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Public Notice – NJCDC Seeking Funding through the State of NJ Green Acres Program for Improvements at Westside Park February 14, 2023 A copy of the application will be on file at NJCDC's headquarters, as well as at the Green Acres office. PURPOSE: New Jersey Community Development Corporation [NJCDC] is seeking funding through the State of NJ Green Acres Program for improvements at Westside Park, located at 114 Totowa Avenue, Paterson, NJ 07502. PROJECT SCOPE: NJCDC is applying for funding to support the following improvements to Westside Park: installation of a state-of-the-art multi-purpose athletic field including a cricket field; rehabilitation of tennis and basketball courts, the pavilion, and playground; creation of a new pedestrian multi-use path system, including an extended River Walk that will provide access to the Passaic River; a new children's play area and garden, a picnic grove, an Overlook Grove located atop a ridge known as the 'The Rocks', and a boat launch. The project will also enhance open green spaces within the park for passive recreation and incorporate stormwater mitigation measures to protect park assets from flooding. Our concept plan shows the proposed changes; a preliminary cost estimate and an environmental impact analysis are also available online. PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT: A copy of the application will be on file at the offices of New Jersey Community Development Corporation, 32 Spruce Street, Paterson, NJ 07501, as well as at the Green Acres office, and is available for review and comment. Written comments on the proposed application may be directed to Eddie Gonzalez, Director of Community Outreach, egonzalez@njcdc.org .

Paterson Youth Council Alum Presents Educational Research at Harvard University April 27, 2023 On Friday, April 14, Paterson Youth Council alum Jennifer Guizar Bello presented at Harvard University's 2023 Scholarship & Social Justice Undergraduate Research Conference. As Harvard says, the purpose of the annual conference is "to honor scholarship which focuses on challenges facing society with regard to equity and inclusion and historically marginalized and under-represented communities." Every year, undergraduate students from across the nation are invited to present their research in front of a panel. This year the conference was hosted both virtually and in person in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Jennifer is currently a junior at Barnard College , majoring in Urban Studies with a specialization in Education. She is also the Co-President of Mujeres —a historically Latinx-inclusive multicultural campus club at Barnard and Columbia—and a Laidlaw Scholar . The Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Program aims to develop a new generation of leaders who are skilled researchers and invests in highly talented and motivated undergraduates—giving them the knowledge, skills, and experience to become active global citizens and future leaders. A Paterson native, as a Laidlaw Scholar, Jennifer focused her research on "How Segregation Manifests in Public High Schools across Passaic County." She conducted independent research on segregation in New Jersey Public Schools using qualitative and empirical research methods, examined relevant court cases, built relationships with community organizations, and interpreted data using a geographic information system. According to her research, segregation in New Jersey public schools is ranked among the highest in the United States due to zoning laws. These zoning laws state that students must attend their designated school in their residential zone or the school nearest to them. These schools are then faced with double segregation, which is dependent on race and income isolation that leads to educational inequality. After the presentation, Jennifer had the opportunity to make further comments and answer questions from the panel and other attendees. She explained, "Moving forward, I would like to meet and work with community members and nonprofit organizations to help address these issues. For example, the Latino Action Network Foundation has created programs such as the School Desegregation Project that aim to tackle educational inequalities." She continued, "I would also like to continue my research on undesigning and erasing the 'Redline' and finding more ways to diversify campus spaces! If you would like to view Jennifer's presentation , please click here!

