Donald Payne Jr. was a Newark native and championed issues important to city residents during his work in public office, including affordable health care, transportation issues, safety and housing. As both a councilman and a member of Congress, he was always supportive of 91心頭’s housing and service program efforts for which NCC and those we serve are forever grateful.

A staunch supporter of the Affordable Care Act, Donald Payne Jr. worked to keep health care costs down. He��visited the 91心頭 Adult Learning Center in 2022 to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act and its impact on lowering costs for seniors with diabetes.

Donald Payne Jr. served as a Newark councilman and was the council president when he was elected into Congress, taking the seat of his late father, Donald Payne Sr., who passed while in office in 2012. Since that time, Donald Payne Jr. has led New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District.

He founded Newark South Ward Junior Democrats and became its first president. He also served as an adviser to the YMCA Youth in Government program.

Donald Payne Jr.’s hard work for the people of this state will be greatly missed.

We pray for him and his family that they will find peace in their time of sorrow.

Actor Lillo Brancato Jr., who was featured in A Bronx Tale and The Sopranos, and Richard Kaufman, host and producer of the top 100 podcast Vertical Momentum, will be the speakers at the event.

Also included in the free event will be food and beverages, a tricky tray and free grief counseling from FSB.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event. to purchase a sponsorship.

All proceeds from this event will go toward funding mental health and addiction services for those in need without the financial means to seek help.

Actor Lillo Brancato Jr., who was featured in A Bronx Tale and The Sopranos, and Richard Kaufman, host and producer of the top 100 podcast Vertical Momentum, will be the speakers at the event.

Also included in the free event will be food and beverages, a tricky tray and free grief counseling from FSB.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for this event. to purchase a sponsorship.

All proceeds from this event will go toward funding mental health and addiction services for those in need without the financial means to seek help.

Sheila Oliver was born and raised in Newark and championed issues important to city residents during her work in public office, including affordable housing, social justice and the prevention of homelessness.

She was the first Black woman to serve as Assembly speaker in New Jersey and the first to be elected to statewide office when she became Lieutenant Governor.

Throughout her life’s work, as a nonprofit director, then an elected official and government servant/leader, Sheila always represented and supported the core values and programs NCC provided over the years. She consistently led the call for funding and resources for affordable housing development, workforce training, education and health care for residents in need. And we always appreciated her kind words for NCC’s history and service to residents of Newark and surrounding areas.

Her hard work for the people of this state will be greatly missed.

We pray for her and her family that they will find peace in their time of sorrow.

���Our Community Healthcare Worker program is a continuation of our portfolio of courses offered under the allied health care sector,��� said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. ���We���re excited about being on the front line of one of the fastest growing jobs in the health care field.���

To help students with their job search after graduation, NCCTI is partnering with several area hospitals to provide internships and employment opportunities.

Teaching the course is Wanda Johnson, who has extensive experience training others and has served as a CHW in Newark. She said NCCTI���s program is preparing students for their careers as CHWs. This includes learning the core roles and responsibilities they will have and how to interact with patients, taking into account different cultures and building trust.

���CHWs are usually members of the community who serve as the frontline advocates for patients who reside within the same community. CHWs are the bridge between the community residents and the health care medical professionals and will be a part of a multidisciplinary team, usually with doctors, nurses and social workers,��� Johnson explained. ���CHWs also aid in decreasing the utilization rate of the emergency rooms and inpatient hospital stays.���

To keep patients out of the hospital, CHWs follow up with them to ensure they are complying with doctors��� instructions, attending follow-up appointments and seeing any necessary specialists. CHWs also help link patients to help for substance use and mental health disorders.

���CHWs will help patients gain a sense of independence and accountability regarding their health as they learn to care about self,��� Johnson said.

Instead of lecture, Johnson conducts her class as an interactive session where she engages in dialogue with her students and gets their input on the issues they are learning about.

In addition to weekly tests, Johnson plans to have her students teach her toward the end of the course to ensure they have absorbed the material.

���If my students have the ability to teach me what has been taught in the classroom then I���ll be confident that they will successfully execute the values and lessons that were taught in the classroom out in the community,��� she said.

