Celebrating
25 Years of Creating Opportunities To Transform Lives 
Our Vision
About Us
NJCDC’s vision is that all 8,000 children living or going to school in Paterson’s Great Falls Promise Neighborhood will graduate high school —ready for college and a career.
Celebrating our 25th anniversary year, NJCDC is a multi-service community development and social service agency based in the heart of Paterson, New Jersey, the state’s third largest city. Our mission is to provide opportunities to transform lives in Paterson’s Great Falls Promise Neighborhood through education, youth development, affordable housing, and community building initiatives. What started in 1994 with two employees has since grown into a $12 million agency employing over 150 individuals performing a wide variety of services that enable our comprehensive cradle-to-college pipeline of programs and services to thrive. Through this pipeline, we serve 4,000 children, teens, and families every day. While the neighborhood we serve is a poor one—the average household income is about one-third the state’s average, and only ten percent of residents have earned a college degree—it is also a neighborhood with a rich
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history and a great deal of hope and promise. And so we are optimistic about the future. While there is still much work to be done, we are proud of our accomplishments over these past 25 years, including: • Investing $75 million in revitalizing the community • Creating 15 playgrounds and community gardens • Building 150 affordable and supportive homes • Founding a preschool, a K-8 charter school, a STEM Academy high school, and a Youth Center • Operating 15 youth development programs, serving more than 3,000 youth yearly
ABOUT NJCDC
Our Founder Twenty-five years ago, I asked my friend Rob Long to join me in creating a new non-profit organization to transform lives and neighborhoods in the City of Paterson. And so began New Jersey Community Development Corporation (NJCDC), based on the powerful belief that good people could make a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors. It has been 25 years of backbreaking but enormously rewarding work, building an organization that today serves more than 4,000 children and families each day in areas that include education, youth development, affordable housing, and community building.
Over these 25 years, we’ve been able to invest more than $75 million rebuilding the area surrounding Paterson’s Great Falls with new housing, schools, a youth center, and other community facilities. We’ve worked with other groups to ensure the creation of a new national
park in Paterson. We’ve started a 900-student charter school to provide enhanced educational opportunities for Paterson students, and we’ve created four school-based teen centers to promote health, wellness, and student success. And we continue to work closely with a host of community partners on our Great Falls Promise Neighborhood initiative, whose bold objective is to help all 8,000 children living or going to school in this neighborhood to graduate high school ready for college and a career. Our charge is clear—to keep working as hard as we can to make as much change as we can. That was my goal 25 years ago, and it remains my goal today.
NJCDC Founder & CEO November, 2019
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About Paterson Founded by Alexander Hamilton in 1792 around the power and beauty of the Great Falls, Paterson housed the factories that would ignite America’s Industrial Revolution. For nearly two centuries, Paterson was a vibrant city built around manufacturing and this majestic waterfall. However, in the 1960s, like most industrial American cities, Paterson declined. Unemployment increased, and buildings that were once symbols of America’s economic strength became symbols of the Silk City’s struggle. Since 1994, NJCDC has been working to make Paterson a comeback city. We continuously seek to connect the dots between all of the elements necessary for comprehensive revitalization, including strong schools, safe and affordable housing, youth development, and resident-led advocacy. In addition to its rich history, Paterson boasts a high concentration of Beaux-Arts buildings, quick access to numerous highways, proximity to New York City, and involved residents. Increasing numbers of individuals and companies are being drawn to the Silk City, contributing to a renewed sense of energy in Paterson.
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ABOUT NJCDC
Our Four Core Areas The heart and soul of our work is in each of the following four core areas: Education:
Youth Development:
At NJCDC, education is another word for opportunity. We are dedicated to creating lifelong learners, and run a number of educational initiatives designed to help local youth reach their fullest potential.
Our youth development programs are rooted in the belief that young people can overcome extraordinary odds to succeed in life. We focus on creating a head start, a safe haven, connections with caring mentors, and opportunities to lead.
Affordable Housing: Our goal is to offer those we serve a safe, decent, and affordable place to call home, to provide assistance in navigating everyday challenges, and, most importantly, to instill hope, confidence, and optimism among those we serve. To date, we have built 150 affordable/supportive homes.
Community Building: We bring the community together through neighborhood clean-ups, beautification projects, playground builds, and events designed to create family and neighborhood bonding. Through our Neighborhood Help Center, we also connect neighborhood residents with vital services, such as employment counseling, housing referrals, medical screenings, and ESL classes.
