PanZOu in the Community

Community Outreach

Local gang prevention, intervention program selected as “Jenny’s Heroes”

North Miami Beach, FL – June 25, 2009 – Former Talk Show host Jenny Jones selects the PanZOu Project as one of “Jenny’s Heroes.” Jones gave the good news by phone to Executive Director Laura Kallus and a full room of staff on Wednesday afternoon at the Fulford United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 1900 NE 164 Street. The designation comes with a $25,000 wish list granted by Jones to start a silk screening and embroidery company, which will provide jobs to former gang members.

“My dream is to help these young men and women achieve self sufficiency and reach their true potential,” Kallus said. “With this investment from Jenny, I plan to create jobs for these young adults coming out of prison or gangs, give them a trade and provide professional development. All proceeds from the sale of our T-shirts will go towards funding the gang prevention program,” Kallus continued.

The PanZOu Project, Inc. began in 2004 as a response to increasing crime that included nightly drive-by shootings between newly forming, violent Haitian gangs in the City of North Miami Beach. Today, as a non-profit 501c3 organization, it works with the highest risk youths, young adults and their families in the northeast corridor of Miami-Dade County. This unique organization specializes in targeting gang-involved individuals and those at high-risk for gang involvement, and believes that all youth have the ability to succeed if provided with the right tools and support.

This award-winning program is in danger of closing its doors in late September due to lack of funding. This initial investment from Jone’s foundation will help the non-profit to start the silk screening business that will in turn generate revenue while Kallus and staff continues to write for grants, and search for local donors to keep the organization afloat. “This is a small step towards saving us from closing our doors on the most marginalized individuals in our community,” Kallus said. During the announcement, Jones said she is absolutely loves what Laura and PanZOu are doing in the local community and blessed to be able to help.

While the venture is still untitled, Kallus has a group ready to hit the ground running. “As soon as the equipment arrives, I have five former gang members ready to start and begin learning the silk screening and embroidery process,” Kallus said. “By October, we will have a quality production team in place and ready to secure contracts. As the venture grows, I hope to expand into new markets and employ more at risk young people,” Kallus continued.

For more information regarding the Jenny Jones Foundation and Jenny's Heroes, visit www.jennysheroes.com. For more information regarding the PanZOu Project and to contact the agency to set up your silk screening or embroidery shirt orders, visit www.PanZOuProject.Org.

March 1, 2009 - Greynolds Park Elementary school asked PanZOu to conduct workshops on Bullying for their students. The staff presented to seven (7) classes of second graders.

PanZOu Project, Inc. Selected as Whole Foods Charity of the Month

North Miami Beach, FL – April 1, 2009 – The PanZOu Project, Inc. has been selected as the Whole Foods Market of Aventura’s 5% Day charity. The local grocery chain has committed to donating 5% of its net sales earned on April 7^th to the non-profit organization. Customers are able to help this worthwhile nonprofit by simply shopping on April 7^th at the store located at 21105 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura, Fl 33180, and know that 5% of their total bill will be donated to PanZOu Project on this designated day.

The PanZOu Project, Inc. began in 2004, as a response to increasing crime that included frequent drive-by shootings between newly forming, violent Haitian gangs in the City of North Miami Beach. Today, as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, it works with the highest risk youths, young adults, and their families in an expanding area of northeast Miami-Dade County. This unique organization specializes in targeting gang-involved individuals and those at high-risk for gang involvement, and believes that all youth have the ability to succeed, if provided with the right tools and support when they need it.

An analysis of crime in PanZOu Project’s targeted neighborhood showed a 22% reduction in person, property, and drug related offenses after 2-years of providing services to these residents compared to 2-years prior. Although PanZOu Project Outreach Specialists work with violent, chronic adult/juvenile offenders, only 12% of PanZOu’s clients offend or re-offend while involved with PanZOu’s services.

“We are honored to be chosen by Whole Foods Market as their charity for the month of April 2009,” said Ms. Laura Kallus, Executive Director. “I can assure you that all donated funds will go toward providing free, comprehensive services for our clients, so they may get on with being regular, taxpaying citizens in our community.”

On March 20, two (2) of PanZOu clients participated in a small business training, where they learned about entrepreneurship.

On March 28, PanZOu together with our partners at North Miami Police Department, participated in their annual FACT Festival (Families Against Crime Together). We had a booth and passed out at least 200 flyers about our services and partnership.

