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.