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Education We offer high-quality no-cost education for Paterson students in pre-K through 12th grade. NJCDC’s belief is that the goal of education should be to instill a love of learning that persists throughout children’s entire lives and helps them reach their fullest potential. NJCDC founded and operates the Paterson Family Center, a preschool that gives 105 of Paterson’s youngest students a head start; the Community Charter School of Paterson, which now has more than 900 students enrolled in grades K-8; and Garrett Morgan Academy, a high school focused on science and technology. Additionally, NJCDC is the lead agency in Paterson’s Full Service Community Schools at Public School No. 5 and John F. Kennedy Educational Complex.
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ABOUT NJCDC
Youth Development In helping to foster the next generation of engaged Paterson citizens, NJCDC reaches beyond the classroom. We invest in the future residents and leaders of our community at their individual points of development—during after-school hours in youth and teen centers, in non-traditional educational programs, and through unique leadership opportunities. Our Youth Development programs include our Paterson Youth Council, a year-long leadership development program; our Great Falls Youth Center, which provides a safe place for hundreds of neighborhood teens; our Paterson Community School Corps (an AmeriCorps program), whose members work in several Paterson schools to eliminate barriers to academic achievement; an array of summer programs; comprehensive “Teen Centers” at four area high schools to promote healthy lifestyles, educational enrichment, and support services to increase academic performance; and parent education classes for parents of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
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Community Building Since 1994, NJCDC has taken a lead in rebuilding and strengthening our community through the empowerment of—and in partnership with— those who live and work in our neighborhood. We engage local residents and business owners to care for and speak out on behalf of our shared neighborhood through a variety of initiatives, including an active Community Advisory Board. We also carry out neighborhood clean-ups, and have built 15 playgrounds and gardens to help revitalize our neighborhood. Since 2014, our Neighborhood Help Center has served as a one-stop-shop for assistance on a broad range of topics that concern neighborhood residents, including housing, immigration, job readiness, educational opportunities, and financial literacy.
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ABOUT NJCDC
Affordable Housing We believe having a place to call home is one of the most fundamental human needs necessary for stability and personal growth. NJCDC prides itself on providing affordable and supportive housing in the City of Paterson and the surrounding area to those vulnerable individuals and families who need it most. We build and operate housing with on-site social services for individuals with special needs, including those who are homeless, mentally ill, those with developmental disabilities, grandparents raising grandchildren with disabilities, and youth aging out of foster care. Such programs not only provide opportunities to transform individual lives, but serve as catalysts to help build social stability and safe neighborhoods. To date, we have built 150 affordable/supportive homes.
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Community Parks & Gardens Adding green space, pocket parks, and gardens has been one of our objectives.
Rosario Coscia Children’s Garden
William Carlos Williams Community Plaza
Shohid Minar Monument at Westside Park
CCSP Good Food Garden
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Playground Builds We’ve built a dozen playgrounds to provide kids with a safe place to play.
Community Charter School of Paterson Student
School No. 5 Playground Build
Community Charter School of Paterson Playground
School No. 29 Playground Build
School No. 7 Playground Build
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TWENTY-FIVE PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS THAT HAVE INSPIRED AND NURTURED THE GROWTH OF NJCDC
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Our Founder Bob Guarasci has dedicated his life to building a better Paterson and creating opportunities for thousands of children and families. Bob has done something that’s quite remarkable—he started something from nothing and he’s grown it into one of the most accomplished community development organizations in the state. NJCDC would not exist without Bob, who in 1994 asked his friend Rob Long to join him in founding the organization to make a difference in Paterson. Twenty-five years later, what started with two
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Bob Guarasci, Founder & CEO
staff members and a small AmeriCorps program has grown into a multi-million dollar nonprofit organization employing over 150 individuals who perform a wide variety of services that allow our cradle-to-college pipeline of programs and services to thrive. A Paterson resident, Bob loves the Silk City. He is often referred to as “Bob the Builder” not only for brick and mortar projects, but also for building hope and optimism among those who need it most. Under Bob’s leadership, NJCDC has invested over $75 million in
the community—including building 150 units of affordable and supportive housing, three schools, a youth center, a community center, and 15 different parks and playgrounds. Bob has also led the organization’s push to serve a greater number of those in need of our services, and at present we’re serving 4,000 children, teens, and families every day. Additionally, Bob played the lead role in NJCDC’s founding of the Community Charter School of Paterson, which serves 900 students in grades K-8, and which itself employs another 150 people. And Bob’s service extends beyond NJCDC— he’s often hard at work as a board member of William Paterson University, the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, the Health Coalition of Passaic County, the Paterson Alliance, and the Paterson Housing Authority. Asked about NJCDC’s future, Bob is both optimistic and ambitious. “As we look forward to our next chapter, one thing is for sure,” he said. “We’ll continue to make change and we’ll also make every effort to serve as many people as we possibly can—for I never want to look back and say we could have done more.”
