Irvington – 91��Ƭ

Extended Care RN Credits 91��Ƭ for Helping Her Achieve Success

Michelle Lang — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:45:17 +0000

Joyce Misiani has faced numerous challenges since coming to New Jersey from Kenya about 15 years ago. 91��Ƭ has helped her through difficult times and provided support that has enabled her to have a successful career in health care as a registered nurse.

Misiani first became involved with 91��Ƭ when she enrolled in the licensed practical nurse (LPN) program it used to offer. She was working a security job while living in Newark and decided she wanted to obtain a certification in the nursing field. 91��Ƭ’s program was the closest to where she was living, so she enrolled.

Shortly after joining the program, Misiani became homeless. She was staying in a friend’s basement with her daughters and her grades began to slip. Her instructor, Ellen Boddie, noticed something was wrong and questioned her about it. Although she resisted at first, Misiani eventually told Boddie what was going on. Boddie reached out to NCC Board Member and Outreach Coordinator Madge Wilson about the situation and they helped Misiani get placed at Harmony House, NCC’s transitional housing for homeless families.

From Harmony House, Wilson helped Misiani get an NCC apartment on Bruce Street. Even during the moves, Misiani continued attending the LPN program with encouragement from Boddie. She said her grades began to improve after she obtained permanent housing.

One of Misiani’s classmates told her she would be a good candidate for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home. She did her research and visited a local office to see if she would qualify. She did and was accepted into the program. For two and a half years, Misiani helped build her house, along with several others, using what Habitat for Humanity calls “sweat equity” for payment. At the end, she became a homeowner of a home in Irvington, where she lives today.

After Misiani completed the LPN program, she was hired at 91��Ƭ Extended Care. She was a good employee and dedicated to her work and the residents at the facility. Extended Care Administrator Veronica Onwunaka, who served as the Director of Nursing at the time, took notice.

“She cares about people and she shows a lot of dedication and that was why, when I saw and noticed that she could do more and she has the tools and the knowledge in her to do more, I spoke with Monsignor about training her to become a registered nurse,” Onwunaka said.

Monsignor William J. Linder, founder of 91��Ƭ, who lived the last years of his life at Extended Care, encouraged Misiani to return to school and become an RN.

“I couldn’t be what I am today if it were not for him,” Misiani said.

He insisted Misiani apply to colleges, even telling her that she had to take a day off work to complete applications. She planned to continue her education, but it was difficult as a single mother of four girls. Monsignor insisted and Misiani settled on Chamberlain University in New Brunswick. She received a scholarship from 91��Ƭ to attend.

Obtaining her bachelor’s degree certainly wasn’t easy. She continued working and felt guilty that she wasn’t spending as much time with her four daughters as she thought she should. But she said it was a sacrifice that was necessary to improve her family’s life. And she didn’t want to let anyone down.

“So many times I wanted to just quit. So many things happening,” Misiani said. “But then I kept saying, if I quit Monsignor really went out of his way. This is just too much to lose. It’s a lot of money. Just study hard.”

The hard work paid off. Misiani is now a registered nurse and is still working at Extended Care as an assistant unit manager.

“I said I have to come back. How else can you really say thank you?” she said. “NCC has really shaped me. Because if I weren’t here, I don’t know where I would be. I will always be grateful.”

Wilson said she was happy to help Misiani find an apartment and remembers providing her children with gifts for Christmas.

“She’s a good worker but she is also a mother who loves her four children. Even though she is a single mom, she takes care of her children,” Wilson said. “When I heard she had become a registered nurse, I was happy for her.”

Misiani is relieved that she has completed her studies and is now able to spend more time with her four daughters, who she said were extremely happy when she graduated. Her oldest daughter, who is 24, lives with her full-time and was a recipient of the Monsignor William J. Linder Scholarship for her high school education. Misiani’s three younger daughters, twins who are 13 and a younger girl who is 11, attend boarding school in Pennsylvania and are home for summers and holiday breaks.

“I feel like I’m so blessed. Because when you start, you’re so miserable, desperate. There are times you feel like you’re just nothing,” Misiani said. “I’m honored to be one of Monsignor’s recipients of the scholarship. I don’t know how to put it into words but I really thank God for everything.”

NCC Mourns the Loss of CHELC Receptionist/Family Worker

Michelle Lang — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 14:42:24 +0000

Zelda Badger-Noel was working at Community Hills Early Learning Center as the Receptionist/Family Worker when she passed away Aug. 16. Photo courtesy of Phyllis Montford.

Although Zelda Badger-Noel had only been working at Community Hills Early Learning Center (CHELC) for six months before her passing, she had a great impact on the children, families and staff members in the facility. She greeted everyone with a warm smile and enjoyed helping people. She passed away Aug. 16 at the age of 56.

“She was a character,” said her sister Phyllis Montford. “Everybody who met her has a story to tell. She was fun-loving and easygoing. She loved a lot of company.”

