Author Archives: Soul Foundation

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 February 21 2014 

Northern Children’s Services Merrick Hall

Northern Children’s Services Merrick Hall
To see more photos, click here.

Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation joins Northern Children’s Services (formerly Northern Home for Children) as they celebrate the grand opening of Merrick Hall which will be home to formerly homeless teenage mothers and children

Philadelphia, July 31, 2014—When Jon Bon Jovi first stepped on Northern Children’s Services campus about ten years ago, he recognized the beauty in one particular building, Merrick Hall. Today, Merrick Hall opened its doors back up again for the first time at the Grand Opening and Dedication Ceremony.

The relationship between Northern Children Services and the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation began back in 2004 when the Philadelphia Soul Arena Football team built a beautiful playground on the campus. Throughout the last decade the partnership has continued – culminating in JBJ Soul Foundation’s support of the renovation of Merrick Hall.

“From day one on the campus of Northern Children’s Services some ten years ago, I marveled at the history and hidden beauty of that old building – Merrick Hall,” stated Jon Bon Jovi, Chairman of the JBJ Soul Foundation. “When this project came about, it was a natural fit for us to provide one of the lead donations for this building. It is wonderful to see it now fully restored to glory and in use for such a purposeful cause – addressing the needs of young mothers in this community.”

Not only does Merrick Hall stand for the successful future of the Generations program, it represents the rich history behind the past 161 years of service of Northern Children’s Services. Thanks to this newly renovated building, the organization will be able to change the lives of more young women and children in the community who need it most, just as it was able to do in 1853 for orphans described as “innocent victims of social poverty during an era of unparalleled economic luxury.”

“The (Merrick) building will now expand our capacity to serve the needs of the Generation programs. In addition, it will provide 4 permanent housing units for our homeless Mother/Baby population. This is a tremendous accomplishment for Northern and the community that we serve. I am extremely proud and thankful to our Board of Directors, supporters and donors. Without their support, this would have not been possible,” said Tracey Lavallias, CEO and President of Northern Children’s Service.

A current resident of the Generations program, Brittney, gave a tearful speech to the crowd explaining the significant impact Northern Children’s Services and Generations program has had on the life of her and her son, Rashee.

“With all of this love and support given I was able to graduate from high school on time despite the fact I had my son at a young age. Furthermore, NCS as a team was very helpful and a huge blessing in making my prom a vigilant success,” Brittney said. “Ms. Cherenne (Peoples), Ms. Rasheedah (Small), Ms. Isis (Polard) and Ms. Nakia (Gordon), thank you for never turning your cheek. When times got rough – those times when I felt like giving up – your words of encouragement helped me through.”

For the full press release from this event, please click here

For more information on the Merrick renovation, capital campaign or Northern Children’s Services, please visit their website.

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 February 4 2014 

Project Homeless Connect Touches Many

“We offered a warm coat, personal care items and a range of health services to people,” said Freeholder John P. Curley, liaison to the County’s Department of Human Services. “Coats, blankets and hot beverage were important and needed, but we also wanted to make sure that each person who needs and wants assistance is being helped.”

Project Homeless Connect is the umbrella name for a nationwide effort to bring attention to efforts to end homelessness. People without a permanent residence or who are at risk of being homeless were encouraged to participate. Attendees completed a very brief survey form before being provided food, clothing, free health screenings, employment resources and other services.

“This year we provided services to 196 individuals at the three locations,” Curley said. “The purpose of Project Homeless Connect, coupled with the Point in Time survey, is to get a better idea as to who is homeless and out there somewhere.”

JBJ Soul Kitchen participated in Project Homeless Connect for the third straight year. These counts aid communities in creating strategic plans and develop policies that deal with the homeless issues. This day enabled us, at Soul Kitchen, to put forth our product and engage those who are experiencing food insecurity issues in our work. Those who participated in Red Bank, NJ were offered a complimentary ride in a van, donated by Arrow Transportation, from Pilgrim Baptist Church to Soul Kitchen where they received hot soup and a sandwich. Soul Kitchen volunteers and staff members were on hand throughout the day to speak to those coming in and let them know how they could volunteer in exchange for a meal in the future. This year Soul Kitchen served over 100 meals to those who came in as part of Project Homeless Connect.

The freezing temperatures and the snow storm on Wednesday played a role in reducing the number of folks who turned out for this annual event.

“Anyone who is vulnerable and close to homelessness – especially families with younger children, need to know that there is help available,” Curley said. “Shelter, food stamps and many other services can help improve their quality of life.”

