NJCDC Holds Reunions for Our AmeriCorps and Paterson Youth Council Programs

Watch our Paterson Youth Council reunion video

View photos of our AmeriCorps reunion on Flickr

Check out the Flickr album from our Paterson Youth Council reunion

This year, NJCDC is celebrating 30 years of transforming lives in Paterson, New Jersey. Since our founding on March 11, 1994, we’ve created a robust pipeline of programs and services focused on education, youth development, affordable/supportive housing, and community building initiatives. As part of our 30th anniversary celebrations, we recently held two reunions for some of our longest-running programs: AmeriCorps and the Paterson Youth Council. As our Chief Program Officer David Gelman said, “We want to work to create a network of alumni that can support each other, get together, and connect to support NJCDC’s initiatives.”

AmeriCorps

In 1994, President Clinton and Congress launched a national service initiative known as AmeriCorps. This gave way to NJCDC’s first program, which also launched that same year. Our AmeriCorps members dedicate a year of service to local elementary schools and high school teen centers, helping Paterson students achieve academic success by providing them with mentorship, tutoring, school events, and other forms of academic support. We also launched a new AmeriCorps Program in 2023 — the Paterson Public Health Corps — which focuses on offering mental health services and resources to those same community schools. Since 1994, we’ve graduated more than 620 AmeriCorps members, who have collectively given hundreds of thousands of hours of service through the program!

After 30 years of running our AmeriCorps program, we held our very first reunion on July 26, bringing back together former members to reunite and catch up on their lives since graduating. The reunion also served as a reminder of the impact that initiatives such as AmeriCorps have on the community and further inspired our alumni to continue to give back. Attendees also had the opportunity to speak at the event, sharing their program experiences and the lasting influence it has left on them.

"NJCDC’s AmeriCorps program was a great transition from college, and it prepared me for my career in education,” said Sasha, a 2015 AmeriCorps alumna. “The work we did in Paterson had a lasting impact on me and the community."

Paterson Youth Council

In 2006, we founded the Paterson Youth Council (PYC), giving Paterson youth a platform to represent themselves in their community and get involved through civic engagement, college readiness programming, and community service. The PYC is made up of 30 Paterson teens, all between the ages of 14 and 18, who spend their time in the PYC learning how to become leaders and acting as a voice for change in their neighborhood.

On August 8, NJCDC held a reunion event for PYC alumni, recognizing their achievements within the program and giving them an opportunity to reflect on its impact in their own lives and that of others. The event, held at NJCDC’s Great Falls Youth Center, saw dozens of former PYC members in attendance. The room buzzed with energy as alumni of all ages shared stories, laughed, and reflected on their post-PYC journeys. After dinner, several alumni took the floor and shared not only their experiences in the PYC, but also the values instilled from those experiences — learnings that they’ve carried with them long after graduating from the program.

“As we continue to celebrate our 30th anniversary year,” remarked NJCDC Founder and CEO Bob Guarasci, “these reunions remind us of the lasting bonds and deep impact that our programs have fostered. The connections made and the stories shared at these events are a testament to the power of community and the enduring commitment of our alumni. We look forward to seeing how they continue to inspire and lead, both within Paterson and beyond!”