At CHELC, Badger-Noel put a smile on everyone’s face.

“Every morning before she started her day, she made sure to go around to every classroom and greet the teachers and the children,” said CHELC Director Gloria Johnson. “Her favorite classroom was the infant room. She had a name for every child and their faces lit up when she walked into that room. At the end of each day, Ms. Zelda would open the door to the infant room and say, ‘Let’s get out.’ Not only was she loved by the children, but families loved her even more.”

Montford remembers her sister as someone who always looked out for others.

“She was very giving. She’d give you the shirt off her back,” Montford said. “She was a great sister. And she was a great mom.”

Badger-Noel had two sons, ages 14 and 19, who are now living with Montford. Badger-Noel’s husband passed away in 2007.

While Badger-Noel was a relative newcomer to CHELC, she had a wealth of experience in the area of early childhood education. She worked at Creative Concepts Child Care Center in Irvington for 19 years. She started out as a teaching assistant and when the facility offered a certification course, she took it and became a family worker. Montford said the Irvington Board of Education didn’t renew the facility’s contract so Badger-Noel had to find other work, which is how she ended up at CHELC.

Johnson said no matter what was going on, Badger-Noel was upbeat.

“Anyone who asked her how her day was going, she always said, ‘I can’t complain.’ Complaining was something that she never did,” Johnson said.

Badger-Noel had a great impact in the relatively short time she spent as part of the CHELC family.

“Her presence is missed every day at CHELC and she will never be forgotten,” Johnson said. “Ms. Zelda became a true friend and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss her.”

Life since her sudden passing has also been an adjustment for Montford. She did not expect to be raising teenagers again because her daughter is grown. And the sisters were very close.

“We lived on the same street two houses from each other,” Montford said. “I thought we would grow old together.”

91��Ƭ Hosts A Memorial Tribute To Monsignor Linder

Michelle Lang — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 20:19:12 +0000

91��Ƭ hosted A Memorial Tribute to Monsignor Linder: Visionary, Founder and Leader to honor its late founder, recognize his accomplishments and look toward the future to carry on his mission for many years to come.

Members of the community, NCC employees and friends gathered at St. Joseph Plaza, 233 West Market St., Newark, Oct. 23 for the event. NCC Board President Dr. A. Zachary Yamba welcomed guests and explained that the occasion was a celebration of the life of Monsignor William J. Linder and a call to continue honoring his legacy.

“To carry out the legacy, the board asks that all those who support that vision join us in making that vision continue for the next 50 years,” Yamba said. “Because as you know, for 52 years, Monsignor Linder lived and worked in the city of Newark. He did not want to be anywhere else. This was his calling.”

Looking toward the future to continue Monsignor Linder’s work was a theme throughout the evening.

“Hope for Monsignor is that NCC does not continue on a nostalgic path of preserving what he had already accomplished in his last 50 years,” said Board Member Newton Richards. “Instead, his hope is that we build a bigger and stronger NCC with the capacity to fulfill the vision and transform inner cities into great urban communities.”

Diane Johnson, who served as the event emcee and is a new member of the NCC Board of Directors, said while the event was a tribute to Monsignor Linder and what he accomplished during his life, she also wanted everyone to look ahead and know the organization’s work will continue.

“91��Ƭ is not dead. Not because Monsignor is not here,” Johnson said. “We will carry out the mission of 91��Ƭ in this city, in this state. And when we get tired of doing it in Newark because there’s nothing else to do in Newark, we’ll go to Jersey City, we’ll go to Paterson, we’ll go to Irvington. We’ll go wherever we need to go because Monsignor did not leave us here to forsake us or those of us who need to be able to have hope. We will do what needs to be done.”

91��Ƭ CEO Richard Rohrman discussed the many areas where NCC is working to grow, including renovating housing units, increasing workforce development, increasing security, increasing technology and looking at new developments. He also talked about the partnerships NCC has developed, including Rutgers School of Nursing, which will be opening a nurse practitioner led primary care operation in the NCC Health Care Complex, and the Leaguers, which helps with NCC’s early learning centers.

“We are open for business. And we are launching ourselves into the next 50 years,” Rohrman said.

Rohrman also talked about his personal connection to Monsignor Linder.

“He really opened my eyes to the injustices that existed,” Rohrman said. “He just grabbed ahold of me and he opened up my eyes and I saw what was happening around me that I never would have seen without him. And like everybody else, I joined.”

NCC Board Member and Outreach Coordinator Madge Wilson was a parishioner at Queen of Angels Church when Monsignor Linder was assigned there as pastor. She said he listened to the members of the community.

“He built everything upon the needs of the people,” she said.

From housing to day care centers to a nursing home, Monsignor Linder brought to fruition the needs and wants of those living in the community.

“I thank Monsignor Linder for having the vision to build 91��Ƭ,” Wilson said. “Monsignor Linder, you left your footprint here. And I want you to pray for us while you’re looking down on us and we will always remember you.”