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The City Of Paterson
The City of Paterson is NJCDC’s home, and was once one of our state’s leading centers of commerce and industry. Founded by Alexander Hamilton as our nation’s first planned industrial city in 1792, Paterson once led the nation in the manufacturing of everything from locomotives to silk to airplane engines during World War II. Today, not unlike urban centers throughout the nation, Paterson struggles with a number of problems that include poverty and unemployment. But the most incredible thing about Paterson is its resiliency. Even in the face of its challenges, hope abounds in this 8.1 square mile city that is home to more
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than 150,000 residents. Paterson remains a destination of choice for new Americans hailing from countries that include Columbia, Bangladesh, and the Dominican Republic. Walk its streets—especially downtown— and there is a vibrancy that is unmistakable. Walk its neighborhoods, and you’ll see and feel the diversity of a city that embraces and welcomes everyone. This is why NJCDC loves Paterson! It’s why we chose Paterson as our home in 1994, and why we are singularly focused—working hand in hand with our municipal government and community partners—on making Paterson a comeback city.
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The Great Falls The majestic Great Falls of the Passaic River are Paterson’s—and perhaps the region’s—most impressive natural resource. Falling 77 feet over a gorge formed 13,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age, the Great Falls were Alexander Hamilton’s inspiration to establish Paterson as our nation’s first planned industrial city in 1792. The Falls, and the power they generated, were largely responsible for Paterson’s emergence as a leading center of commerce and industry throughout the 19th century. NJCDC has long advocated for the designation of the area surrounding the Falls to become a national park, and that objective was realized in 2009 when President Barack Obama signed legislation making the park a reality. Over the last 10 years, NJCDC has been working with the lead organization in this effort—The Hamilton Partnership—to ensure our national park spurs economic development to revitalize the entire area that surrounds it. We’re grateful for our many partnerships with the National Park Service, and for the opportunity to do our work in the midst of this incredible landmark.
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32 Spruce Street 32 Spruce Street is the nerve center of NJCDC. It’s our headquarters, as well as a building that houses important educational programs for those we serve. 32 Spruce Street was originally constructed in 1881 as a locomotive mill—it was the Frame Fitting Shop of the Rogers Locomotive Works. At that time, Paterson was making more than 75% of all locomotives in America. Over time, it transitioned to become a textile mill, and we bought it in 1997 as a vacant shell of a building. With talented architects, we were able to undertake an $8 million adaptive reuse plan that repurposed this historic building to meet modern-day community needs. Today, the first floor houses the Paterson Family Center, a preschool for 105 three- and four-year-old children. The first floor also includes our Neighborhood Help Center. The second floor is home to 100 students of the Community Charter School of Paterson. And the third floor houses the offices of our administrative and program staff.
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AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps, the national service initiative created by Congress and President Clinton in 1994 to “get things done for America,” is the bloodline of NJCDC. As our first program, AmeriCorps allowed NJCDC to grow into an organization that now serves 4,000 children and families each day. The program aims to eliminate barriers to academic achievement in Paterson by recruiting promising college graduates to transform five neighborhood schools into full-service community schools and create opportunities for teens to thrive at our Great Falls Youth Center. Our AmeriCorps members provide daily instructional support to classroom teachers, develop tutoring programs, offer assistance to students who need extra help, create lesson plans for after-school and out-of-school programming, conduct workshops, lead community service projects, and much more. Since 1994, we’ve graduated more than 600 AmeriCorps members, who have collectively given hundreds of thousands of hours of service through the program.
