Honor Ashley Hart Achievement

Senate Resolution No. 1426 BY: Senator MONTGOMERY HONORING Ashley Hart upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the Harambee Achievement Award by the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. on April 8, 2017 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and pay tribute to those young people within the great Empire State who have made strong contributions to their communities and who serve as role models for their peers; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor Ashley Hart upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the Harambee Achievement Award by the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., to be feted at its 32nd Annual Harambee Celebration on Saturday,

April 8, 2017, at the Medgar Evers College Cafeteria, in Brooklyn, New York; and WHEREAS, The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) is a body of national African American women's organizations and community based sections; founded in 1935 by Mary McLeod Bethune, the NCNW strives to lead, develop, and advocate for women of African descent as they support their families and communities through research, and national and community-based services and programs on health, education, and economic empowerment issues in both the United States and Africa; and WHEREAS, Through 39 national affiliates and more than 240 sections, NCNW has reached and supported nearly four million women; and WHEREAS, The Brooklyn Section of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. was organized on January 22, 1962, at the Bedford YMCA by Odessa L. Skeene, and received its Charter on March 12, 1962; and WHEREAS, The Brooklyn Section maintains a strong commitment to its young people through education, outreach programs, counseling and recognition; it sponsors community ventures to enhance the health and social services of residents through seminars, health fairs and voter registration campaigns for self-empowerment; and WHEREAS, Ashley Hart is receiving this prestigious award for her exemplary academic accomplishments, community service and church activities; and WHEREAS, Ashley Hart was born on July 23, 2000, at Downstate Medical Center; she was raised in Brooklyn, New York, by her Jamaican mother, Ivorine Turner; currently, she is a junior at Millennium Brooklyn High School; and WHEREAS, Ever since she was a baby, Ashley Hart has attended church; from 5th to 7th grade, she attended International Christian School, where she discovered that she enjoyed studying and reading the Word of God; and WHEREAS, After Ashley Hart returned to public school M. S. 282, to finish her 8th-grade year, she became deeply involved in the Lenox Road Baptist Church; she was a vital member of the youth group, kids church, Sunday school, and helped feed the homeless in her community; recently, she was named Youth of the Year; and WHEREAS, Upon entering high school In 2014, Ashley Hart still found time to go to church, and help students with their homework during study hall and at the local library; as time went on, her passion for volunteering and her love for wanting to serve her community has never dimmed, in fact, it has only brightened; and WHEREAS, When she is not at school or helping others, Ashley Hart enjoys traveling with her mother; through people to people, she explored Western Canada, and every year, she travels to another country for her birthday; some of the places she has visited include Jamaica, the Bahamas, and London; and WHEREAS, Ashley Hart also likes to play rugby, read, and write poetry, music, or a simple story; and WHEREAS, Poised eagerly with enthusiasm and determined purpose, this scholar now stands honorably, with just pride in her accomplishments and in eager anticipation of future challenges, understanding and appreciating the caring counsel and support provided by her teachers, minister, and family; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Ashley Hart upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of the Harambee Achievement Award by the National Council of Negro Women, Inc.; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Ashley Hart.