Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families

Contact Information:
Geoffrey Canada, President
103 West 107th Street
New York, NY 10025
Phone: 212-866-5557
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The Rheedlen Centers for Children and Families bring safety and humanity to children, youth and families who too often have experienced little of it in their urban New York neighborhoods. The three centers are physically located in New York City public schools, providing a safe, stable environment for positive educational, counseling, and recreational experiences to over 2,000 children ages 5 and up. The schools, therefore, become transformed into broader community institutions that meet a variety of needs during extended hours, seven days a week. Most of all, they provide a focal point for creating healthy developmental opportunities instead of traditional problem-focused services. Rheedlen's mission is to keep families intact, provide supplementary education, create healthier neighborhoods, and develop a countervailing force in communities experiencing an increasingly powerful drug sub-culture. A home away from home for many young people, the Centers offer a wide variety of activity for young people. These include social and recreational activities, arts and creativity classes, physical and health developoment workshops, sports leagues, personal and social development counseling, mental health services, housing assistance and health care. Rheedlen also has a strong focus on helpin youth appreciate their own worth and power through activities such as community service and organizing, political activism, and entrepreneurial training.