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First AmeriCorps Class in 1994
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The Holiday Toy Drive & Party
The Annual Holiday Toy Drive & Party is our longest running tradition—we started it in our first year in 1994. To many of the children and families we serve, it is truly a holiday miracle. For many Paterson families, the holidays are stressful. Parents who struggle to provide their children with housing, food, clothing, and other basic necessities worry about paying for presents and making the holidays a joyous time; some are unable to provide their children with any presents at all. To help make the holidays as happy as they should be, each year NJCDC’s “elves”—also known as our AmeriCorps members—work hard to collect toys, gifts, and food from caring individuals, organizations, and student clubs. Last year, we collected more than 6,000 toys. These donated items are then wrapped and given to hundreds of Paterson children and families on Christmas Eve at our Annual Holiday Party. Each year, children watch in awe as Santa and his helpers hand out thousands of toys. They also enjoy face painting, bouncy houses, arts and crafts, cookie decorating, and other festive activities.
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Legacy Staff
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NJCDC began in 1994 when Bob Guarasci asked his friend, Rob Long, to join him in creating a new non-profit organization that would create programs and services to make a difference in the lives of thousands of Paterson residents. Rob Long, NJCDC Co-Founder (Left)
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Mark Valli, Former NJCDC Vice President
Creighton Drury, Former NJCDC President
Kathie Mendez, NJCDC CFO
Marc-Damon Smith, Youth Dev. Specialist
Mike Powell, Former NJCDC Vice President
Over the years, there have been a number of individuals who have helped the organization to grow and prosper. Upon the occasion of our 25th anniversary, we’d like to thank them for their years of service and commitment to our work—and to the men, women, children, and families we serve. Three employees started with us more than 20 years ago: Kathie Mendez, our Chief Financial Officer; Julie MacLeod, our Paterson Family Center Preschool Director; and Marc-Damon Smith, our Youth Development Specialist for YouthBuild.
Julie MacLeod, PFC Preschool Director (Center)
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Paterson Family Center
Founded in 2003, our Paterson Family Center (PFC) preschool provides 105 three- and four-year-old Paterson children with an evidence-based curriculum and qualified staff committed to their growth and education. PFC provides a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment where children develop physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively. The preschool also offers support to the entire family through after-school programming that supports working parents, as well as family workers to connect families to needed resources. The preschool makes the most of a child’s natural inclination to play by providing planned activities and learning materials to enhance their development through play and exploration. PFC’s goal is for each graduate to enter kindergarten ready to thrive, and students are taught in an environment where they can observe and interact with peers and adults; expand and develop literacy and communication skills; make sense of the world by hands-on interaction and exploration; develop their problem solving and critical thinking skills; and gain self-confidence and independence to grow up to be caring, happy, and productive citizens.
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YouthBuild
Since 1998, our Paterson Great Falls YouthBuild program has provided a meaningful “second chance” for area youth who didn’t finish high school to earn their High School Equivalency Diploma while gaining valuable vocational skills and job-readiness training to increase their employability upon graduation. Based on a national model, the youth and community development program empowers youth to rebuild themselves as they rebuild their communities through a combination of work, education, service, and leadership development. From intensive instruction to help participants receive their High School Equivalency Diploma, to vocational, computer, and job-readiness train-
ing, every YouthBuild student receives a range of services to help him or her succeed. Graduates can earn the certifications and skills required for careers in construction, food handling, nursing, and more. The ultimate goal of the program is self-sufficiency and sustainability for its graduates, while enabling them to help the surrounding community by constructing affordable housing, taking part in a variety of community service efforts, and leading community clean-ups. Since its inception, Paterson Great Falls YouthBuild has successfully graduated nearly 500 individuals.
First YouthBuild Class in 1998
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Garrett Morgan Academy
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Founded by NJCDC and operated in partnership with the Paterson Public Schools, Garrett Morgan Academy opened its doors in 2000 to provide students interested in building a career in transportation and technology with a curriculum that makes STEM instruction relevant and accessible. NJCDC assists in the ongoing operation of the school by providing an array of support services, including after-school programming, coordinating activities with corporate and nonprofit partners, and bringing in other resources to enhance student experiences. At Garrett Morgan Academy—named for the turn-of-the-century African-American inventor of the traffic light—students engage in college prep coursework and receive one-on-one attention typically not possible in larger school environments. With an impressively high graduation rate, Garrett Morgan Academy has sent students on to colleges and universities such as NJIT, Rutgers, Allegheny, and Lehigh.
