LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 15th Anniversary of Community
Voices Heard on Thursday, June 2, 2011

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the people of the State of New York to
recognize and acknowledge those within our midst who have made signif-
icant contributions to the quality of life therein; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 15th Anniversary of Community Voices Heard on Thursday, June
2, 2011; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 1996, Community Voices Heard (CVH) is an organiza-
tion of low-income individuals, predominantly women with experience on
welfare, working to build power in New York City and throughout the
State to improve the lives of its families and communities; and
WHEREAS, CVH is working to accomplish this through a multi-pronged
strategy, including: public education; grassroots organizing; leadership
development; training low-income people about their rights; political
education; civic engagement; and direct-action issue campaigns; and
WHEREAS, CVH is currently working on welfare reform, job creation,
public housing and other economic justice issues that affect low-income
individuals, particularly women of color; while it focuses on welfare
reform, it broadly defines welfare activism to be multi-issue, and thus
must include issues such as education, training, jobs, housing, economic
development and other community issues; and
WHEREAS, A multi-racial and multi-cultural organization, CVH fills a
crucial gap in that the organization connects public policy with grass-
roots organizing and leadership development; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when organiza-
tions of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 15th Anniversary of Community Voices Heard on Thursday,
June 2, 2011; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Executive Director Sondra Youdelman, Community Voices Heard.