Celebrating 20 Years of NJCDC’s Paterson Family Center Preschool October 6, 2023 In September 2003, NJCDC opened our new headquarters at 32 Spruce Street in Paterson. In addition to providing offices for NJCDC's growing staff, the new building also offered space for our new, free Paterson Family Center (PFC) preschool, which also welcomed its first students in September 2003. PFC provides 105 three- and four-year-olds with a safe space to grow, learn, and play. On September 26th, we celebrated PFC's 20th anniversary with students, families, teachers, alumni, and friends. After welcoming guests, NJCDC Founder & CEO Bob Guarasci reflected on watching former PFC students grow up and achieve success in school. "It's gratifying watching the cycle of education for a beautiful young kid, age three or four," he said, "as they walk in here, as they leave two years later, and go on, ready to learn. NJCDC's Chief Program Officer David Gelman then congratulated PFC's staff, including teachers, family workers, and support staff, who work hard every day to help Paterson's youngest students—and their families—succeed. He introduced Gianna Cedillo , a PFC alumna who returned to the preschool last year as a teacher's assistant, having the opportunity to help young students learn in the same space where she began her own education journey. The next speaker was Yokasta Adames, a Paterson parent who has sent three of her children to PFC. She said that she always recommends PFC to other families in the community, and she thanked PFC's family workers for always having the resources to help families succeed! Guests next heard from Dr. Nancy Aguado-Holtje, the Director of Early Childhood Education at Paterson Public Schools. She congratulated PFC on twenty years of hard work in Paterson, saying, "We've come a long way, and we're just looking to keep improving, to make sure that every child that walks through that door has the best possible experience." PFC's Director Maria Camacho then spoke about the school's value to our neighborhood and the sense of community felt by students, families, and staff at PFC. She then introduced three PFC staff who have been with the preschool since it first opened in 2003: Ms. Eloina, Ms. Maria, and Ms. Nina. Each teacher was joined by a small group of their students celebrating their contributions over the past two decades and then presented with a certificate of their achievement. Bob then presented a certificate to Ms. Lety, who has been a family worker at PFC for many years, helping families access resources and supports to make sure PFC students come to school ready to learn and play. At the end of the school day, each student took home a commemorative teddy bear sporting a Paterson Family Center 20th Anniversary shirt! Likewise, each parent and guest received a commemorative mug as a token of our appreciation. Thank you to everyone who has helped make 20 years of educating students at Paterson Family Center possible!

NJCDC Partners with the City of Paterson to Relaunch the Financial Empowerment Center February 10, 2023 On Tuesday, January 17, the City of Paterson and NJCDC announced the relaunch of the Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) at Paterson's City Hall. Originally launched in 2021, the Paterson FEC provides free, one-on-one financial counseling as a public service to all Paterson residents. The purpose of the FEC is to not only educate, but also empower community members to learn more about critical financial topics such as credit scores and repair, budgeting, financial planning, and much more. Serving as New Jersey's only FEC, the Paterson FEC aims to help low- and moderate-income individuals and families manage their finances by creating budget and expense tracking systems, paying down debt, increasing savings, establishing and/or improving credit, and accessing safe and affordable mainstream banking products. Trained professional counselors are also onsite to assist these families and individuals and guide them through the different aspects of financial literacy and empowerment. At the relaunch event, community members and City of Paterson staff were encouraged to meet with the Paterson FEC counselors on-site and book their free one-on-one counseling sessions. To make an appointment, Paterson residents can schedule their counseling appointment online or in person at FEC headquarters (13 ½ Van Houten Street) and partner locations throughout the city. The FEC has already seen a number of success stories! One such success story is that of a client who recently received approval to buy her first home. Mahmuda Akter, a wife and mother of three explained, "My family and I moved from Bangladesh to America about four years ago, and at that time I did not know how to speak English. I knew I wanted to learn English and also buy a home, so I went to Oasis to learn English". She continued, "At Oasis, I heard about the Paterson Financial Empowerment Center and was interested in the free financial counseling that was being offered. I was