NJ ACTS 4 Us! CONNECT

Community-Based Organizations

ASPIRA ASPIRA, Inc. of New Jersey (ASPIRA NJ) is a private, nonprofit community-based organization

Communities in Cooperation Communities in Cooperation, Inc. (CIC), a Human Services Organization servicing Essex and Union County in Northern New

founded in Newark, New Jersey in 1968 by a group of parents and community leaders distressed by the high dropout rates of Hispanic/Latinx students. Since its inception as a small storefront in Newark, ASPIRA NJ has grown into a statewide organization, and has operated in cities such as Camden, Pleasantville, Jersey City, Paterson, Vineland, Long Branch, and the City of Newark. ASPIRA NJ is an Associate of the ASPIRA Association. The ASPIRA Association is the second largest national Hispanic organization in the United States, providing services to over 5,000 communities. Each associate operates a variety of programs that grow out of the specific conditions and needs of their own communities. As an ASPIRA affiliate, we are dedicated to empowering primarily the Hispanic community and other minorities through the development of its youth. Our basic belief is that the path out of poverty must be through education. ASPIRA NJ implements a variety of evidence-based youth development, workforce development and social service programs designed to promote self-sufficiency within the Hispanic/Latinx community.

Jersey, was established in 2004 and became a tax-exempt 501(c)3 entity in 2005. In its infancy, CIC functioned as a social services office in Newark, NJ, and has since branched out to locations in Linden and Roselle, NJ. With the opening of a second Newark location, CIC offers employment services and other general human services for people of all ages. Communities In Cooperation owes much of its early success to generous support from The Nicholson Foundation. The full range of programs and services available through Communities In Cooperation are designed to collectively connect communities to the services necessary to strengthen families and individuals using a holistic approach. East Orange Senior Volunteer Corporation

The East Orange Senior Volunteer Corporation’s (EOSVC) mission is outreach and support to the senior and disabled population in the City of East Orange. EOSVC partners with the East Orange Division of Senior Services

Central Jersey Family Health Consortium, Inc

(DOSS) who’s mission is to “serve as advocates on behalf of East Orange residents by providing love, quality resources, events, activities, information, and outreach that fulfill the needs of our clientele”. East Orange is home to approximately 65,000 residents, approximately 89% of which are Black or African American, and the poverty rate is 19%. Jazz4PCA

Central Jersey Family Health Consortium, Inc. (CJFHC), was originally organized through funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 1988. Established in 1992, CJFHC is a leading private

non–profit 501(C)3 organization licensed by the NJ Department of Health and part of a regionalized maternal and child health (MCH) system. CJFHC’s mission is to improve the health of women of childbearing age, infants, and children in the region through the collaborative efforts of member hospitals, providers, and consumers. The primary service area includes Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean Counties with special focus on high-risk cities such as New Brunswick, Trenton, and Perth Amboy. In 2019 alone, CJFHC implemented four community education programs in Middlesex County reaching just over 3,000 individuals. Moreover, nearly 55% of the program participants identify as Black, Latinx, or Asian. The 15 member staff, consisting of community health workers, home visiting family support workers, and public health educators provide education and centralized access to a range of capacity- building services that include public health messages and linkages to providers, social services, and referrals, with the goal of improving individual and family health and wellbeing.

The mission of Jazz for Prostate Cancer Awareness (Jazz4PCA) is to advocate for men’s wellness by supplying accurate information about prostate cancer, providing access to free or low-cost screening, and to increase exposure to live Jazz music. The team at Jazz4PCA is committed to raising awareness within the community, supporting families, and advocating for prostate

cancer survivors. In addition, Jazz4PCA partners with qualified healthcare practitioners in research opportunities that would have a greater impact on the communities it serves. Jazz4PCA was birthed in honor of NYC’s legendary jazz trombonist, James “Jimmy” Stowe, who succumbed to prostate cancer at the end of a five-year battle, at age 61. During his treatment, each of his brothers, Phillip, Ralph, and Wendell, underwent a successful

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23 | N J A C T S 4 U s ! | Connect

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