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11 The Daleo Family
In the summer of 2002, a young man named Eric Daleo served as an intern at NJCDC’s headquarters. As with most interns, Eric helped us with a variety of different assignments. Eric enjoyed his internship, and introduced us to his parents, Bob and Linda Daleo. After that summer, Bob and Linda began to support our work financially. Today they are our largest individual benefactors. Bob joined our Board of Trustees, and for several years he served as our Chairman. Bob and Linda—and Eric—understand that the definition of any successful life must include service to others. We are extraordinarily grateful for the generosity of the Daleo Family, and for the impact that their generosity has had on countless children and families. We’re also grateful, by the way, that Eric is following in the footsteps of his father and recently joined our Board of Trustees.
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Lowenstein Sandler In telling the story of NJCDC, an important chapter belongs to the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler. One of the state’s largest and most successful law firms, Lowenstein accepted NJCDC as a pro bono client more than a dozen years ago. And each year, we have been incredibly fortunate as Lowenstein attorneys have labored on our behalf—oftentimes on complex real estate transactions. Over the years, we’ve benefitted from over $1 million in pro bono services designed to help us fulfill our charitable mission in Paterson. One transaction is particularly noteworthy. Lowenstein attorneys helped us to rescue a 200-student preschool—located across the street from our headquarters—that landed in federal bankruptcy court. With Lowenstein’s skilled assistance, we navigated through a federal bankruptcy courtroom over a period of a couple of months and at the end, the preschool was saved and continues to serve those 200 children every day.
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13 New Jersey’s Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program has been an important part of NJCDC’s toolbox to rebuild the Great Falls Neighborhood of Paterson and to provide residents with programs and services to help them succeed. Under NRTC, New Jersey businesses can take an 80% tax credit and earmark those funds for community development organizations with a state-approved neighborhood plan. It’s a wonderful program through which the state allows $15 million in corporate resources—money that
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Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) Program
would otherwise go to the general treasury—to flow to organizations like NJCDC. This program has been transformational for us. Over the past ten years, we’ve received over $8 million to help us undertake a number of brick and mortar projects, as well as to support our programs. The buildings that have benefitted from this program are: Park Corner Plaza; Rogers Meeting Center; Michael’s Energy Factory; Great Falls Youth Center; and First Presbyterian Church.
Through NRTC, we will be undertaking a mural project in the historic district, including murals that celebrate the lives of Paterson native sons Larry Doby and Lou Costello.
Some of our NRTC Projects NJCDC would like to thank all of the corporations that have donated to us through this program: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Amerigroup Atlantic Stewardship Bank Boiling Springs Savings Bank Horizon Healthcare Services JPMorgan Chase Lakeland Bank M&T Bank PNC Bank Prudential Insurance PSE&G RCC Builders Sealy Sterling National Bank TD Bank Thomson Reuters Valley Bank
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Governmental Agencies NJCDC’s programs and services reach 4,000 children and families every day, and much of this is made possible by relationships we’ve been fortunate to develop with a host of governmental leaders and agencies over these past 25 years. Here are some of them:
New Jersey Department of Children and Families DCF provides funding to enable us to operate many different programs for youth, including Teen Centers and housing and services for youth leaving foster care and homeless youth.
New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency HMFA has provided us with millions of dollars in low-interest loans, enabling us to construct several apartment buildings that now provide supportive housing to individuals who were homeless, who have a mental illness, or who have a developmental disability.
New Jersey Department of Education NJDOE currently supports our large after-school program at John F. Kennedy High School—called Compete for Life—and also approved our application to create and open the Community Charter School of Paterson.
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New Jersey Department of Community Affairs DCA has provided us with millions of dollars to support our work through the Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) program. Through NRTC, we have been able to construct new buildings—such as our Park Corner Plaza, our Great Falls Youth Center, and our Rogers Meeting Center—and to support programming ranging from youth arts initiatives to community outreach efforts.
City of Paterson The City has provided us with funding that has allowed us to build affordable housing for city residents (HOME funds) and which also allowed us to operate programs to benefit city residents, such as a summer youth employment program (CDGB funds).
County of Passaic The County has provided us with funding through its Open Space Fund, allowing us to create new open space in Paterson, design new park space, and even rehabilitate our historic headquarters.