connected with the FEC's Program Director Mass Santos, who has helped me to get an approved housing loan to purchase my first home. I am so happy and blessed to be given the opportunity to buy a home for my family! Thank you, FEC for all the help! Thanks to the help of the FEC counselors, Mahmuda and her husband were also both able to open new savings accounts and increasingly contribute to them. Mahmuda also established credit by obtaining a credit card and increased her credit score significantly over the last year. Together, Mahmuda and her husband were able to qualify and get approved for a home loan, save towards home ownership, and also save towards the move-in itself. FEC client John Ming, who recently received a key to the city based on decades of service as a beloved city employee, remarked, "Before coming to the FEC, I had a credit problem and a transportation issue. After several sessions with their highly-qualified counselors and much discussion on the path to success, I was able to obtain a credit card and secure a reliable car." He continued, "The FEC has truly helped me to gain clarity, confidence, and understanding of my finances. My next goal is to become a home and business owner in the City of Paterson, with the help of the FEC." NJCDC's Director of Community Outreach Eddie Gonzalez said, "We at NJCDC are proud to take the lead in offering free financial one-on-one counseling on budgeting, credit repair, saving strategies, and so much more to Paterson residents in partnership with the City of Paterson through the Office of Financial Empowerment. These financial services will add to the many other resources and programs we provide through our Neighborhood Help Center, including youth programming, homeownership, job readiness, immigration, and other referral services." NJCDC Founder & CEO Bob Guarasci said, "We're going to do as much as we can to serve as many Patersonians as possible." He continued, "With the goal of dramatically increasing the number of people served from 500 last year, Mayor Andre Sayegh is constantly pushing to improve conditions for the residents of Paterson. Through a team of individuals that are well-trained to carry out a comprehensive financial empowerment curriculum, thousands of Paterson residents will become more financially literate and financially secure and have a heightened quality of life as a result of this program. We are grateful to the Mayor and the City for this true partnership."

NJCDC and Community Charter School of Paterson Celebrate Read Across America Day with Community Leaders March 3, 2023 Every year, in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday—March 2nd—schools and nonprofits throughout the country celebrate Read Across America Day, a nationwide reading motivation and awareness event that calls for every child in every community to celebrate the joy of reading. Read Across America Day is one of the many ways NJCDC works to promote early childhood literacy. Throughout the morning, more than 50 community and corporate volunteers who were eager to read rejoiced in this opportunity to share some of their favorite books with our students! Our readers included Superintendent Eileen Shafer, Dr. Nancy Holtje, and Stephanie Wright from Paterson Public Schools, Senator Nellie Pou, Paterson Police Chief Engelbert Ribeiro, Paterson's Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale, Undersheriff Kevin Dickson, and Real Housewives of New Jersey cast members Jennifer Aydin and Dolores Cantina. They were joined by volunteers from AvalonBay, Merrill Lynch, Spencer Savings Bank, Peapack-Gladstone Bank, the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, State Farm, Cross River, Berkeley College, BD, Langan, PSEG, X-Caliber Capital, Altice, Reliable Benefits, and the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. We were also joined by the Paterson Fire Department, including Sparky the Fire Dog! We celebrated Read Across America Day at both our Paterson Family Center Preschool (PFC) and the Community Charter School of Paterson (CCSP), the K-8 charter school founded by NJCDC in 2008. Volunteers were thrilled to read to all 105 three and four-year-old students at our award-winning preschool at 9 a.m. and more than 400 kindergarten through fourth-grade students at CCSP at 10 a.m. Our volunteer readers truly got into the spirit of the celebration and worked hard to spread their love of reading to our young scholars and make it a day to remember. Many of our guests wore festive Dr. Seuss hats as they read their favorite childhood books (Dr. Seuss or otherwise) to our students. Each class at both schools was also joined by a very special guest—the Cat in the Hat, also known as NJCDC AmeriCorps member Priscilla Canales. NJCDC Founder & CEO Bob Guarasci expressed his gratitude to our guests, sharing, "We are truly grateful to all of our readers for making Read Across America Day special for the children we serve. Thank you for your commitment to our young scholars and for promoting the joy of reading!

