Commending Project ECHO upon the occasion of hosting its "A Soulful Evening for Survivors" Gala on June 6, 2026

Senate Resolution No. 2211

BY: Senator PARKER

        COMMENDING  Project  ECHO  upon  the  occasion  of
        hosting its "A Soulful Evening for  Survivors"  Gala
        on June 6, 2026

  WHEREAS,  It  is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay  tribute  to  those  organizations  of  high  purpose   and   worthy
accomplishment  whose  enduring commitment to healing, community safety,
and the dignity of survivors has enriched the civic life of the State of
New York; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
commend Project ECHO upon the occasion of hosting its "A Soulful Evening
for Survivors" Gala on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in Brooklyn, New York; and

  WHEREAS,  Project  ECHO  is  a  Brooklyn-based  community   violence
intervention  organization  rooted in the neighborhoods of East Flatbush
and Flatbush, whose mission is to amplify the collective  power  of  the
community   beyond  violence  prevention  to  reshape  dialogue,  foster
collaboration, and drive the kind  of  transformative,  healing-centered
change that makes communities free to prosper; and

  WHEREAS,  Project  ECHO operates from the foundational understanding
that violence is not born in a vacuum but is most often  the  result  of
unresolved   trauma,   persistent   poverty,  inadequate  mental  health
resources, and the accumulated weight of systemic neglect; by addressing
these root causes directly and compassionately, through trauma  support,
mental  health  counseling, mentorship, and active street-level violence
interruption, Project ECHO offers not merely services but a vision: that
every member of this community deserves the tools, the support, and  the
safety to reach their full potential; and

  WHEREAS,  Project  ECHO's trained violence interrupters are actively
present in the community every  day,  working  to  de-escalate  tensions
before  they  become  tragedies, building trust where distrust has taken
root, and  standing  as  proof  that  the  most  powerful  solutions  to
community violence are those that emerge from the community itself; and

  WHEREAS,  Through a multi-disciplinary approach that brings together
community members, healthcare professionals, social workers,  and  other
stakeholders, Project ECHO has demonstrated that lasting safety is built
not  through  punishment alone but through partnership, healing, and the
stubborn insistence that every life in East Flatbush and beyond is worth
fighting for; and

  WHEREAS, "A Soulful Evening  for  Survivors"  is  a  celebration  of
resilience,  an  honoring  of those who have walked through violence and
trauma and found the courage to heal, to speak, and to  transform  their
experiences  into  advocacy  and  community;  in  celebrating survivors,
Project ECHO affirms what it has always  known:  that  the  people  most
affected by violence are also among its most powerful solutions; and

  WHEREAS,  This  Legislative  Body  is proudly moved to honor Project
ECHO, its leadership, its staff, its volunteers, and the  survivors  and
community  members  whose lives bear witness to the transformative power
of a community that refuses to abandon its own; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend Project ECHO upon the occasion of hosting its "A Soulful Evening
for Survivors" Gala on June 6, 2026, and to extend  congratulations  and
deep  appreciation  to all who make this organization's life-saving work
possible; and be it further

  RESOLVED, That copies of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to the leadership and staff of Project ECHO, in recognition
of their unwavering commitment to healing, safety, and  the  dignity  of
every member of the Brooklyn community they serve.