In November, a group of people in Brooklyn, New York helped
with donations to feed 400 families and 800 people at the
Children of the City annual food drive before Thanksgiving.
Since its inception, this organization has reached
thousands of children at home, school, and on the streets
and playgrounds.

"This year we went around to different food distributors
and asked them to donate turkeys and canned foods. We
obtained enough food to feed more than 800 people, who my
family and I along with other members of Children of the
City helped distribute to the families," said Rocco Basile,
one of the charity's board members. "With support like this
we can effectively reach and change the lives of many
families, improving their quality of life by breaking the
cyclical effects of poverty and giving them hope for their
future."

For more than two decades since 1981, this organization has
successfully served the underprivileged children and
families in the inner-city communities Southwest Brooklyn,
helping them overcome welfare and poverty and become
homeowners, businesspeople, and more. Many families have
turned away from lifestyles of violence and gang activity
and have overcome substance abuse. They are now pouring
time back into the community by volunteering.

The giving team includes many certified professionals,
along with 50 highly committed and trained volunteers who
visit about one thousand children each month. During the
year the organization maintains current information on over
500 families in the community, giving them encouragement
and resources, and hoping to give them a better tomorrow.

In recent years Basile has been spending more time with his
charity work. One of several life altering moments happened
to him after he read a passage the book, "The Seven Habits
of Highly Effective People," which helps people in
achieving interdependent effectiveness by offering seven
principles.

The book speaks about an emotional bank account... whereby
as you do good for others and keep commitments, you make
deposits in the emotional bank accounts of others. As these
deposits grow, your relationship grows. There may be times
that you make a withdrawal (broken promise, hurtful
statement) but, if your emotional bank account is full from
past deposits, this person will forgive you and your
relationship will remain strong.

He continued, "This concept has helped me repair many
broken relationships. This has changed the way I treat
others. Relationships are the source of my happiness."

This was an epiphany as he realized that there was a time
in his life when nobody would have come to his funeral,
never mind speaking at it.

Now, one of the elements that he has realized is important
for this process to work is that it begins with education.
He firmly believes that educating youth and being a role
model gives them an understanding of this principal.

People interested in changing their lives might ask
themselves, "What is my talent and how can I serve?"

People like Rocco Basile can also serve others by sharing
experiences and showing others how to live a life of
ethics, morals and a strong sense of principal. There is
tranquility and happiness in a life that you can be proud
of.

About the Author:

Kristin Gabriel has been writing about non-profits for over
20 years and has taken an interest in the work being done
by Children of the City (http://www.childrenofthecity.org )
and the Joe DiMaggio Committee for Xaverian High School and
their Board Member Rocco Basile, of Basile Builders Group.