NJCDC Cuts the Ribbon on the Great Falls Youth Center Expansion December 7, 2023 View on Ribbon-Cutting photos on Flickr.com . Please watch our Ribbon-Cutting video . NJCDC first opened the Great Falls Youth Center in March 2018 , after transforming an abandoned American Legion Hall into a safe community space for Paterson teens. The Youth Center has since grown to serve over 100 students each day, more than the existing space could comfortably accommodate. Last year , we broke ground on an expansion to serve more students and better meet their needs. On December 5th, we gathered at our Great Falls Youth Center to celebrate the official opening of the expansion after over a year of construction. In attendance were Great Falls Youth Center staff, students, and alumni; community members; public officials; and Mrs. Marilyn Clark, whose generous donation made this expansion possible. NJCDC Founder and CEO Bob Guarasci thanked everyone who made the expansion possible, giving Paterson youth a safe place to grow, learn, and have fun. He then welcomed Reverend Arturo Lewis, a Paterson native, for the invocation; Rev. Lewis is Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Ridgewood, and he initially connected NJCDC with Mrs. Clark with the help of Vaughn McKoy, NJCDC's former Board Chair. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh spoke and shared how important it is to invest in Paterson's youth, and he also lauded Mrs. Clark's generosity to the people of Paterson. The City of Paterson provided $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to help with construction costs. NJCDC's Chief Program Officer David Gelman, who oversees more than 20 youth development programs, then welcomed Tiffany Shepherd-Kearny, the director of the Great Falls Youth Center. Tiffany spends every day working with the Youth Center's teens and expressed her excitement for the new programming she can now offer. Tiffany then invited two current students, D'Asia Curry and LaJay Johnson, to share their experiences at the Great Falls Youth Center. "It is a special place to me and it will forever be in my heart," said D'Asia, who credits the Great Falls Youth Center and its staff for helping her overcome her shyness. "I've even met a lot of new friends, I will always be grateful for that. The next speaker was Danny Gonzalez, a program alum who started going to the Great Falls Youth Center when it first opened in 2018. In addition to being a student at the Youth Center, Danny — who graduated from college in May — also continued to return as a mentor for new students. "While I sincerely believe the true heart of the Great Falls Youth Center is its people," he said, "I want to make sure you all know that it was because we had a safe space to come to after school each day. We were able to connect and make long-lasting friendships." After the students shared their stories, Mrs. Clark was invited to speak. In 2021, Mrs. Clark wanted to support Paterson youth and reached out to NJCDC to find out how she could help. Her generous donation made the expansion possible! "It's just such an exciting day to be here at the Great Falls Youth Center, and be part of this celebration," said Mrs. Clark. "To hear what this center means to young people like D'Asia, LaJay, and Danny, and the impact it had on your lives, is truly, truly inspiring. I believe that when we invest in young people, we're investing in tomorrow's leaders. And what could be more important than that?" Mrs. Clark was then presented with a scrapbook from the Youth Center's students, with photos to show Mrs. Clark the different activities and programs they have been enjoying. The scrapbook also included thank you notes written by the students, expressing their gratitude to Mrs. Clark and their excitement about the opportunities the expansion will bring. We also presented certificates to several guests who helped make the expansion a reality, including elected officials such as Senator Nellie Pou and Mayor Andre Sayegh, who advocated for the project and helped secure funding; Ben Horten and Aydin Atakent, the architect and developer for the project; and others. Following the program, we ventured outside, where Bob, Mrs. Clark, and other honored guests gathered to officially cut the ribbon on the new expansion. We then cut a ceremonial cake honoring this special occasion! Afterward, guests toured the new spaces in the expansion, including a podcast studio where students will be able to share their stories and amplify the youth voice in Paterson; a multipurpose room and conference room that will support many new activities; a multi-purpose addition to the original building, which currently hosts a Santa's Workshop station for our upcoming 30th Annual Holiday Party ; and a new rooftop deck for outdoor programming. As Mrs. Clark cut the cake to conclude the ceremony, Bob Guarasci expressed the following sentiment: "May this new space be a place of transformation, and opportunity, and hope, as well as fun, for the young people of Paterson."

