Great Falls YouthBuild Receives $20K from Bank of America

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release: Friday, October 28, 2011
For more information, contact:
Michael L. Powell, Vice President
mpowell@njcdc.org

New Jersey Community Development Corporation is proud to announce continued partnership with YouthBuild USA and Bank of America. In June of 2010, Great Falls Youth Build was designated as a 2010 Bank of America Green Initiative sub-grantee. With $20,000 over a two year period (2010-2011), the Great Falls YouthBuild program will provide participants with the opportunity to engage in one green-building service event. As a longtime supporter of YouthBuild and of NJCDC, Bank of America’s support will provide Great Falls YouthBuild students with the opportunity to learn construction skills while participating in meaningful community service projects aimed at rebuilding and “greening” the Paterson community.

Based on a national model, our Great Falls YouthBuild is an intensive, 10 month program in which young adults who never completed high school study to obtain their GED or high school diploma, build affordable housing, and develop the leadership- and life- skills necessary for living a successful and productive life.
When YouthBuilders graduate from our program, they leave with a set of tangible skills and a newfound confidence which enables them to take on the world. Our graduates go on to succeed in many different areas. Some enter the construction trades to start new careers; some go on to Community College and beyond; and still others find interesting and well-paying jobs in various other industries. The common thread is that all of our YouthBuild graduates have succeeded in transforming their own lives through hard-work and commitment. They leave the YouthBuild program with the skills and confidence necessary to accomplish whatever goals they set for themselves.

NJCDC’s CEO Bob Guarasci is delighted about this initiative, “NJCDC has been a long-time advocate of building a more sustainable Paterson. This funding allows our young people to rebuild their community in a way that is consistent with current and future trends in the green-building movement.”

As part of NJCDC’s own environmental sustainability efforts, they are on their way to establishing New Jersey’s first LEED certified historic preservation and adaptive reuse project. The end use of the site will be to serve as an innovative conference and training space for community residents and regional businesses as well as an attraction for current and future visitors to the nation’s newest national park: the Great Falls National Historical Park. As part of this BOA/YouthBuild USA funding, the Great Falls YouthBuild students will gain hands on green-building experience by assisting in the renovation of this LEED certified building.