91心頭 Board Chairman Dr. A. Zachary Yamba congratulated Rohrman on his extensive career and called him the base of the organization.

���Monsignor [William J. Linder] was the founder, the visionary, but you also need people who are nuts and bolts type people to make the organization work. And Rich was that person,��� Yamba said. ���And when he became the CEO, he carried 91心頭 to other heights.���

91心頭 Board Member Diane Johnson, who served as the emcee of the event, reiterated that sentiment.

���The founder may have taken it from ashes to hope. But I know that Richard Rohrman has taken it from hope to reality,��� she said. ���Richard is someone who has been dedicated and committed and passionate about not only the legacy, but has taken us forward. Under his leadership, we have done very, very well.���

Johnson talked about the rehabilitation of several Newark properties that took place under Rohrman���s leadership that ensures the affordable housing units will be available for many years to come. She also said there are new projects in the works that were started with Rohrman at the helm.

Newark Central Ward Councilwoman LaMonica McIver represented the City Council at the event, bringing a resolution from the council and speaking on their behalf.

���I want to tell you congratulations and thank you for everything that you have done, continuing the legacy of 91心頭 and all of the hard work, working for our residents, the programming, everything,��� McIver said. ���91心頭 is literally an enterprise. We would not be able to be the city that we are without 91心頭 and so I���m thankful for you from day one.���

Rev. Louise Scott-Rountree spoke on behalf of Newark���s mayor at the event.

���As I stand here today on behalf of the mayor of this great city, Ras J. Baraka, and over 300,000 residents, I say thank you. Thank you for your perseverance when you could���ve turned your back and said I���m done,��� she said.

91心頭 Chief Operating Officer Fred Hunter and Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Mbakaya presented Rohrman with an award depicting NCC���s footprint as a collage.

���Most of us see Rich as more than just our CEO. He���s a mentor, he���s inspiring, he���s a leader, he���s a partner and a trusted friend,��� Hunter said. ���As a CEO out in front, you can easily put yourself out there constantly. But it was never about Rich. It was always how to make 91心頭 better. Well, Rich, we all want to say job well done.���

In addition to being an advocate for affordable housing, Rohrman has also been passionate about promoting homeownership. To help individuals who face challenges with down payments and closing costs, Yamba announced the creation of the Richard Rohrman 91心頭 Fund for First Time Home Buyers. Board members presented Rohrman with a check in the amount of $35,000 raised as a start for the fund. Money received in support of this initiative will be awarded as grants to qualifying first time home buyers from the service areas of Newark, Orange and Jersey City to help offset down payments and closing costs.

Johnson also announced the renaming of the East Africa Room in St. Joseph Plaza. It is now known as the Richard Rohrman Conference Room and will showcase photos of Rohrman and his work over the years.

91心頭 Board Member and Outreach Coordinator Madge Wilson read a congressional record that Congressman Donald Payne Jr. submitted honoring Rohrman���s retirement.

In addition to the in-person remarks, attendees had the opportunity to view a tribute video produced ahead of time which included 91心頭 employees from various departments, board members, family members and friends.

Rohrman was very appreciative of the event and remarks. He said his time at 91心頭 has greatly impacted his life.

���This has just been an incredible, enriching experience for me to be a part of 91心頭 for these 26 years,��� Rohrman said. ���I���ve had the opportunity to meet and become friends with people of such different backgrounds and nationalities and with such different life experiences. It���s just given me a great respect of people for their kindness, their openness and their perseverance.���

Rohrman recalled first coming to 91心頭 when he was in his late 20s and being part of a building boom for the organization. He said having grown up in a suburban community and attending Catholic schools for his education from grade school through college provided him with a much different experience than the individuals who were being served by 91心頭.

���Monsignor opened my eyes to a much different reality than I had lived. He just showed me what he and 91心頭 were doing to change the city of Newark and they were just working at such a feverish pitch. And I���m just so grateful that I was able to work so closely with Monsignor and learn from his vision and his deep passion for the people of Newark,��� Rohrman said. ���And then again much later, after experiencing this initial building boom, I was able to work again with so many talented, hardworking people to renovate the same housing and restructure NCC and set it up for its future.���

. All photos are by Lloyd G. Holmes. You can watch the event live stream here. The tribute video can be viewed here.