NJ4S Passaic County Holds Community Events to Raise Awareness of Services October 9, 2023 The NJ4S (New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services) Passaic County Hub recently held three public events within a week's span to increase awareness of their services and directly interact with county residents. The program addresses the mental health challenges impacting schools and communities throughout Passaic County by connecting K-12 students and their caregivers with a wide spectrum of specialized, no-cost support services. On September 20th, the first of two Hub Kickoff events was held for parents to learn more about the mental health resources that the NJ4S program provides to Passaic County students. Hub Director Kathy Barreto detailed the services the organization has already been providing to schools and families, and how these efforts will evolve over time to best meet the needs of Passaic County's school system. Kathy explained the process in detail, in both English and Spanish, and provided guidance to parents on how to request these services at their children's schools. Meanwhile, the NJ4S staff had planned a fun arts and crafts activity for the children in attendance! The following day, the NJ4S Passaic County Hub Advisory Board held its first in-person meeting at NJCDC's Great Falls Youth Center after several virtual meetings this summer. The NJ4S Passaic County Hub Advisory Board is composed of students, parents, caregivers, school personnel, social service agencies, businesses, faith-based organizations, and other community and civic leaders local to Passaic County. During the meeting, NJCDC Founder & CEO Bob Guarasci expressed his gratitude to all attendees and urged the community to provide their valuable input on how NJ4S Passaic County can increase awareness about their mental health services on a county-wide level. Afterwards, an open dialogue was held between board members and parents, identifying the unique challenges faced by today's youth and how NJ4S services might best tailor future efforts to target educators, caregivers, and students most effectively. Passaic County residents have the opportunity to attend bi-monthly meetings with the NJ4S Passaic County Hub Advisory Board to discuss any questions or concerns regarding the contents of NJ4S services and programming. In addition to the NJ4S Passaic County Hub Advisory Board members, all meetings will be open to anyone interested in providing input. Striking while the iron was still hot, the NJ4S Passaic County team held its second Hub Kickoff event on September 27th, this time gathering representatives from Passaic County schools and youth groups to take a deep dive into the specific topic of workshops planned for the new school year. Kathy highlighted some of the key challenges faced by the NJ4S Passaic County program, particularly around raising awareness of its services and establishing contacts with targeted schools. She also emphasized the importance of maintaining open and frequent communication with representatives from Passaic County schools and youth programs and identifying gaps in existing mental health programs for students. By doing so, NJ4S services will serve not only as a preventative utility, but also as a "follow-up" for existing school-run counseling services that students often utilize. Although at NJCDC, our home is in Paterson — and proudly so — we are able through NJ4S to expand our services throughout Passaic County," remarked Kathy, who went on to emphasize the importance of raising visibility in the upper reaches of Passaic County. Further illustrating the point, she recounted a story where school representatives from one town in that area expressed feeling like the "lost part of the county" from past experiences with county-wide initiatives — and how her team is working hard to avoid that. Kathy also emphasized the significance of the NJ4S team being primarily composed of Passaic County residents, which allows them to better understand and empathize with the issues students in the area regularly face. She also stressed the significance of the NJ4S team's visibility and the need for schools to trust the program before allowing them into their spaces. To address this issue, our NJ4S Passaic County team has been continuously present at local events throughout the county. They've also planned a wide range of events targeted at students, teachers, and parents, ensuring a comprehensive approach to their outreach efforts. A list of upcoming NJ4S events may be viewed on the New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services calendar . You can also follow NJ4S Passaic County on Facebook and Instagram ! Bob Guarasci, NJCDC's CEO, stated "We are deeply grateful to the Department of Children and Families for creating such a critical new program, and look forward to innovative and impactful service delivery throughout Passaic County.

