PETER SENESE: The I CARE Foundation, Heroes, Writing, Film, and Global Citizenship

The Executive Director of the I CARE Foundation, Peter Senese is dedicated to protecting children from trafficking and international abduction. Under Peter’s leadership with the I CARE Foundation, including hosting a conference on child abduction at the United Nations, the U.S. reported international child abduction rate declined 38% since 2009. Peter’s activism has been called heroic by dozens of families while being praised by global leaders. Peter is a multiple best-selling author.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Hurricane Sandy: Rockaway Beach, Riis Park Devastation

Last night, when I finally went to bed after the power went out, filled with worry about how my parents, my brothers, my grandmother, and all my friends would fare in the midst of Hurricane Sandy, I could not help but think about friends of mine living out on the Rockaway and Long Beach Peninsulas, particularly since this is where the hurricane was expected to cause the greatest amount of destruction.

Hurricane Sandy lived up to all her billing and then some.

I mean New York City remains shut down, and in reality power is out all over the place, Wall Street and Downtown are shut down .... power is out in nearly 5 million homes (mine included), there is not public transportation (which sucks for many) . . . but none of this compares to what happened to those individuals living in Rockaway, Breezy Poing, and Long Beach.

I ventured into Rockaway and Riis Park a few hours ago. These are the photos and video I took.

In the aftermath of the brunt of Hurricane Sandy's massive storm on the New York metropolitan area, I had a chance to get out and take some video footage of Rockaway Beach and Riis Park.

Watch The Video

Last night the Atlantic Ocean and it's 7 to 10 foot swells roared past the sand beach, crashed into and destroyed the concrete or brick sea walls, and then continued toward Jamaica Bay. As it did, with the streets drowning with the Atlantic - some areas of Riis and Rockaway had water levels as high as 9 feet high - anything and everything that got in its way was destroyed.

Combining this devastation that clearly has destroyed an enormous amount of homes is the tragedy that occurred last night in Breezy Point, Queens - where at least 80 homes burnt to ash in wake of a wind-fueled electric fire.

View The Photographs

The destruction that hit this beautiful peninsula of Queens was tremendous. In the coming days there will be an assortment of fundraisers to help those that have lost so much. Please do what you can to help others.

A Message From Peter Senese

Thank you for stopping by! As many of you know, I love being a historical fiction writer. My storytelling evolves around topics I find interesting and current to the social dialogue, including subjects such as religion, science, technology, capitalism, and parenting. In each of my novels, several of these issues are typically weaved into the story's plot, with the hope and intent to keep my readers entertained while also providing some interesting historical facts intended to accelerate each story's plot. Like any author, it is my hope to entertain my readers while at times also stirring emotions to create a social reaction the way my novel Chasing The Cyclone has played a key role in raising social awareness of international parental child abduction, including becoming the seed that led to the creation of the I CARE Foundation. Now you may ask yourself, 'How impactful has Chasing The Cyclone been?' Significant. For example prior to the activism created from Chasing The Cyclone, international child abduction in the United States was advancing at a pandemic rate for nearly 30 consecutive years in a row. Then Chasing The Cyclone was released and along with it came a diverse, wide-spread, and highly impactful tools and measures that have remarkably played a heavy role in reducing the rate of international parental child kidnappings in the United States by
over 15% per year during fiscal years 2011 and 2012. God willing, the efforts of the I CARE Foundation and other hard-working organizations will lead to another decline in the IPCA rate originating from the United States while also leading to a much-needed reduction of IPCA in other countries. As far as my writing there is one thing more than anything else that you may be interested in knowing as it is at the core of my storytelling: if you listen carefully, you will hear the voice of a father who loves his son more than words can ever express. Thank you for your support and interest in my writing and activism. I hope you find my writing entertaining, educational, and that each of my novels stirs your emotions.

I invite you to read a special message about my writing and volunteer work assisting children in crisis. (A Special Message From Peter)

Remeber - life is filled with magic. Embrace each day to the fullest!

Peter Thomas Senese

The I CARE Foundation

U.S. International Child Abduction Rate Drops By 15% For Second Year In Row!

Since the commencement of the I CARE Foundation's operations in 2011 and our, along with other advocacy groups, extensive outreach to raise awarenss of international parental child abduction and the associated warning signs of abduction, I am pleased to announce that outbound cases of abduction originating from the United States has dropped by 15% for a second year in a row. This is an incredible accomplishment when considering that there has been skyrocketing growth of IPCA for the past 30 years. And though we are pleased with the decline in child snatchings, we are vigilantly reminded that it is estimated that only 10% of all internationallly abducted children ever come home.

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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Hurricane Sandy: Rockaway Beach, Riis Park Devastation