Jerrell Mann first became aware of 91心頭 in 2018 when he became a resident of Better Life, which provides supportive housing units for chronically homeless individuals, as well as an engagement center for area homeless individuals and respite services for individuals in crisis who have mental health or substance abuse issues. 91心頭 built, owns and manages the building and contracts with Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ) as the service provider.

Mann noticed people coming to Better Life���s engagement center to eat. He knew how to cook and offered to help with food preparation. He started volunteering at the facility and Better Life Director Shareatha Webster suggested Mann pursue a culinary arts degree so he could help in an official capacity. She told him about the Culinary Arts Specialist program offered at NCCTI, which is within walking distance of Better Life.

Mann enrolled in NCCTI���s Culinary Arts Specialist program in January 2020. He was unemployed and decided to seize the opportunity that presented itself. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, classes were put on hold. But Mann didn���t give up on the opportunity and returned to the program once it was safe to resume.

He has finished the class portion of the Culinary Arts Specialist program and is now completing his internship at Better Life, where he is serving as the lead cook. He will soon take his certification test, which is the final step.

���I���m most proud of Jerrell���s commitment to completing the program during the uncertainty of the health crisis,��� said NCCTI Director Rodney Brutton. ���The feedback I���ve received from his instructors is he has excellent cooking skills and leadership skills. It���s a great fit for Jerrell to serve in a leadership role for CSPNJ���s food service activities.���

91心頭 CEO Richard Rohrman said Mann���s story shows how the organization���s offerings can touch the lives of individuals in multiple ways, helping catapult people to success.

���It is always rewarding to see our efforts in action. Comprehensive services combined with a motivated person are an unbeatable combination,��� Rohrman said. ���I had the opportunity to meet Jerrell on a visit to Better Life some time ago. He was in the kitchen preparing food for the clients as a volunteer. You could tell from his upbeat friendly attitude that he was going to succeed. Congratulations to you Jerrell and thank you for all you do for those around you.���

Mann has always had a knack for cooking and enjoys the response he gets when cooking for others in need.

���Something that comes naturally to you is really making a difference for somebody. And that���s all the motivation that���s needed,��� Mann said. ���Because it���s not easy every day in the kitchen but having that satisfaction of knowing that your food is being liked by someone who really appreciates it, that���s my favorite part.���

Before the pandemic, Mann would cook for engagement center guests, volunteering in the Better Life kitchen six days a week. Now he prepares and packages food to be delivered to a local men���s shelter. Better Life hopes to reopen the engagement center to offer to-go meals for guests soon.

Better Life Director Shareatha Webster said she first met Mann when he came to ask to use a fax machine.

���I didn���t have a fax machine so I agreed to allow him to use my computer so he could email the documents. I asked him in return for this favor, if could he make pancakes for the center members on Saturdays. That quickly changed from Saturdays to Monday to Friday preparing breakfast and lunch,��� she said. ���Individuals came from all over to be a part of the center from 20 members in July 2018 to 1,000 by January.���

Mann grew up in Orange and later moved to West Orange. He attended Seton Hall University where he pursued a degree in English. After that, he worked as a middle school basketball coach and later as a stagehand in New York building entertainment stages for events like ballets and concerts for 11 years. After some struggles, he found himself at Better Life. He is grateful for the opportunities he has had since arriving and said he is happy with ���the transformation from where I was to where I���m going.���

Lead Culinary Arts Specialist Instructor Jonathan Butler said Mann made great strides in class and finished his instruction as a chef.

���In the industry, people know there���s a difference between a chef and a cook,��� Butler said. ���He is one of the few students I had in all these years that left here as a chef and not a cook.���

Butler said with the training and dedication Mann has, in addition to working in a kitchen, he could also supervise a chef brigade.

Mann said learning from the NCCTI Culinary Arts Specialist instructors has made him a better cook and a better man.

