Executive Director

Melody brings over 20 years of nonprofit experience along with a deep passion for social justice to her new role with the JBJ Soul Foundation.  Previously as the VP for Programs and Initiatives at the Lancaster County Community Foundation, she changed their approach to grant making, elevated the conversation around social enterprise and explored creative approaches to increase financial stability for local residents.  An active community member, she served on a work group for the Mayor’s Commission to End Poverty, the steering committee for Lancaster City’s Economic Development Plan and with the Prosperity Indicators project.

Originally from Virginia, Melody is excited to call Philadelphia home and begin to explore ways to build upon JBJ Soul Foundation’s first ten years of impact.  Melody is inspired by Gandhi’s quote “Be the change you wish to see.”

Executive Director
Assistant Treasurer

Heather Goldfarb was brought on by the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation in the summer of 2009 and is currently the Executive Director, as well as the Assistant Treasurer on the Board of Directors.

Heather began her career with the Philadelphia Soul Arena Football team in September of 2003 as Account Executive when she was one of the first employees hired by the organization. During the Inaugural season for the Soul, Heather was the top selling sales representative in the department and was promoted to Group Sales Manager for the 2006 season. After one season, Heather was then promoted to the Director of Marketing and Community Relations where she remained until the Soul office closed down. Her responsibilities included creating and implementing all of the teams marketing plans, coordinating player, dance team, and mascot appearances in the community, fulfilling donation requests, assisting with running the Philadelphia Soulmates Dance Team, and also held the main role in coordinating and executing the 2008 ArenaBowl Championship Parade in Center City, Philadelphia.

Prior to her time with the Philadelphia Soul, Heather also worked in sales for the Philadelphia Flyers, 76ers, and the Charge.

Heather is a 2002 graduate of the University of Delaware with a bachelors degree in Business Administration, concentration in Marketing, and currently resides in Langhorne, PA.

Secretary, JBJ Soul Foundation

Secretary Sara Peters was first tapped to be the Philadelphia Soul Charitable Foundation’s first Assistant Treasurer. In this capacity, Sara worked closely with the Treasurer and the entire Board of Directors. She was responsible for setting up and maintaining accounts payable and receivable, financial reporting, while also working with the board to establish this foundation during its early years. As Secretary, she currently is responsible for recording of minutes during the board meetings and assisting the Foundation with programs and events.

Sara is currently the Event Operations Manager at the Philadelphia Eagles. She began her career at the Philadelphia Soul 2006, before joining the Eagles in 2009.

She is a 2006 graduate of Saint Joseph’s University with a degree in management and resides in Philadelphia.

Vice-Chairman, JBJ Soul Foundation

Chairman & CEO of Arden Group

Arden Group, founded in 1989 by Craig, is headquartered in Philadelphia with offices in New York and Miami.  Since its inception Arden Group has purchased and developed more than $3 billion of commercial real estate including office buildings, hotels and high-rise condominiums.  Arden Group formed its fund management business, Arden Real Estate Partners, L.P. in 2012 and through its discretionary real estate funds acquires value-add full-service hotels and class A office properties in major U.S. markets.  Arden Group also recently formed Arden Credit Fund, L.P.,  its mezzanine debt business.  Arden Group’s asset management division has managed more than $5 billion of real estate assets for its own account and third party owners.

Craig along with Jon Bon Jovi co-founded and serves as Co-Chairman of the JBJ Soul Charitable Foundation, which provides free housing, education, and meals to men, women, families and veterans in need.  To date the Soul Foundation has built more than 500 housing units and served over 60,000 meals through its Soul Kitchens.

Board Chairman

Musically and philanthropically, Jon Bon Jovi’s work honors the spirit of America and salutes the principles that define our nation. Self-reliance, optimism and community are key concepts he embodies, in his music and his charitable efforts. These common threads have resulted in heightened awareness on issues that adversely impact our society and millions of dollars raised

He is the frontman of the iconic, Grammy Award winning band Bon Jovi, who have set the bar for over three decades as one of the most successful rock bands in the world. Globally, they have sold more than 130 million albums, performed more than 2,900 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 37.5 million fans.

Mr. Bon Jovi is also the Chairman of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing about positive change and helping the lives of those in need “one SOUL at a time.” The Soul Foundation focuses on solutions with programs and partnerships targeted at breaking the cycle of poverty and homelessness. To date, Jon Bon Jovi and the Soul Foundation have provided funding for affordable housing for thousands of low-income individuals and families throughout the country.

The Soul Foundation funds partnerships that address the issues of food and shelter, benefiting temporary shelters, transitional housing for teens, permanent supportive housing including housing for vets and special needs populations, as well as home ownership opportunities. In October 2011, the Foundation opened the first JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, NJ to address issues of food insecurity, and has since served over 60,000 meals. The community kitchen serves nutritious, culinary dishes in a restaurant atmosphere where diners contribute either volunteer hours or a minimum donation for their meals. In May 2016, the Foundation, along with the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties and The Peoples Pantry (INSPIRE NJ) opened the B.E.A.T. Center (Bring Everyone All Together). The community hub allows families and individuals in need to access food, job training and other resources in Ocean County, N.J.  The B.E.A.T. Center houses the second JBJ Soul Kitchen.

Staying true to Bon Jovi’s roots, the Foundation aided in local recovery efforts in the days following Hurricane Sandy in 2012.  The following year, Jon Bon Jovi donating $1 million to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund.

As the Foundation continues to expand, the goal is to assist with rebuilding pride in one’s self and one’s community – one SOUL at a time.