Bill Milliken: 40 Years of Service

Bill Milliken: 40 Years of Service

A past that speaks to the present and future

June 19, 2000- Forty years and two days later, Bill Milliken revisited the Harlem community where he first began his visionary work on behalf of at-risk young people. Friends, colleagues, community leaders and students gathered to celebrate Bill's 40 years of service to children, families and communities, both in New York and throughout the United States.

Bill spent the morning in Community School District 4, East Harlem, and the afternoon in Community School District 23, Brooklyn. Both districts are part of the network served by Communities in Schools, New York. Students, parents and CIS staff paid tribute to Bill's accomplishments in songs, poems, speeches and awards of recognition. Junior High School 45 in East Harlem hosted the morning tribute to Bill, including a welcome from Superintendent Evelyn Castro, the presentation of a "Superstar" award, and performances by the JHS 45 Chorus, directed by Terry Myreck. In the afternoon, Intermediate School 55 in the Ocean Hill/ Brownsville section of Brooklyn honored Bill's achievements with an address from Superintendent Kathleen Cashin, a poetry reading, and a special musical perform-ance by John Motley and Harry Constant.

Since he arrived in New York City from Pittsburgh, Bill has dedicated his career to improving the lives of youth nationwide. For four decades, Bill has helped at-risk youth to succeed in spite of obstacles. He has always asserted that each child must be viewed holistically, and should thus receive a wide variety of supports. He has also held fast to the
belief that "Programs don't change children-relationships do." Bill explains this statement through his own experiences as a troubled teen. "I got in trouble when I was younger and kicked out of high school," he in a recent interview. "It was a caring adult, on the streets, that helped me out."
In the 1960s he pioneered the New York City "Street Academies," a program that provided storefront schools serving high school dropouts. In the early 1970s Bill had shifted his focus to the schools themselves, which he considered to be the ideal delivery points for needed services. His first in-school programs were in Indianapolis and
Atlanta. By 1976, those programs had tripled in size, and a program was established in New York City. First known as "Cities in Schools," the program became "Communities in Schools" in 1996.

Presently, Communities in Schools has 160 sites in 32 states. The
program serves two million at-risk public school students, as well as many parents and families. Communities in Schools is the largest stay-in-school network program in the United States.

Bill Milliken greets some of his biggest supporters, the students of John S. Roberts Junior High School (JHS 45) in Community School District 4, Manhattan. The district presented Bill with their Superstar Award for his remarkable contributions.

Poet Dr. Linda Michelle Baron enjoys a laugh before reading her poem at JHS 45's Tribute to Bill Milliken

Dr. Roy J. Blash and Bill Milliken

Bill Millken displays his Award of Recognition with Reginald Bowman, Dr. Roy J. Blash, CSD 23 Superintendent Kathleen Cashin, and staff members from IS 55, the Brooklyn middle school that hosted Bill's afternoon celebration.

A Gathering of Friends and Supporters…

Students from Junior High School 45 in East Harlem accompanied by CISNY Educational Consultant Diana Cagle, Bill Milliken, and CISNY Executive Director Roy Blash (from left).

CISNY Public Relations Consultant Jerry Parker and Bill Milliken welcome a CSD 4 storyteller-in-residence to the stage.

Top row, from left: CISNY Technology Consultant Ronnie Lowenstein, Richard Placente, Reginald Bowman, Assemblyman William Boyland (D-Brownsville), Reverend McCrae, Bill Milliken, Roy Blash, John Motley, CISNY Community Relations Consultant Alan Dubrow, CSD 23 Superintendent Kathleen Cashin. Bottom row: Dr. Linda Michelle Baron (center) with two CSD 23 parents.

(Above) Bill Milliken and John Motley laugh it up during a musical tribute
(Below) Words and music composed by John Motley and Jerry Parker

You Are Too, Too Much
By Lindamichellebaron

I tried to write you a poem,
Don't think this excuse is "for the birds,"
But when I try to describe you
I run out of words.
I could put you in a poem
and wrap it up tight.
I could rhyme it up and rhythm it up
to sound just right.
I could write this and that about you
and add "such and such."
But it couldn't capture you,
because you're just too much.

I mean...
You're the longitude and latitude
of what I need.
You're a library packed with books
I could cuddle up to read.
You're the x and y axis
I could plot to find me.
You're what my teachers tried to teach me
about infinity.
See, I'm trying to describe you.
I've added this and that and "such and such."
But I can't capture all of you
because you're just too much.

Yes, I'm known as a poet.
You know I know how to write.
Yet, I'm still trying to compose you
in the middle of the night.
I'm rewriting and revising.
Do you know how many words it would take
To get enough metaphors and similes
for the poem I'd need to make?
I've added this and that
and I've inserted "such and such."
But I still can't capture you.
because, you are just too much.

The Rose That Grew
From Cement
An original student poem
By Trevor Allen
Grade 8, JHS 45

The Rose that grew from cement
A beautiful red and green
The rose that grew from cement
Grown without a seed
The rose that grew from cement
Struggling to get a life
The rose that grew from cement
Bloomed without sunlight
The rose that grew from cement
Noticed by no one
The rose that grew from cement
Grown in East Harlem
The rose that grew from cement
Being all it can be
The rose that grew from cement
That rose is me