NJCDC’s Chief Program Officer Honored by the Paterson Alliance
May 17, 2024
Watch a short video about David
Founded in 1998 by five Paterson nonprofits, the Paterson Alliance is now a coalition of over 100 nonprofits working together to create a more vibrant Paterson.
Every year, the Paterson Alliance hosts the Extra Mile Awards, recognizing employees or volunteers who go above and beyond to demonstrate their commitment and passion to serving the people of Paterson. Each member organization of the Paterson Alliance can nominate one person they feel has gone the “Extra Mile” in serving their organization and the City of Paterson.
At this year’s Extra Mile Awards Ceremony on May 10, NJCDC’s Chief Program Officer David Gelman was honored as a 2024 recipient. In his role, David oversees more than 20 youth development programs throughout the year, which serve Paterson youth from preschool through high school and beyond. These myriad programs take place during school, on weekends, after-school, and in the summer, and provide Paterson youth with leadership opportunities, academic support, counseling and wellness services, arts enrichment, and more.
David first joined NJCDC in 2006 as a member of our AmeriCorps national service program. Once he finished his year of service, he accepted a full-time role coordinating NJCDC’s youth development programs. In this role, he was honored at the inaugural Extra Mile Awards in 2008! Since then, David has continued working tirelessly to serve the youth of Paterson.
As NJCDC’s Founder and CEO Bob Guarasci said in his nomination video, “David works day and night to ensure that we can have an impact in the lives of as many young people as possible. David came to us close to 20 years ago as an AmeriCorps national service member, and he stayed on and has continued to make his mark here at NJCDC, as well as in the City of Paterson.”