In the summer of 2009 the US Marshals Service conducted a weeklong summer program as part of TCC’s six week summer day camp. The curriculum was the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program.

New Orleans community leader Kevin Brown was awarded the United States Marshals Service Director’s Citizen of the Year Award.

This award is the highest given to a civilian each year by the US Marshals Service.

The presentation will take place April 13, 2010 in Washington, DC, where Attorney General Eric Holden will present the award at a ceremony honoring US Marshals for meritorious service.

In the summer of 2009 the US Marshals Service conducted a weeklong summer program as part of TCC’s six week summer day camp. The curriculum was the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program. In addition to the standard GREAT curriculum, US Marshals and TCC Staff accompanied at-risk youth on daily field trips to law enforcement sites (i.e. the Federal Court and Jefferson Parish SWAT headquarters) as well as fun activities (i.e. the Insectarium and Chez Clay). Youth were given an opportunity to personally interact with law enforcement in a fun and non-threatening manner, something sorely lacking in many urban environments. As a result of their exposure to the work of the Trinity Christian Community (TCC), the US Marshals nominated Rev. Brown for the Citizen of the Year Award.
Kevin Brown is the Executive Director of TCC, a New Orleans non­profit that works to enhance the lives of the city’s most disadvantaged citizens.

Through a variety of community development programs and unique partnerships, the organization has been a force for rebuilding throughout the New Orleans area.

Since Katrina the organization and its partners have helped to gut, repair and rebuild 1,721 homes, deploy 230 AmeriCorps members, leverage 594,209 volunteer hours and return $32,670,628 to the New Orleans economy.

In 2006, Kevin was awarded the President’s Call to Service Award for lifetime achievement by David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service and Jean Case, Chair of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation and CEO of the Case Foundation, on behalf of President George W. Bush.

This marks the second year in a row the Citizen of the Year has come from New Orleans as Rev. Brown joins Darlene Cusanza, Executive Director of Crimestoppers, the 2009 recipient.

For more information on the work of the organization, visit: www.tccno.org
Source of story: http://www.epc.org/about-the-epc/epnews/epnews-2010-0325/#4