The second time Project Longevity offered Daniel Bromell a way out of crime, he was ready to accept — and his life changed.
Bromell was one of eight people honored Wednesday by Project Longevity at an awards program at the Lawn Club.
This second Annual Award Breakfast was hosted by New Haven Program Manager Stacy Spell, who thanked the people and organizations present for “hearing my cry for help.”
Bromell, 47, attended a Project Longevity “call in” at which gangbangers are offered the chance to get housing, job-training, educational, or counseling help if they choose to go straight. He chose not to. He went to prison for nearly four years for shooting someone. Then he returned to prison to serve time for third-degree assault.
With two daughters (who are now 11 and 24) and a son (now 4), Bromell decided he needed to go straight. “I can’t see myself burying my child or bailing him out of jail,” Bromell said.
When he attended a second call-in, this time he agreed to work with Spell to build a life outside of the violent drug trade. He also signed up to become a volunteer youth mentor with the program.
“The people that are going to be honored today go about doing their jobs daily without applause,” Spell said at the program.
Spell was joined by Project Longevity team members to present the awards including New Haven police Lt. Karl Jacobson, social services support coordinator Letitia Charles, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Markel, and New Haven Acting Police Chief Otoniel Reyes.
Additionally, Kate Gunning of New Haven’s Juvenile Probation Supervision program and Yale-New Haven Hospital Trauma Nurse Maria Van Gelder received awards for their help in making Project Longevity gain international and national recognition.
Project MORE was also honored for its long-term partnership with Project Longevity. “Project Longevity is necessary,” said President/CEO Dennis Daniels.
Program participant Tyrell Tyson was also recognized with an award by Spell for his life turnaround, which included gaining custody of his daughter.
EMERGE, which helps ex-offenders with employment services, literacy, and counseling, was also given an award.
New Haven Police Department (NHPD) Detectives Frank Sanchez and Thomas Glen were also given recognization awards for their work with and support for Project Longevity.
Despite the project’s recent decrease in state funding for its salaries and community outreach services, Spell said, it continues its efforts innovatively to empower communities and keep them safe.
Click on the Facebook Live video to watch an interview Wednesday with Acting Police Chief Otoniel Reyes, which includes discussion of how some participants in Project Longevity call-ins have begun to accept offers of help.
I had often heard Stacy Spell speak at COMPSTAT and was impressed with his speaking skills - honest, open, and sincere. So, I attended this morning's Award's Breakfast to learn more about Project Longevity. What I found is there are a relatively small number of organizations and a closely knit community of dedicated individuals who are largely responsible for the decrease in gun violence in New Haven. At the center of it all is Stacy Spell and Project Longevity. People come from around the country and around the world to learn from Project Longevity.
This was a great event, but there was something missing. I didn't see any of our locally elected officials. And I later learned that Project Longevity receives zero funding from the City, while its funding from the State is spotty. In fact, Stacy Spell had to pay for the awards himself. Shocking that in a City with so much wealth and a $560 million budget, there is no money for a program that is literally saving lives. Shocking that in a City with so many elected officials who talk about values and young people and social justice, there is nobody available to recognize the people on the front lines preventing violence.
Dennis Serfilippi