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NY1 - NYer of the Week
January 9, 2004
Lawyer Gives Up Career To Help The Children Of East New York, Brooklyn
Born and raised in the East New York section of Brooklyn, the latest NY1 New Yorker of the Week wanted to offer the children from his community the skill they need to succeed, from the ground up.
Richard Buery says kids are what inspired him to start an after-school program two years ago, and they're what has kept him going every day since.
"Seeing kids become better readers, seeing the joy when they see a different city, seeing the accomplishment of camping, it inspires you and makes you want to work harder," he says.
Working harder is what Buery has been doing since the day he decided to give up being a lawyer and dedicate his life to the children of the very neighborhood where he grew up, East New York.
"It's been a dream of mine for a long time to come back to the neighborhood and really give back some of the blessings that I received as a child by creating a safe program for children," he says.
So, in January of 2002 he did just that. Groundwork started with a few friends and a few donations, but quickly caught on in the community. Two years later, it's an integral part of public schools like P.S. 328.
"The kids need it, especially within the East New York community," says Groundwork | |