Sister June Favata, administrative director at Saint Vincent Academy, said she admired Monsignor Linder, who she called a force of nature and a man of faith.

“He understood what people needed. And yes, he prayed for them. And yes, he led them spiritually. But the spirituality that he helped see in people was all about service, was all about kindness to your neighbor, was all about doing for your neighbor what your neighbor most needed to the best of your ability,” she said. “So how can you not love and admire him?”

Father Philip Waters, who gave the homily at the funeral mass for Monsignor Linder, reiterated a point he made about Monsignor Linder’s willingness to get involved in difficult situations.

“He was always a priest that was willing to roll up his sleeves and to get his hands dirty,” he said. “And I think that that was something throughout his whole life.”

Father Beatus Kitururu said Monsignor Linder taught him the power of love.

“It was amazing. He had the energy of loving people that was unlimited,” he said.

NCC Human Resources Manager Anna Sing-King shared her personal story of growth that was made possible by Monsignor Linder. As a child, she and her siblings were abused by their mother and put into foster care. At age 19, she gave birth to a daughter. She wasn’t able to adequately care for herself and her daughter and wrote a letter to God asking for help.

“I wanted more out of life but I didn’t know how to get it until I joined 91��Ƭ in 1994 through the Employment Center,” she said.

Sing-King started out as a temporary clerk in the Property Management Department and then got hired as a receptionist with HR. She has since been promoted to her current position.

“My life, my daughter’s and my family, all our lives are better because of the vision of 91��Ƭ,” she said.

NCC Director of Mission Frances Teabout closed out the evening tribute with a story about how hard work, dedication and asking others for help when needed is the way to succeed. She also talked about how the organization is still very much needed.

“The issues that existed at the time that 91��Ƭ was born continue to exist,” she said. “Racism is still a problem, police brutality is still a problem, lack of good jobs and good places to live is still a problem. So what does that mean? That means we still have a whole lot of work to do.”

She then asked who in the audience was willing to join in and help NCC continue doing the work that needs to be done. Everyone rose to their feet.

“91��Ƭ is still alive and strong and vital and making a difference in the lives of the people that God has commissioned us to serve,” Teabout said. “Long live 91��Ƭ. God bless 91��Ƭ. God bless Monsignor William Linder. And God bless America.”

Support 91��Ƭ To Help Improve Lives

Michelle Lang — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 14:36:48 +0000

Lourd Norris of Irvington hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon. He is able to attend Roselle Catholic High School thanks to the Monsignor William J. Linder Scholarship.

We’re celebrating an important milestone this year — 50 years of service. In the five decades 91��Ƭ has been incorporated, we have helped to improve the lives of countless individuals, from seniors to families and children to those looking for job training or just a place to live.
One of the lives that 91��Ƭ has impacted is 17-year-old Lourd Norris of Irvington. Lourd is a senior at Roselle Catholic High School who plans to attend medical school after college and eventually become an orthopedic surgeon. His top college choice is Howard University in Washington, D.C. Lourd is able to get a solid educational background at Roselle Catholic with financial assistance from the Monsignor William J. Linder Scholarship.
Mom Katrina Vandivier calls the scholarship a blessing because when Lourd was entering high school, his sister was a senior attending a Catholic high school as well. “It’s great knowing there are organizations in the community to help with the rising cost of education,” she said.
Lourd has thrived at Roselle Catholic. He’s involved in sports (volleyball, track and basketball), the debate team, student council and serves as a student ambassador. He participated in an internship at University Hospital’s medical rehabilitation department, went to Harvard University with the debate team for the Model UN gathering and attended a Future Doctors of America conference at the University of Massachusetts.
Lourd, who was inspired to pursue a career in the medical field after watching “House” and seeing his mom work in hospitals, says his Catholic education is putting him a step ahead of other students. He’s happy to have the support to be able to advance.
“It’s important to have organizations to help people go farther,” he said. “Monsignor is a beacon of strength when strength is needed.”
Lourd received the Monsignor William J. Linder Scholarship for all four years of his high school education. His goal of becoming an orthopedic surgeon is possible because of supporters like you.
We ask for your support to help 91��Ƭ to continue touching lives. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for inner city residents to reflect individual God-given dignity and personal achievement. Our mission must remain alive and grow to give people — such as youth, homeless veterans, job seekers and single mothers — hope for the future. Every gift is valued and the return on your investment will be counted many times over in the lives you touch. Touch a life today by mailing us your donation to 233 West Market St., Newark, NJ 07103 or by making .
May God bless you for giving. It really does make a difference and we are so grateful.
With Sincere Appreciation for Your Generosity,
Monsignor William J. Linder
Founder and Board Chairman
91��Ƭ
A gift of $25, $50, $100, $500 or more will go a long way in helping a young person like Lourd realize his or her dreams; move a homeless family from dependency to self-sufficiency or ensure a poor child receives a quality pre-school education at one of our two early learning centers.