���Watching them and learning from them has been a great experience,��� Mann said. ���If you want to learn what the industry does and get employment somewhere, the NCCTI Culinary Arts program is the track you need to be on.���

NCCTI is currently accepting applications for its accredited post-secondary programs. The online application is available at the school���s website, newcommunitytech.edu. Despite the pandemic, employers are looking to hire graduates in all areas of instruction.

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 newcommunitytech.edu or visit 274 South Orange Ave., Newark.

Better Life offers supportive services with three distinct offerings: an engagement center, respite services and supportive housing. 91心頭 built, owns and manages the building and contracts with Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ) as the service provider. Better Life is located at 101 Fourteenth Ave., Newark. For more information, call 862-229-1400.

Financially stable; self-sufficient; and strategically positioned to enter its next phase of growth. These are uncommon phrases to hear as the U.S. economy continues to endure COVID-19. However, 91心頭 in Newark ��� one of the largest and most comprehensive community development corporations in the country ��� fits the bill, with a best in class model for financial sustainability and a workforce of almost 500 employees.

���We���ve been able to leverage over $80 million to strengthen and revitalize our affordable housing units for seniors, families and the disabled for the next 20 years, and in doing so, we were able to enhance our financial position and generate revenue to continue our mission,��� said Richard Rohrman, CEO of 91心頭.

91心頭 has 1,812 housing units spread over 12 properties in Newark, Jersey City and Orange. The organization offers 360-degree human services and 60 percent of its employees are local residents.

���Being place-based in Newark allows us to blanket the area we live and work in with a wide variety of comprehensive services that rise to meet people where they are,��� Rohrman said. ���In addition, our Board of Directors is curated from thought leaders in education, finance, public safety, government, affordable housing and law. This combination of our community connections and boots on the ground expertise allows us to help residents increase their quality of life and drive social impact for generations to come.”

NCC was founded in response to the 1967 violent civil unrest in Newark, N.J., by the late Monsignor William J. Linder (who marched in the famed Selma to Montgomery March with Martin Luther King Jr. and U.S. Rep. John Lewis) and a core group of Black community leaders and white allies, including Tim Still, Willie Wright, Bob Curvin, Joe Chaneyfield and Ken Gibson. 91心頭 has since provided affordable housing, critical social services and continuous economic opportunities throughout each stage of community members��� lives.

Now, faced again with similar challenges in 2020, the organization can serve once more as a national model for those seeking best practices in community development as we move through the double pandemics of COVID-19 and social justice.

���Newark is on the rise and a model for peaceful protests. However, the incidents of police brutality, senseless hate crimes and the impact of COVID-19 throughout the Black community are reminders of systemic racism in our society,��� said Rohrman and A. Zachary Yamba, chairman of 91心頭���s Board of Directors. ���To that end, 91心頭 has pledged to double down on our existing initiatives to close the asset gap and reduce inequality in health and social services, financial literacy, education, affordable housing and workforce development.���

Its ���Walk the Walk��� pledge includes working closer with social justice advocacy groups such as New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and Newark Communities for Accountable Policing as well as the development of a think tank that will host topical discussions with thought leaders to address innovations for success, best practices and ways to work together for an equitable future for all.

���When community development corporations work to empower their residents to participate in such neighborhood growth from the ground up, a sort of self-sustaining synergy arises,��� said Fred Hunter, chief operating officer of 91心頭. ���91心頭 is committed to going deeper and connecting with partners and funders to increase our social impact in the Greater Newark Area.���

91心頭 plans to invest more heavily in three areas in the near future: workforce development, home ownership and improved community health, explains Rohrman.

���We���d like to increase our enrollment at 91心頭 Career & Technical Institute to enhance employability and provide skills for future generations to build a career,��� Rohrman said. ���And, for the residents of Newark to continue to live here and keep this community intact, we���ll need to increase home ownership opportunities, so that absentee landlords who sell for the right price don���t leave it up to the market to determine whether a current resident can afford to stay.���

Since its founding, 91心頭 has listened to the needs of the people to fulfill its mission of helping inner city residents improve the quality of their lives. Therefore, it offers a wide range of services for individuals of all ages, including housing, health care, education and financial services.

