jim Brett, EY-Parthenon Founder and Senior Managing Director
Bill Achtmeyer, children’s rights activists Marian Wright Edelman and
Peter Edelman, athletes Tim Wakefield, Gale Sayers and Rafer Johnson and
musicians The Dropkick Murphys.
The Embracing the Legacy Event is the largest fundraiser of the year for
the RFK Children’s Actions Corps.
About Darrell Crate
The founder and chair of Easterly,
Crate also holds leadership positions in its affiliated companies,
including Easterly
Government Properties (NYSE: DEA), Levin
Easterly Partners and Easterly
Partners. From 1998 to 2011, he served as chief financial officer of
Affiliated Managers Group (NYSE: AMG).
Among Crate’s other charitable and civic activities have been serving as
a trustee of Bates College, as Vice Chairman of the Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association and as a founding board member of Think of Us, an
innovative non-profit that is developing a technology platform and
mentorship model to improve outcomes of youth aging out of foster care.
About Easterly
Easterly brings deep asset management industry expertise in originating,
underwriting and structuring asset management platforms. Our team
includes veterans of some of the most successful asset management
companies of the past decade. With their expertise, we are committed to
meeting the financial needs of institutions, including corporations,
foundations, endowments and pension plans, as well as the consultants
and advisors who guide them. For more information, please visit Easterly
at https://easterlycapital.com/.
About the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps
Founded in June 1969, the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps is a
private, non-profit licensed child welfare organization providing
community-based services, education, foster care and adoption,
residential treatment, and juvenile justice programming to individuals
and families in crisis. Our programs are focused on helping children and
adolescents deal with past hurts, develop self-esteem, and have a chance
for a brighter future as contributing members of society. All that we do
at RFK Children’s Action Corps is based on the belief that every child
deserves the chance to lead a happy, healthy, and productive life. For
more information and to get involved, visit www.rfkchildren.org.
Contacts
Nicholas Parmelee
The Hubbell Group, Inc.
(781) 210-5027
[email protected]