NJCDC Saturday Youth Arts Program April 7, 2023 Research has shown that learning about and experiencing the arts is essential to a well-rounded education. Arts education has been consistently linked to improved academic performance, more effective communication skills, and even higher SAT scores. Despite these facts, many schools do not offer dedicated arts education and opportunities in music leaving a gap in their curriculum that needs to be filled. In 2014, NJCDC launched the Youth Arts Program to combat the lack of arts education in schools and provide free arts programming to the youth of Paterson. Since its creation, the program has held classes for hundreds of students in elementary, middle and high school offering a wide range of activities such as music, skateboard design, photography, guitar, piano, sketching, and more. This year, on February 25, we kicked off our Saturday Youth Arts Program—a 12-week program offered to 45 Paterson students in Grades 1-5 at our Great Falls Youth Center. These budding artists and aspiring musicians come from other NJCDC programs and schools from all over Paterson like our Full Service Community School at School #5. During the Saturday program, students are exposed to Dance, Bucket Drumming, Arts Education and Arts & Crafts. Our students have already participated in a variety of activities including but not limited to obstacle course challenges for Dance class, slime making for Art class, creation of a big shamrock puzzle for St. Patrick's Day, and so much more. This weekend they will have an Easter-themed group activity! The Saturday Arts Program has truly become a creative outlet for students to de-stress, explore and gain artistic and musical skills through the love of Art and Music. Ashley Claudio, parent of Lylah Campbell said," My daughter comes home every Saturday saying, Mom you wouldn't believe what we did in the Art Program. It's so much fun! Another parent, David Rivera said, "My son loves the Art program, he said he wouldn't miss a day!" NJCDC Founder & CEO Bob Guarasci expressed, "We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to run the Saturday Youth Arts Program for our Paterson youth and engage them in hands-on activities outside regular school days. This curriculum is integral for healthy student development and positive adult outcomes and we at NJCDC will continue to help foster their creativity at this pivotal age!"

Celebrating Lou Costello on His 117th Birthday March 13, 2023 On Monday, March 6th, we partnered with the City of Paterson to hold an event at our Great Falls Youth Center that celebrated what would have been Paterson native Lou Costello's 117th birthday! Last year—on a warmer day—the event was held at Lou Costello Memorial Park , which was recently renovated and now includes a playground that accommodates children of all abilities, including those with special needs. Kicking off the event, Mayor Andre Sayegh welcomed and thanked the guests for their attendance and spoke about Lou Costello's legacy. He said, "Paterson is proud to have been the hometown of Lou Costello, and we are thrilled to honor his legacy by creating inclusive spaces where children can play together, such as Lou Costello Memorial Park, as well as the Lou Costello Pool—which will be getting a makeover soon. Next, Councilman Luis Velez shared his fondness for Lou Costello and why it is important that his legacy must continue and be recognized through the great work happening—like the recent renovation of Lou Costello Memorial Park. Following Councilman Velez's remarks, NJCDC Founder & CEO Bob Guarasci said, "NJCDC is proud to have played a role in the rehabilitation of Lou Costello Memorial Park and today, on the birthday of this national legend, we decided to have a poster commissioned to celebrate who Lou was and who he is. Lou Costello has paved the way and has never faded. We are proud to celebrate his 117th birthday!" After an impromptu song by Lou Costello impersonator Lou Sciara, Bob, Mayor Sayegh, Councilman Velez, Lou, and NJCDC's Director of Community Outreach Eddie Gonzalez unveiled the new poster, which was designed by Christian Drury of Brightwell. Guests then sang "Happy Birthday" to Lou and enjoyed a delicious birthday cake made by baker and Paterson resident Liz Bonilla, who is often referred to as "Paterson's Cake Boss." The beautifully made cake incorporated a picture of Lou Costello and had a cannoli filling that paid homage to Lou's Italian heritage. While Lou Costello died over six decades ago, his legacy continues to live on through his body of work, as well as through his namesake park and pool. As Bob said at the celebration, "Who's on First? Today, Lou Costello is!" Watch the famous Abbott & Costello "Who's On First" comedy sketch below.

Applications Still Available for Barclay Place Apartments March 29, 2023 St. Joseph's University Medical Center and New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC) have partnered to construct a new 56-unit apartment building called Barclay Place, located at 133 Barclay Street in Paterson. The lease-up period for these apartments has been extended to Wednesday, April 5th and applications can be obtained by visiting NJCDC at 32 Spruce Street and at the St. Joseph's COVID testing trailer located at the DePaul Center off of 11 Getty Avenue in Paterson. Completed applications must be turned in no later than 4:30 pm on April 5th. The apartments have been financed with special funding from the state's housing finance agency designed to encourage hospitals to build affordable housing in order to address a key social determinant of health. While healthy habits, such as diet and exercise play an important role in health, so do "social determinants" like access to housing, parks and open space. One, two, and three-bedroom units are available, and potential tenants must have enough income to pay their rent, but also cannot exceed income limits imposed by the state. There will on-site amenities such as a laundry room and community room, and services will also be provided to help individuals deal with chronic health conditions. Ten units are reserved for individuals with special needs. The apartments are almost ready for occupancy. Individuals interested in applying should pick up an application as soon as possible and return it no later than Wednesday, April 5th. Those who are income qualified but not offered a unit due to demand will be placed on a waiting list.