Gangs exist in Broward County - February 25, 2009, Chicago Tribune, Letter to editor: Re: "Cracking down on gangs": It is about time that Broward County law enforcement and county and city officials are recognizing that there are actual gangs operating here. Five years ago, I spoke to a Pembroke Pines city councilman who advised me that there were "no gangs in his city." I had seen evidence to the contrary all over the place. I am board president of a nonprofit organization helping gang-involved youths in North Miami Beach, PanZOu Project, Inc. In my experience, I have found that serious gangs do not advertise their presence with colors and signs. They found out that the state prosecutes gang crimes more harshly than other types, so they keep their participation secret. Generally, in our experience, the kids that admit to gang membership are wannabes, not necessarily involved in serious crimes. I recommend that more research be done to present a more complete picture of our gang reality.
Ronald Werner, Pembroke Pines

"As gang violence falls in Palm Beach County, lawmakers move toward prevention" February 15, 2009 Sun Sentinel: Gang violence killed fewer people in Palm Beach County last year, and investigators credit tougher laws and stiffer jail sentences. Now they're turning more attention to stopping new members from joining...Criminal gangs have swelled in Florida to more than 1,500 with over 65,000 gang members, statistics show. Laura Kallus, director of PanZOu Project, a North Miami Beach gang-reduction program recognized recently by the U.S. Attorney's Office for its efforts, said street outreach is the key to cutting the number of gangs and preventing their growth...

US Attorney Recognizes PanZOu for its Gang Violence Prevention Efforts February 6, 2009 -- At a ceremony held today at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta recognized the efforts and contributions of government agencies and various individuals and non-governmental organizations involved in promoting the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) goals of reducing gang and gun violence through prevention, deterrence, and reentry programs. Today’s award recipients were selected from among a wide range of participants in the Southern District of Florida’s Project Safe Neighborhoods program...

2008 US Attorney's Office "South Florida Anti Gang Summit" September 29-30, 2008 Miami: The Anti-Gang Summit will convene national experts, local law enforcement, and community leaders to discuss the problem of gang and gang-related violence in South Florida. This Summit, sponsored by Project Safe Neighborhood and Miami-Dade County, through the Office of the Mayor Carlos Alvarez and the Office of Commissioner Barbara J. Jordan, will include participants from concerned groups throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Laura Kallus presented on The PanZOu Project, and facilitated the Intervention Break Out Sessions...

Fifth Annual Gang Summit: Summit aims to quell growing gang problem 08/24/2008 12:01 AM | Via: Miami Herald: On Tuesday, Aug. 12, over 450 participants attended the fifth annual Youth Gang Summit held at Signature Gardens. The event was coordinated by the Youth Gang Resource Center. PanZOu Project presented "Youth Gangs 101"...

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Conference tackles Jamaican gang violence Aug 2008 The South Florida Times: Panelists at the conference will include Regional Deputy Attorney General for Florida Cindy Guerra; Chief Andrew Smalling of Lauderdale Lakes; Magdaleno Rose-Avila, founder of Homies Unidos; and Laura Kallus, director of the Panzou Project in North Miami Beach...

OJJDP National Youth Gang Symposium: Partnering to Prevent Youth Gang Violence June 2008: The 2008 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) National Youth Gang Symposium will take place on June 23−26, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia. This event will offer innovative and successful gang-related programs and strategies, as well as provide the latest information on youth gang activities and trends from top national experts. The Gang Reduction Program, funded by OJJDP, was designed with the goal of reducing youth gang crime in targeted neighborhoods by incorporating an integrated approach that includes primary prevention and secondary prevention, as well as intervention, suppression, and reentry strategies. Presenters: Esther Welch, Virginia Attorney General’s Office, Richmond, VA; Kimberly Hale, National Youth Gang Center, Tallahassee, FL; Laura Kallus, PanZOu Project, North Miami Beach, FL; Lieutenant Harvey S. Powers, Richmond Police Department, Richmond, VA; Mirva Cadet, PanZOu Project, North Miami Beach, FL...

Florida's gang fight: Some promising -- and some troubling -- | initiatives emerge Published: Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 2:39 a.m. The Herald Tribune: The PanZOu Project -- named for the Creole word for "reclaim" -- aims to steer young people to educational and recreational opportunities before they get into trouble, as well as help those who've already run afoul of the law...