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The Nicholson Foundation Since 2013, we’ve been able to greatly increase our impact, thanks largely to The Nicholson Foundation. With their transformative grant, we launched our Great Falls Promise Neighborhood Initiative, which reaches children and supports parents at every stage of a child’s life—from birth to graduation—and is based on the Harlem Children’s Zone approach. Thanks to Nicholson, we were able to launch an Early Learning Network, which connects preschools, service providers, and school staff. This coordinated network of programs and services for children ages 0-5 and their parents has promoted age-appropriate early childhood development and physical, emotional, and cognitive health.
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Paterson Public Schools
When we talk about partnerships as being central to our work over these last 25 years, perhaps none has been as important as our work with Paterson Public Schools (PPS). As the school district for more than 30,000 children, PPS has the awesome responsibility of ensuring a high-quality education for Paterson students. We’re fortunate that PPS has always recognized the potential of collaboration with community groups, and that NJCDC has always been part of their efforts. In particular, we partner with PPS on the operation of two Full Service Community Schools—at Paterson’s School No. 5 and at JFK High School. With PPS’ support, we wrote the concept paper that led to the creation of Paterson’s first STEM high school, Garrett Morgan Academy. And with the support of PPS, we created and continue to operate one of the best preschools in the city, the Paterson Family Center. We are grateful for our partnership with the Paterson Public Schools.
With their funding, we also boosted early childhood educational achievement and cohesiveness, and launched our research and evaluation function, which has been critical to ensuring that we are measuring the effectiveness of our programs. Additionally, Nicholson’s generosity enabled us to open our Neighborhood Help Center, which since 2014 has linked families to much-needed resources in Paterson.
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17 Over these 25 years, NJCDC has been fortunate to build strong ties with our region’s banks and financial institutions. They have provided us with considerable support, both financial and otherwise. They’ve given us grants to do our work, they’ve provided us with loans to build housing and community facilities, and they’ve given us their expertise in areas like homeownership, counseling, and financial literacy.
Bank of America has provided us with funding to build agency capacity and to carry out specific initiatives, such as our YouthBuild program.
Valley Bank has supported a number of our neighborhood projects, including the Elysian Fields Community Garden site.
The Banks Wells Fargo, through its Wells Fargo Regional Foundation, has been a staunch supporter of our work to empower local residents to plan and advocate for change at the neighborhood level, and to carry out projects in support of local residents’ objectives. Our sincere appreciation to other banks who support our work: • Columbia Bank • ConnectOne Bank
TD Bank has provided us with funding to promote our place-based neighborhood revitalization work.
M&T Bank is an ardent supporter of our Promise Neighborhood work, designed to offer a continuum of services to young people from birth through college and career.
• Investors Bank • Lakeland Bank • New Jersey Community Capital • North Jersey Federal Credit Union • Provident Bank
Capital One supports our real estate development work, through which we are revitalizing Paterson with both new and rehabilitated buildings.
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PNC Bank supports our work in the area of early childhood education, helping to make programs like our Parent Academy possible.
• Santander • Spencer Savings Bank • Sterling Bank
18 In 2007, NJCDC convened a small group of Paterson parents and community stakeholders to introduce an idea—the creation of a new charter school located in Paterson’s Great Falls Historic District. While we had long enjoyed a very positive relationship with the Paterson school district, we wanted to provide parents with options. Our vision has now become a reality: an established charter school that is also a welcoming place for all who visit, and a full-service community school, opening early, closing late, and opening on weekends and during the summer. The Community Charter School of Paterson (CCSP) opened in 2008 as a K-3 school serving 400 students, and has expanded to now serve 900 students in grades K-8. The mission of CCSP is to inspire and empower its children, families, and staff with opportunities to positively shape and transform their lives by becoming successful, lifelong learners who possess the critical thinking, academic, advocacy, and leadership skills required to open new doors in their lives and in the lives of others.
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Our Board of Trustees Throughout these past 25 years, members of our Board of Trustees have helped guide the organization in the key areas of strategic direction and governance. They’ve promoted our mission to create opportunities to transform lives. And the Board has been our strongest advocates and our greatest ambassadors, bringing in new friends and supporters far and wide and doing whatever they can to tell the NJCDC story. We are grateful for their service to both NJCDC and the Paterson community.