Johnson has always used that method when training, which she has been doing since the 1990s. She has held various positions in the health care insurance industry and was always asked to train new employees. She developed a passion for training and employee development and when she saw the opening at NCCTI to become a full-time instructor, she jumped at the chance.

Johnson first became involved in the CHW sector in April 2018. She was a supervisor in charge of two CHWs. After losing one of those employees after 90 days, Johnson had to absorb her caseload in addition to her supervisory role so she has firsthand experience performing CHW duties.

She said CHWs often become close with their patients and sometimes patients disclose information to their CHW that they don���t to doctors, nurses or even social workers. Building that rapport allows the CHW to gather all relevant information and better advocate for the patient.

Johnson was born and raised in lower Manhattan. She moved to Rahway in 2015 and has been working in Newark even before the move to New Jersey.

She looks forward to continuing to develop the Community Healthcare Worker program at NCCTI and helping to train future CHWs for the important role they fulfill.

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Community Healthcare Worker, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business and Computer Technologies. NCCTI also operates a comprehensive Financial Opportunity Center and Bridges to Career Opportunities Program sponsored by the local and national Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) offices. For more information, call 973-824-6484, log onto or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

Misiani first became involved with 91心頭 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心頭���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心頭 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心頭, 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心頭 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.���

Students and staff members of 91心頭 Career and Technical Institute (NCCTI) were invited to participate in a press conference held by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy where he announced grant money being allocated for paid apprenticeship programs.

One recipient of the Growing Apprenticeships in Non-Traditional Sectors (GAINS) grant is Sansone Auto Mall, which hosted the press conference Feb. 11 at its Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM dealership in Avenel. NCCTI has a longstanding partnership with Sansone Auto Mall and some if its Automotive and Diesel Technician students will benefit from the apprenticeship program.

���Classroom and practical instruction at our Training Center will be combined with related training and automotive assignments at Sansone Auto Mall,��� said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. ���Our students will be paid and have more direct access to a quality career opportunity.���

91心頭 CEO Richard Rohrman sees the apprenticeship program as a way to help NCCTI students both further their careers and allow them to more easily complete training.

���At NCC, we know the value of an internship as part of a well-rounded automotive or diesel technician���s training. They are a part of our program already but now the students will be able to earn as they learn. It really helps our students who have to struggle with supporting themselves during training,��� Rohrman said. ���I can���t overstate the value this has.���

Murphy explained at the press event that Sansone is receiving $440,000 to create 35 apprenticeship opportunities in the coming year. He said 13 entry-level Sansone employees will benefit, as well as 22 others, which will come from other programs like NCCTI. Overall, $2.8 million were awarded through the GAINS grant program to seven entities. Apprentices will receive a minimum of $15 per hour to start.

���The auto industry is one of the largest in New Jersey but right now there���s a national shortage of certified techs and mechanics, a gap that is expected to balloon to 25,000 over the next few years,��� Murphy said. ���These apprentices will receive hands-on training under the guidance of experienced auto technicians and diesel mechanics right here at Sansone Auto Mall. When they complete their training, they���ll add 35 more names to our already impressive total of industry recognized professionals ready to take the next step in their careers.���

Rohrman is happy the administration is placing a high value on apprenticeship programs.

���The governor really gets it when it comes to the need to have viable alternatives to a college education,��� Rohrman said. ���Students��� skills are so varied and we need a trained workforce that values all their skills.���

NCCTI students will be selected for the Sansone apprenticeship program based on attendance, their skill sets and competencies. They also must receive a recommendation from their instructor.

���Our students are really excited about the opportunity,��� Brutton said.

Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development Robert Asaro-Angelo said the goal of the New Jersey Apprenticeship Network, which was created in 2018, is to pair employers with workers and training providers who can learn specialized skills.

���The Department of Labor has put more than $7.5 million in competitive grants on the table to help eligible businesses, nonprofits and government agencies develop or grow apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship programs,��� he said.

Recipients of the GAINS grants announced Feb. 11 were ApprenticeIT, Employers Association of New Jersey, Interplex, Montclair State University, New Jersey Community College Consortium, New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program and Sansone. In total, the seven entities received $2.8 million.

