Standing Ovation at TEDxManhattan and The New Green Bronx Machine

Dear Friends:

On Saturday, March 7, my students and I spoke at TEDxManhattan to reveal the new mission and vision of Green Bronx Machine. Simply put, we received the most resounding STANDING OVATION of our careers – folks heard us loud and clear; THIS IS OUR MOMENT. At the venue, I implored my extended family of “equity warriors” to help us Change the Way Children Eat, Change the Way Children Learn and to Change Lives in This and Future Generations!

At 6:35 we showcased one of our most viral videos to date, highlighting the technology we are featuring in classrooms to achieve outstanding academic results. At 12:25 we highlighted how we will be sending home 100 bags of student grown vegetables weekly – 52 weeks a year – and at 13:30 we revealed the first renderings for the National Health and Wellness Center at CS 55. The remaining three minutes were amongst the most emotional and impassioned of my entire public career rooted in my belief that it is easier to raise healthy children than fix broken men! My students were so proud to be on stage and share their harvest with all of you – a moment they will cherish forever! The whole Bronx heard your cheers!

Now is the time to translate that excitement to commitment. On a daily basis, here at CS 55, we are educating and veg-u-cating our children and we need your support. Even in our infancy, we have become the heart and core of the school. We have a unprecendented opportunity to forever transform lives and outcomes in the South Bronx and beyond – building a wholly replicable model. We cannot do it alone and now that you know more, I expect you to care more and now that you care more, I expect you to do more! Together, we can GROW SOMETHING GREATER!

Help us convert our 100+ year old school house in the South Bronx into a state-of-the-art learning facility that feeds minds and bodies all year long. Help us send the first cohort of CS 55 children to the Bronx High School of Science and beyond while sending home 100+ bags of fresh vegetables home weekly – 52 weeks per year! We are the ones the children are waiting for! Know that 100% of all donations will go to infrastructure and programming. Together, we can do this!

As always, thanks for your support! Si se puede!

Stephen