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Our Current Board Members: • Donald F. Buckley, Chair • Anthony Coscia, Vice Chair • David Berninger, Treasurer • Lori Grifa, Secretary • Eric Daleo • Robert D. Daleo • Etta Denk • Robert Garrison • Robert Guarasci, Ex-Officio • Victor J. Herlinsky, Jr. • Carline Morrison • William Pascrell III • Kenyatta Stewart • Martin Vergara II
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Top Row, Left to Right: David Berninger, William Pascrell III, Rob Garrison, Anthony Coscia, Bob Daleo, Bob Guarasci, Don Buckley, Martin Vergara II, Vic Herlinsky, and Etta Denk
Donald F. Buckley, Board Chair (Center)
(L-R) Board Members Don Buckley, Lori Grifa, Bob Guarasci, Governor Phil Murphy, Bob Daleo, and Tony Coscia
Lori Grifa, Board Secretary (Right)
David Berninger, Board Treasurer (Left)
Anthony Coscia, Board Vice Chair
William Pascrell III, Board Member (Right)
(L-R) Kenyatta Stewart, Board Member and Vaughn McKoy, Former Board Member
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Our Real Estate Development
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Since 1994, we’ve invested over $75 million in the physical infrastructure of our neighborhood. We’ve developed 150 units of affordable and supportive housing, built a K-8 charter school, and constructed several other community use structures to drive the revitalization of our neighborhood. Its transformation into a bustling center continues, and will include more development of housing, schools, recreational spaces, parks, and community gardens.
Elm Street Apartments is a 20-unit apartment building for aging-out youth, as well as grandparents who are raising grandchildren
Independence House is a 10-unit building for homeless youth and youth aging-out of the state’s foster care system
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We converted the historic Rogers Storage Building into the Rogers Meeting Center, a community gathering and event space
CCSP opened in 2008 as a K-3 school serving 400 students, and now serves 900 K-8 students across two campuses
Hawthorne Heights is a 13-unit apartment building we constructed for adults with developmental disabilities
Park Corner Plaza is an 11-unit apartment building with ground floor retail space
Spruce Terrace is an eight-unit apartment building for individuals with a disability who are now formerly homeless
Opened in 2018, our Great Falls Youth Center provides a safe place for more than 100 neighborhood teens each afternoon
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Teen Centers
Funded by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, NJCDC operates school-based youth service programs in four area high schools, serving nearly 3,000 high school students yearly. These comprehensive Teen Centers, guided by the philosophy of Positive Youth Development, are designed to promote healthy lifestyles—both physically and emotionally—so that local teenagers can complete high school successfully and progress on to higher education or into the workforce. Offering free educational and recreational enrichment programming, tutoring, employment assistance, college advice, and counseling and support services year-round— both during the day and outside of school hours—NJCDC’s Teen Centers provide unique opportunities for those students in need of academic or emotional assistance, or just a safe place to relax and be themselves. Our Teen Centers are located at Garrett Morgan Academy/ International High School, Passaic Valley Regional High School, Clifton High School, and Passaic County Technical Institute.
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Paterson Youth Council
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Started in 2006, our Paterson Youth Council (PYC) is the premier voice for the city’s young people ages 14-18. This year-long leadership development program introduces members to topics ranging from education to public safety to the arts. Made up of 30 dynamic young residents, PYC members meet regularly to discuss a variety of issues that concern their age group. They also meet with city leaders, such as the Mayor and members of the City Council. In doing so, the PYC provides a platform from which Paterson’s best and brightest teens can help influence decisions that affect them. Each year, the Youth Council sponsors the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Recognition Awards, and honors other youth who are doing incredible work in their schools and in the community. Members also perform community service projects, visit places like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and take trips to college campuses, including the Ivy League. Through the program, PYC members cultivate confidence, independence, maturity, leadership skills, and a voice of their own.
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Senator Frank Lautenberg No recounting of the story of NJCDC’s first 25 years would be complete without a tribute to the late Senator Frank Lautenberg. Senator Lautenberg, born and raised in Paterson, was a fierce fighter for the interests of our city during his nearly 30 years in the United States Senate. Senator Lautenberg secured significant funding for NJCDC, including $5 million towards the cost of our multi-purpose organizational headquarters on Spruce Street. It is now named in his honor. Senator Lautenberg visited NJCDC often, especially to interact with children in our various programs. He would always talk about the value of hard work—and the importance of a college education. He worked hand in hand with Congressman Bill Pascrell to ensure the creation of Paterson’s national park. He loved his hometown, and it is a much better place because of him.