NCCTI is an accredited post-secondary career and technical school that offers the following programs: Automotive Technician, Diesel Technician, Building Trades Specialist, Clinical Medical Assistant, Patient Care Technician, Culinary Arts Specialist and Business and Computer Technologies. Those interested in enrolling should call 973-824-6484 or . The school is located at 274 South Orange Ave., Newark, with the Training Center that houses Automotive, Diesel and Building Trades programs located at 210 West Bigelow St., Newark.

Imagine being homeless, unable to find permanent housing and getting frustrated with each passing day. That was the life of cancer survivor Christopher Mitchell who moved to New Jersey in April from North Carolina. At first he was paying for a place to stay with his disability money combined with his girlfriend���s income. But when the pair separated, he was unable to afford housing on his own.

Mitchell isn���t alone. There are many individuals without permanent housing in Newark who can benefit from additional help. The Better Life Engagement Center, located at 101 Fourteenth Ave., Newark, is now a resource for the homeless population.

The center opened July 18 and all who are experiencing homelessness are welcome. 91心頭 owns and manages the facility while Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ) runs the day-to-day operations of the Better Life Engagement Center, which takes up the first floor of the building.

From the day the center opened, it began helping those in need. In the first month, it provided services to 200 people and it now gets 35 to 40 visitors per day.

���There is a great need for services to the homeless population. We at 91心頭 are committed to helping the underserved and vulnerable and are happy to provide a space where people in need can come to improve the quality of their lives,��� said 91心頭 CEO Richard Rohrman.

The Better Life Engagement Center helps visitors obtain documents like birth certificates and photo IDs. Staff members help visitors find permanent housing, search for jobs, write resumes and prepare for interviews with outfits and coaching. The facility also provides food, water and coffee daily for visitors. There is a TV in the eating area and a pool table for recreational activity. There is an outdoor patio with furniture so that visitors can eat outside when the weather is nice. The center also has a computer lab and library for visitors to use, as well as a fitness center. Staff members are able to be advocates for those who need it and are also able to refer individuals to detox if they request it.

Better Life Engagement Center Director Shareatha Webster said the goal of the center is to connect people to services that are in their community that they might not know exist. She said the facility is meant to be a safe, non-judgemental space for people to come to improve their situation.

���It doesn���t always mean that you���re going to have the white picket fence, but a better life is something that you didn���t have before that maybe you can have today,��� Webster said. ���Whether it���s a meal, whether it���s a job, whether it���s housing or whether it���s meeting a friend, to me, that���s a better life.���

Visitors to the center have had positive experiences and many now volunteer to help with operations.

Kimberly James comes to the Better Life Engagement Center every day. She and her partner Kim Pickett fell on hard times and are currently living at Helping the Homeless shelter on Mount Prospect Avenue in Newark.

���It���s like a safe haven,��� James said of the Better Life Engagement Center. ���Everybody���s friendly. They���re not afraid to intermingle with us. It doesn���t matter if you���re wearing the same clothes, if you were able to shower. And the staff is really great and helps us.���

Curtis Cottle is also staying at Helping the Homeless and introduced James and Pickett to the Better Life Engagement Center. He was referred to the center by the shelter and said he was welcomed with open arms.

���I highly recommend this place for anyone if they just need to come by to regroup, to have a glass of water, some tea. This place is very open and welcoming,��� Cottle said.

Mitchell says the facility lives up to its name.

���It���s kind of clich辿 to say, but the moment I set foot in that door, I have experienced a better life,��� he said.

Mitchell first saw the Better Life building before the center was operational. He was living at the Sussex House shelter on Sussex Avenue in Newark when he happened to walk by again and saw the doors were open. Staff members were able to help him secure permanent housing at 91心頭 Commons Senior, 140 South Orange Ave., Newark, and referred him to Catholic Charities, which helped get him the money for the security deposit.

���I was struggling so much the first four months. All the doors were slammed in my face,��� Mitchell said. ���I was praying for a miracle and I believe this was it.���

The Better Life Engagement Center operates with a director, a resource specialist and two wellness mentors, as well as volunteers. Its hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 862-229-1400 or visit the facility at 101 Fourteenth Ave., Newark, NJ 07103.

