In keeping with his belief in the importance of education for our youth, Rocco Basile serves on the Board of Directors of Children of the City, which has been serving Thanksgiving dinners to the underprivileged children in the inner-city communities of Southwest Brooklyn since 1981.

The Children of the City team includes many certified professionals, along with 50 highly committed and trained volunteers who visit about one thousand children each month. During the year the organization maintains current information on over 500 families in the community, giving them encouragement and resources, and hoping to give them a better tomorrow.


Children of the City Video

For more than twenty years, Children of the City has served the children and families of Southwest Brooklyn. Families have overcome welfare and poverty, substance abuse and lifestyles of violence and gang activity. And they are now pouring back into the community and volunteering their time into this organization.

Among the activities and events Children of the City puts on are their annual Thanksgiving dinners for underprivileged children and their annual toy drive. Founded in 1981, this volunteer-based outreach organization connects people in need with basic services, educational and employment training, health care, counseling, and many opportunities for personal growth.


Christmas Toys

The weeks leading up to Christmas are always a very busy time at Children of the City.   With the Thanksgiving dinners out of the way, the organization started scheduling toy deliveries from different individuals and organizations, and then co-ordinating three nights of gift wrapping with the help of 89 volunteers from a number of organizations throughout Brooklyn, as well as out of state.  This year, between bad weather and scheduling problems left them short 300 toys.  Things were looking bleak until Board Member Rocco Basile   opened the door and said “guys, I think I'm gonna need a little help here.”  Turns out, the Basile family car outdid Santa’s sleigh as it was filled a dozen  Razor scooters and a potpourri of popular toys including Hannah Montana, Barbie and Bratz dolls, all  donated by many of Rocco’s extremely  generous friends, relatives and business associates. This year, there were 44 volunteers from Ohio and Virginia who helped our staff visit all the families on our roster, which included some 745 children visited.


Miss Universe 2006

The thoughtful and glamorous Miss Universe 2006, Zuleyka Rivera, visited with the Brooklyn based “Children of the City” (COC) organization to combat the pervasive culture of poverty, disease and educational failure at the groups headquarters, 740-40 Street, on April 18th.  She toured classrooms, and personally spoke with the children on how vitally important education is, and how an organization like Children of the City can give them the extra support they need in their lives to succeed.