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The Neighborhood Help Center The Neighborhood Help Center (NHC) is our onestop shop where neighborhood residents—and in particular the families of the children that we serve— can come for assistance on a broad range of issues, including housing, immigration, job readiness, educational opportunities, financial literacy, and more. The NHC offers residents ongoing one-on-one assistance to help address their specific needs and build better lives and families. We help troubleshoot whatever issue they are facing, and also connect them with much-needed resources. When families succeed and are stable, children have a better opportunity to thrive. Additionally, the NHC offers a broad range of seminars and workshops that address various areas of community interest. These workshops help to inform residents about specific topics, but also serve as an opportunity to help residents know about all of NJCDC’s programs and services.
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The Brownstone
It may seem odd that an event venue is on the list of what’s made our success possible over these 25 years, but The Brownstone is no ordinary venue. The Brownstone in many ways has become a second home for NJCDC and for many other groups in Paterson who gather in fellowship to celebrate, to commemorate, to honor and— sometimes—just to have a good party! So many of the signature events we’ve created and held over this quarter century have taken place at The Brownstone. Our annual youth service recognition event. Our annual Friends Breakfast. Our annual college scholarship brunch. Our annual Casino Night fundraiser. All of these, and more, have been hosted at The Brownstone, and we’re grateful to its proprietors, Albert and Tommy Manzo, for such wonderful hospitality in support of our charitable mission.
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Our Future While we have accomplished a great deal these past 25 years, there is still much work to be done. We are optimistic about the future, especially our upcoming projects, which include creating a youth performing arts center, guiding the development of our charter school’s new middle school, and building new units of affordable housing. Beyond more brick and mortar projects, we will continue to assess the needs of those we serve to start new programs.
We’re planning the transformation of the historic First Presbyterian Church into a new youth performing arts center
The Community Charter School of Paterson will have a new campus for its 400 middle school students Architecture/Planning, P.A.
06/29/19
We’re turning two vacant properties into multi-family homes to create more affordable housing for families
We’re partnering with St. Joseph’s Health to build 70 apartments just a few hundred feet from the hospital RESTORATION/ADAPTIVE REUSE: RENDERINGS
320 MAIN STREET PATERSON, NJ
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FIRST PRESBYT
Our Staff NJCDC’s ability to accomplish its mission is inextricably tied to the dedicated staff who come to work each day to make a difference in the lives of the 4,000 children and families we serve. Our ability to meet our objectives is due to our organization’s exceptional good fortune in attracting staff members who are commit-
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ted to our work, who understand the impact that each has on those we serve, and who ensure that we are creating opportunities to transform lives each day. THANK YOU to all NJCDC staff—past and present— for all you have done these 25 years to help build an organization that gets things done!
THANK YOU!
A Special Thanks to Our Donors We’re incredibly grateful that over these 25 years we’ve been able to raise a great deal of funding from those who believe in our work. We’re very proud that more than 90 cents of every dollar we raise goes directly to our programs and services. And we acknowledge the great trust that donors place in us to get things done.
While it’s simply not possible to name all of our donors, our largest funders over the years are listed on this page. To every single person, to every business or corporation, and to every foundation who has contributed to us—you have our gratitude and our commitment to do even more to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.
Federal Home Loan Bank 1(: <25.
RELIABLE BENEFITS SJS Charitable Trust
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NJCDC Board of Trustees Donald F. Buckley Chair TD Bank Anthony Coscia Vice Chair Windels Marx David Berninger Treasurer Valley Bank Lori Grifa Secretary Archer
Eric Daleo NJ Transit
Victor J. Herlinsky, Jr. Sills Cummis
Robert D. Daleo Thomson Reuters (Retired)
Carline Morrison BD
Etta Denk Bank of America
William Pascrell III Princeton Public Affairs Group
Robert Garrison Laborersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; International Union Robert Guarasci, Ex-Officio NJCDC Founder & CEO
Kenyatta Stewart, Esq. Hunt, Hamlin & Ridley Martin Vergara II Morgan Stanley
New Jersey Community Development Corporation www.njcdc.org Street Address: 32 Spruce Street Paterson, NJ 07501
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Mailing Address: PO Box 6976 Paterson, NJ 07509
Phone: 973-413-1600 E-mail: info@njcdc.org