When Gloria Orjuela left Colombia with her husband and daughter, she didn���t know she would end up in New Jersey. The trio emigrated to Canada and became a family of four there before moving again to the United States.

In Colombia, Orjuela earned a bachelor���s degree and had 12 years of experience in accounting. She also took English classes in her native country to help with the transition from Colombia to Canada. Once she moved to Calgary, Canada, she entered a government program that provided training and work placement. She became a financial accountant for a company there.

Six years after moving to Canada, her husband was offered a job in his field of electrical engineering in the United States. The couple made the decision to move once again and start a new chapter. Orjuela���s husband moved first and she followed 10 months later with their two daughters. The family currently resides in Bloomfield.

Once the move was complete, Orjuela went to the library to find adult education programs to improve her English and work toward getting a job in the United States. She found Literacy Volunteers of America and started an ESL program. She also participated in the Language Exchange program at the Bloomfield Library, which involves English-speakers who want to learn Spanish and Spanish-speakers who want to learn English. It was there she connected with Cristhian Barcelos, who serves as the executive director of LVA and the director of the 91心頭 Adult Learning Center.

Orjuela enrolled in the GED class through the Adult Learning Center. Her goal is to get what she needs to work in accounting again.

���I want to improve my English and be able to know the style of education the United States has. With that, take the GED test and go to college and have other opportunities in my career,��� she said.

Her experience at the Adult Learning Center was very positive.

���My teacher was so amazing. She was really professional,��� Orjuela said. ���She was not only teaching subjects, but she was teaching me how to have great emotional intelligence.���

Sometimes there are low expectations with community programs, but Orjuela said the Adult Learning Center offers quality education and she would recommend it.

���If you want to achieve more, be able to work as a team and help others, this is a fantastic opportunity,��� she said.

Not only was she a student, but Orjuela also volunteers at the Adult Learning Center, doing general office work like answering phones, data entry and making labels. For her, it���s important to volunteer.

���You show your performance of work and you help people who need your help,��� she said.

Barcelos is happy to have Orjuela as a volunteer. He said she���s always helping people, whether she���s doing office work, proctoring and timing exams or helping students who have fallen behind. He called her dependable, helpful and responsible.

���Everything she does is great,��� he said. ���She���s wonderful to have.���

Orjuela���s ultimate goal is to work in accounting again, but for now she wants to find a job, perhaps in finance. She is a Canadian citizen and is able to work in the United States through NAFTA.

She lives in Bloomfield with her husband and two daughters, ages 12 and 6.

She works hard at volunteering and learning as much as she can each day with the hopes of achieving her goals.

���The key to success is to do your best every single day,��� she said.

Last month, Gov. Phil Murphy proposed a state budget that includes money set aside to make community college free for New Jersey residents. I���m overjoyed the governor is interested in doing this.

The more educated our population is, the better it is for all of us. It makes democracy work better and it makes our economy work better. I don���t think everyone understands that.

Murphy has set aside $50 million in his proposed budget for community college. He plans to set aside $45 million to pay for community college tuition for families with household incomes below $45,000 a year. The remaining $5 million would go to the 19 community colleges in the state, which would help them handle additional students.

The governor estimates 15,000 students could attend community college tuition free by January. Ramp-up to make tuition free at community colleges for all New Jersey residents, regardless of income level, would take three years, according to Murphy.

There���s no reason people should be held up from continuing their education because of money. That���s not what���s important to our society. Education is what���s important.

The plan will no doubt face opposition from those who want to preserve their position and think elitism is good for us. My hope is the proposal will prevail and members of the New Jersey Legislature will include Murphy���s plan in the state budget they send to his desk by June 30. That way more of New Jersey���s young people have the ability to continue their education.

Colleges at all levels are getting more expensive, including community colleges. If changes aren���t made, people���s salaries will be worth less and less. It���s hard for society to advance if people are spending all of their money educating their children.

I congratulate Murphy on becoming the 56th governor of New Jersey and for putting forth this progressive plan to provide universal access to higher education.

While his proposal is a good beginning, it shouldn���t be the end of the conversation. Hopefully there can be a similar program for four-year colleges.

Our goal as a nation has to be to create a more just society and education for our children is a good step in the right direction.