“This is an annual, unified effort to reach people who do not have a permanent shelter,” said Jeffrey Schwartz, director of the County’s Division of Planning and Contracting for the Department of Human Services. “While County staff and volunteers gathered information at designated locations, others were collecting information about people housed at other locations by various housing agencies and coordinating efforts with municipal representatives to locate unsheltered individuals.”

Not included in the totals from the three locations are individuals who are in transitional housing, emergency housing, motels, hotels, boarding homes or other locations.

Curley noted that the Sandy Homeowner/Renter Assistance Program (SHRAP) is helping many potentially homeless individuals and families with a mortgage or rent subsidy as well.

“Some of the people displaced by Sandy were counted last year because they were being housed in motels and hotels,” explained Schwartz. “Anyone still displaced by Sandy should continue to be in contact with FEMA and the County’s Long Term Recovery Group to maximize the resources available.”

The primary goal of Project Homeless Connect is to gain an accurate picture of the number of people who experience homelessness and to work toward providing them with needed services, Schwartz said.

“Donations of time, space and resources by businesses and not-for profit groups make the Project Homeless Connect event possible,” Curley said. “Monmouth County is a very caring community and we appreciate the time, talents and goods that make a positive impact in the lives of people who need these items and seek these services.”

The count is part of an annual point-in-time survey of the homeless population in the New Jersey. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that such a count of the homeless be done every year.

Organizations that donated time and resources for Monmouth County’s 2014 Point in Time Survey and Project Homeless Connect include:
Acelero Learning
Adelphia Donuts LLC
Affordable Housing Alliance
ARC of Monmouth, Tinton Falls
Arrow Limousine Worldwide
Asbury Park Social Services
Brookdale Community College
Burlington Coat Factory
Catholic Charities – Linkages
Central Jersey Family Health Consortium
Child Care Resources
Cohn Reznick
Community Affairs & Resource Center
Community Health Law Project – Asbury Park
Comprehensive Emergency Assistance System (CEAS)
Covenant House
Division of Child Protection & Permanency
Easter Seals NJ – Adult Shelter
Family & Children’s Services
Family Promise of Monmouth County
Feed All God’s Children – Jim Benedict
Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties
Frank’s Deli – Baked Goods
Freehold Area Open Door
HABcore, Inc.
Habitat for Humanity
Holiday Express
Howell Alliance and Schools
I Beseech Thee Community Development Corp.
Interfaith Neighbors – Nancy Flanigan, Heather Schulze and Catherine Wieczorek, Site Coordinators for Asbury Park
Investors Savings Bank
JBJ Soul Foundation
JBJ Soul Kitchen
Jersey Shore Rescue Mission
Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Kula Café
LADACIN Network
Lunch Break
Manna House – Peggy Comfort, Site Coordinator for Freehold
Marlboro Elementary School
Monmouth A-Team
Monmouth Cares
Monmouth County Human Services Advisory Council
Monmouth County Department of Human Services
• Divisions of Aging, Disabilities and Veterans Services; Mental Health and Addiction Services; Planning and Contracting and Social Services
Monmouth County Department of Workforce Development
Monmouth County Buildings & Grounds
Monmouth County Community Development
New Beginnings Agape Christian Center
New Jersey City University – Cheryl Leiningen, Assistant Professor and accelerated BSN Students, Wall NJ Campus
New Jersey Department of Labor-One Stop Center
New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency
New Jersey Natural Gas
New Jersey Youth Corps – Asbury Park
Novadebt, Freehold
180, Turning Lives Around
O.C.E.A.N, Inc.
Ocean Monmouth Legal Services
One Warm Coat
Paul David Party Supplies
Paul M. McGuire Family Health Center
Pilgrim Baptist Church of Red Bank
Red Cross
Salvation Army, Asbury Park
Signs, Sealed and Delivered
Social Security Administration
Soleil Tans – Matawan
Soul Kitchen in Red Bank
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
The City of Asbury Park
United Way of Monmouth County
VNA Health Group
Various Ministries
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Winifred Canright House

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 January 2 2014 

Letter from the Executive Director

Letter from the Executive Director

Our now two-year old Soul Kitchen program in Red Bank, NJ continues to build and strengthen relationships with local nonprofits serving clients who may be experiencing food insecurity and hunger issues. Your response to our social media campaigns has enabled us to serve thousands of meals and form relationships with those in need and help them connect to the services to begin moving toward a life of self-sufficiency.

