Urban Dove Newsletter                                                           April 2016
A Message from Executive Director Jai Nanda

I am always amazed at the strength and resiliency of our young people. Being a teenager is hard... school work, part-time job, friends, family and all the other distractions. But so many of our young people have the added challenge of growing up in communities that test them every day. Communities that make being a teenager even harder. Recently, on a warm Friday afternoon, one of our UD Team students decided to go outside to shoot some hoops. He was shot twice in the legs when caught in the crossfire of a gun fight.  Coaches and staff visited and reached out practically non-stop over the weekend and he was back in school on Monday. I believe that most of the strength that made this remarkable recovery possible belonged to the young person, but certainly some of it came from our staff and the affection and commitment they showed. That is what Urban Dove and UD Team are all about. Providing caring, positive adults who give our youth the skills, and sometimes the strength, they need to overcome all the challenges they face. It is critically important work. 
  
Thank you for all that you do to make our work possible and for being a part of the Urban Dove family! Please SAVE THE DATE: Monday, June 13th, 2016 is Evening with the Dove.
 
   
 
Finale
FINALE
On Saturday, January 9th over 80 of our Little Doves were recognized for their participation in the HiRisers program over the fall cycle. The Little Doves enjoyed a day of fitness and fun to celebrate their participation this past semester. At the end of the event, they performed a talent show for their older mentors and received medals to take home.
Awards
Awards Night was a special night for Urban Dove's Youth Staff. Over 30 Youth Staff were recognized for their Teamwork, Leadership, and Communication skills which are the three tenets of Urban Dove. For the first time, Youth Staff received awards in front of their families and friends in three regional awards ceremonies instead of one big ceremony. This year we were also joined by our Youth Staff in Training - our middle school teen mentors! We want to especially thank our program staff for their tireless commitment to our youth. 
Spotlight
UD alum Jennifer attended Life Sciences Secondary High School, a crowded school lacking the student-to-teacher ratio necessary to offer her the personal development and college readiness attention she desperately needed. She joined the Urban Dove family in her freshman year of high school and continued throughout her 4 years. Jennifer graduated in 2008, and with the support and guidance she received from the Dove, Jennifer was accepted to Williams College. For the last 8 months, Jennifer has worked for an organization called Her Justice, coordinating the company's pro-bono project which provides legal representation to underserved women in NYC, as well as immigration assistance, matrimonial assistance, and family law. "If it weren't for Urban Dove and the skills and experience I gained during my time there, none of this would have been possible."   
Check out our Alumni Spotlights here.
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Check Out More Urban Dove Photos on our Flickr Page! 
 
In this Issue:  
SAVE THE DATE:
Monday, June 13th, 2016

April 14th was the Third Annual Corporate Basketball Challenge at Basketball City
  Help Raise  
Our Game:
Congratulations to Hayley Rosario on receiving the prestigious Master Youth Staff award

On January 15th, Urban Dove students and employees rang the NASDAQ Closing Bell
We are so proud of
our College All-Stars. All of them have been accepted to college. Stay tuned to see where they end up.
UD Team went to the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament at the Barclays Center
Urban Dove | 212-244-2131 | info@urbandove.org | http://www.urbandove.org
Church Street Station
P.O. Box 305
New York, NY 10008
 

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