NJCDC’s Golf Outing is Monday, August 28 – Register Now! June 28, 2023 We're delighted to invite you to join us at our 15 Annual 'Fore the Kids' Golf Tournament on Monday, August 28th at Glen Ridge Country Club! Each year, our Golf Outing raises critical operating funds that directly impact our ability to serve more than 4,000 children and families daily. But our work doesn't happen alone. Your support will directly impact our ability to serve thousands of Paterson youth, helping them to graduate from high school ready for college and a career. Ninety-two cents of every dollar donated to NJCDC goes directly to programs and services that create opportunities to transform lives! Through our most recent Golf Outing , we were able to raise $110,000 to strengthen our cradle-to-college pipeline of programs and services. Please review the sponsorship opportunities below and consider participating at the level that works best for you and/or your organization. Please also help us spread the word! To download the 'Fore the Kids' Invitation & Registration Form, click here . If you have any questions, or would like to make a pledge or donation, please contact Valerie Trawinski at golf@njcdc.org or 973-413-1608. We hope to see you on August 28 !

NJCDC Partners with Paterson Public Schools to Open New Full Service Community School January 6, 2023 Named after the late philanthropist and Paterson native, the Joseph A. Taub School (JAT) officially opened its doors to over 1,000 middle school students in September 2021. The 160,000-square-foot building was built on the land where Don Bosco Tech once stood—on Union Avenue, just over a mile from our headquarters and within walking distance of the majority of its students. And this past October, in partnership with Paterson Public Schools, we opened a Full Service Community School (FSCS) there. NJCDC is proud to serve as the lead agency at the new Full Service Community School at Paterson's Joseph A. Taub Middle School. This is the third Full Service Community School where we serve as the lead agency—we also operate Full Service Community Schools at School Number 5 (grades K-5) and JFK High School. Our Full Service Community Schools are designed to assist Paterson Public Schools in removing barriers in education for students through services such as tutoring, mentoring, medical attention, and much more. With our partners, we are committed to providing a safe, supportive, and engaging environment for our youth, families, and community that is conducive to lifelong learning. Students currently have the option to participate in two of six clubs in rotation after school throughout the week. These clubs include Journalism, Art, Physical Education, Book Club, TV Production, and Gardening. Every two months, students have the option to switch clubs if they are interested in joining another club. Sixth-grade student Yonel Rivera De Jesus has been very excited about the new program. He said, "What I like most about the program is how we are given the opportunity to work in a real environment in our Gardening Club and it helps us gain more experience while working hands-on with plants. His classmate Ashley Rivas said, "My favorite club in this program is the TV Production Club. We get to learn a variety of things like acting, video editing, and behind-the-scene roles like fixing the lighting and working on staging." The Taub FSCS Program Director Adam Jawiech explained, "At the after-school program at JAT, we're providing the kids with student-driven programming that employs a holistic approach to education. The students chose what programming would be offered by filling out a student interest survey and we got to work." He continued, "We provide structure and support while the students are free to explore both academic interests and meaningful social interactions. I couldn't ask for a better group of instructors; their love for the students and their willingness to go above and beyond makes me proud to work alongside them." Bob Guarasci, NJCDC's CEO, offered his thoughts on this exciting initiative, saying "I applaud the school district—particularly Superintendent Shafer and her team—for expanding the network of full-service community schools in Paterson. NJCDC is grateful to partner with the district to bring all these additional services to students and their parents."