We appreciated your support of our New Jersey “Soul of Hunger” advocacy event which brought together leaders from non-profit, business, healthcare, and government to discuss the root causes of hunger and how to begin to find a solution. The many brave citizens of New Jersey who shared their stories with us will be a guiding light for us in meeting this challenge.

Our housing partnerships continue to progress with three building construction/renovation projects in the works as of this writing. The Joseph’s House homeless shelter in Camden, NJ will not only provide emergency shelter for 75 homeless men and women each night but will be a hub for service providers to connect those coming off the streets with the services they need to exit homelessness. In early 2014, we expect to celebrate the grand opening of two community development projects: JBJ Soul Homes in partnership with Project H.O.M.E. and Merrick Hall at Northern Services – both in Philadelphia and serving our most vulnerable neighbors.

Additionally, we continue to work with local New Jersey organizations on the long term rebuilding plans for vibrant, sustainable communities in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. On the one year anniversary of the storm, we went back to visit some of the communities hardest hit and although much progress has been made, it is very evident that much work still needs to be done – and we have pledged to use the donations that were designated for rebuilding to have the greatest impact in the community in which we invest.

The best way I can think of to thank all of our followers is to continue to be a responsible investor in homelessness, affordable housing and hunger-related projects that have an impact in our communities. Thank you so much for your support and we look forward to an exciting 2014 – again, we could not do this without YOU – “The Power of WE”. Thank you!!

Sincerely,

Mimi

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 December 12 2013 

Jon Bon Jovi keeps his commitment to Camden

“Today we prove once again that we are committed to Camden,” Bon Jovi said on the day he toured the shelter, called Joseph’s House. “Today we have an opportunity to see what was, just a year ago, a vision.”

Over the past four years, Bon Jovi has brought to life a number of once-envisioned programs. He started small, initially working with a project called Camden GreenUP, which rehabbed vacant lots, turning them from dilapidated eyesores to green landscapes. The Jon Bon Jovi Foundation, headquartered in Philadelphia, gave a $50,000 matching donation for the improvement of the first 81 lots.

“Bon Jovi’s initial support kick-started that program,” says Jake Gordon, executive director of the Camden Special Services District, which manages GreenUP. “After working on those first lots, we were able to receive a federal grant to do more.” To date, 200 lots have been transformed.

Because a large part of the JBJ Foundation’s mission addresses housing issues, it was a natural progression for the musician to turn his attention to Heart of Camden, a nonprofit that has rehabbed more than 225 homes since its inception in 1985. The renovated homes – complete with new plumbing, heating and electric – are eventually sold to Camden residents at an affordable price.

The Foundation gave Heart of Camden a $262,000 grant, which helped them build nine homes. A year later, Heart of Camden honored Bon Jovi with its “Small Things with Great Love” award, honoring him at their annual gala in Cherry Hill, which he attended. (The sold-out gala raised an additional $300,000.)

“Jon Bon Jovi’s work, his spirit and the mission of his foundation is sincerely to help the homeless and the families of Camden, and to rebuild neighborhoods,” says Helene Pierson, former executive director of Heart of Camden who was with Bon Jovi during that first visit to Camden. “He’s passionate about his work. It isn’t about throwing money at something and never being a part of it. It’s about being part of something.”

The foundation also gave a grant for $58,000 to Hopeworks ’N Camden, an organization that teaches Camden youth career skills like web design and video production. The grant money was dedicated to the nonprofit’s construction of a community home for 10 young adults. Bon Jovi and his wife spent time with the young people at Hopeworks, answering questions and offering advice. The rocker talked about working hard to get what you want, mentioning how he continues to practice playing guitar every day.

Then earlier this year, Bon Jovi designated a $200,000 grant to partially fund the purchase and renovation of the new Joseph’s House, a project that will cost a little more than $1.1 million. Sitting just off Route 676 on Atlantic Avenue in Camden, the building was acquired in August and renovations began soon after. The fenced-in property will house a kitchen, recreation room and space to provide emergency shelter for up to 75 people. The facility opened this month.

Joseph’s House had been operating at a nearby property on Church Street, providing overnight shelter to 40 people. Because of low funding, it only opened during winter months. (In fact, Bon Jovi posted a birthday wish on his website in the spring of 2011 asking for donations so the shelter could remain open while a harsh winter ended. He got his wish.) Those running the original location say they weren’t able to provide a “dignified overnight stay” because people had to sleep on the floor. In the new shelter, residents will have cots to sleep on.

For the rest of this story, plus photos & video from the event, please visit: SJMagazine.net

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