HAITI HOSTS SECOND G3 CONFERENCE ON GANGS, GUNS & GOVERNANCE Oct 2007: Haiti and other countries hope to adapt similar strategies to help eliminate youth gang violence. Participants in this seminar were collected from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Brazil, and the United States. FAVACA supported two volunteers to participate and add their expertise to this conference. First time volunteer Laura Kallus from Miami, Florida is the Executive Director of the PanZou Project Inc. an organization which provides gang prevention and intervention services to gang involved and/or high risk youths and their families especially for Haitian Americans...

National Youth Gang Center Bulletin: Multidisciplinary Gang Intervention Teams Aug 2007: This bulletin overviews lessons learned during the implementation of team-based approaches such as the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Comprehensive Gang Model and Gang Reduction Program in cities around the United States...

Fourth Annual Gang Summit "STREET VIOLENCE PREVALENT IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY: US ATTORNEY ALEX ACOSTA KEYNOTE SPEAKER" Friday, April 13, 2007 Growing gang problems are a huge concern to all members in the community. This year United States Attorney Alex Acosta of the Southern District of Florida will discuss these issues in a keynote address at the Fourth Annual Gang Summit. The Summit provides a collaborative approach to uniting social service providers, law enforcement, the judicial system and the Miami-Dade County Public School system to increase community awareness regarding youth gangs in Miami-Dade County. This year the theme of the Summit is "Bridging Our Communities in Preventing Gang Violence." PanZOu Project presented the "Youth Gangs 101" workshop.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE HIGHLIGHTS EFFORTS TO COMBAT GANG VIOLENCE January 16, 2007:Today, high ranking members of the Department of Justice held a round table discussion with members of the press to highlight the Department of Justice’s activities to combat gangs. In this regard, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, R. Alexander Acosta, announced that his Office has been working with Julie Torres, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF), Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Mark. R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, along with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, in a concerted effort to rid our community of the crime and violence associated with gang activity.

THIRD ANNUAL YOUTH GANG SUMMIT "SOUTH FLORIDA'S COLLABORATIVE GANG STRATEGIES" FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2006 In an effort to bring professionals together to share information about youth gangs and their impact on Miami-Dade County, the Dade-Miami Criminal Justice Council and its chairperson, Carmen Caldwell and The Children's Psychiatric Center, Inc. will host The Third Annual Youth Gang Summit on Friday, March 31, 2006 at the McDonald Center in North Miami Beach. The Summit, entitled "South Florida's Collaborative Gang Strategies," will bring together law enforcement, the judicial system, the school system, youth and social services to share information about youth gangs, those gangs specific to the south Florida area and expert strategies currently being used in gang initiatives. PanZOu Project presented "Youth Gangs 101" and "Beyond Prevention" and workshops.

2006 Adolescent Treatment Issues Conference. The Conference was held February 27 - 28 in Orlando For the past 10 years, the Florida Juvenile Justice Association (FJJA) and the Florida Alcohol & Drug Abuse Association (FADAA) have co-sponsored Florida's Statewide Adolescent Treatment Issues Conference. This exhilarating event gives researchers, government employees, health care professionals, addiction specialists, juvenile program staff and many others an opportunity to network and learn the latest research-based strategies for effective behavioral & clinical management of high risk youth... Laura Kallus, Director, PanZOu Project ,North Miami Beach, FL presented the workshop "Gangs: Overview and Strategies to Strengthen Resilience"...

First Annual Youth Gang Summit 2003 "Saving the Next Generation" Friday, February 28, 2003 Goal: To bring youth and professionals involved with youth and /or youth gangs together to discuss problems related to gangs, how to reduce their numbers and impact on society. Laura Kallus presented "Juvenile Gangs: Why youth join gangs".

Youth Gangs: Going Beyond the Myths to Address a Critical Problem US Department of Education Training October 2004: In recent years, OJJDP has put more of a focus on emphasizing prevention in the comprehensive approach. In fiscal year 2004, it established the Gang Reduction Program in four pilot sites (Los Angeles, Calif.; North Miami Beach, Fla.; Richmond, Va.; and Milwaukee, Wisc.). Department of Justice officials believe that programs must start as early as possible in children's lives to prevent them from becoming involved in gangs...