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Jun 22, 2008

"Some men see things as they are and say, 'Why?' Others dream of things that never were and say, 'Why not?'" --George Bernard Shaw

The Harlem Children's Zone

Once the center of a renaissance, Harlem, New York, has slowly declined, now symbolizing urban poverty and decay. But today, there's a new renaissance under way in Harlem, with the construction of new buildings, businesses and schools. One leader is Geoffrey Canada, whose vision, quite simply, is to save children, and he has amassed a staggering amount of private money -- more than $100,000,000 -- to realize his goal. His testing ground is a 60-block area in central Harlem that he calls "The Harlem Children's Zone," in which Harvard School of Education alumnus Canada has promised parents: "If your child comes to this school, we will guarantee that we will get your child into college. We will be with you with your child from the moment they enter our school till the moment they graduate from college."