���We���ve made incredible progress over the last 52 years, and our programs, services and expertise are needed now more than ever,��� Rohrman said.

���She loved that job so much,��� said Cunningham���s sister Marjorie Scarder. ���She was so dedicated to 91心頭 at every level.���

Scarder said Cunningham would work late during the week and on weekends to assist residents. And she always had a smile and a kind word to share.

Extended Care Administrator Veronica Onwunaka said Cunningham���s passing is a huge loss for the facility.

���I always call her the best social worker in the whole tri-state,��� Onwunaka said. ���She would go above and beyond. She would go to the resident���s apartment and clean it up for them, set it up for them, so they would be comfortable when they went home. The love of these residents was a priority in her heart and in everything she did.���

Cunningham���s kindness extended beyond her work at Extended Care, according to Scarder.

���She was a very kind-hearted person. She would give you the shirt off her back,��� Scarder said. ���She is my younger sister but she acts like she���s my older sister.���

Scarder is reminded of Cunningham when she sees items Cunningham gave her. Because Cunningham was such a generous person, Scarder has items throughout her home from her sister.

Cunningham lived in Orange with her adult son upstairs while Scarder lived downstairs. The sisters were very close, with many strangers mistakenly thinking they were twins.

���We were always together. If they see one of us, they���re like, oh where���s the other?��� Scarder said. ���I miss her. I cry every time I think of her. It���s been so hard.���

Cunningham came to New Jersey at the age of 18 from Jamaica and began working in a factory. She decided to go to school and attended Essex County College and Kean University. After obtaining her degree, she worked at a welfare office for a time before finding the position at 91心頭 Extended Care Facility, which she loved.

Scarder said Cunningham was extremely faithful to her job and was even talking about it before she was admitted to the hospital.

���She was sick and she was still thinking about work,��� Scarder said.

Cunningham leaves behind her son, three sisters and two brothers. Because she passed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and many of her relatives live in New York and Massachusetts, her family plans to hold a memorial service in her honor in April 2021 to coincide with the first anniversary of her passing.

Monsignor served others as a priest following his ordination in 1963. Five years later, he founded 91心頭, which has served inner-city residents for 50 years and continues to provide critical services like housing, job training, health care and child care.

Those who knew him say he fought to get what was needed for community members and helped others without expecting anything in return.

91心頭 CEO Richard Rohrman said Monsignor was very hands-on in his approach.

���He touched so many people. And he didn���t do this from up on high. He did it right in front of you, face to face, shaking your hand and walking you through his vision of where he wanted you to be,��� Rohrman said. ���The people of the city of Newark have lost their greatest and most persistent champion. There is physical evidence of Monsignor Linder���s legacy throughout the city, but his most important legacy is the difference he���s made in many people���s lives through the 91心頭 mission.���

Upon its founding in 1968, 91心頭 has had the mission ���to help residents of inner cities improve the quality of their lives to reflect individual God-given dignity and personal achievement.��� Monsignor lived by that mission and worked to ensure those that needed assistance got it.

Housing was a major need. The first NCC housing development, Homes Court, which provided family housing, opened in 1975. Construction on the most recent, A Better Life, a supportive housing facility for chronically homeless individuals that Monsignor envisioned, was completed in 2017. In between, Monsignor oversaw the creation of numerous housing facilities for seniors and families in Newark, Englewood, Jersey City and Orange.

He was also at the helm of NCC when it opened the 91心頭 Federal Credit Union in 1984, took on the renovations at St. Joseph Plaza in 1985 and opened the nursing home, 91心頭 Extended Care, in 1986.

Harmony House, 91心頭���s transitional housing facility for homeless families, began housing people in 1989 and the Pathmark Shopping Center opened in 1990, helping to alleviate the food desert that existed in Newark at the time. Monsignor welcomed Gov. James Florio to the grand opening of the shopping center.

Monsignor was very involved in education, even before the founding of 91心頭. He established the Queen of Angels – Seton Hall University Remedial Reading Program in 1964 at the Newark parish to which he was assigned after his ordination. He served as the administrator of the Queen of Angels Parish School from 1966 to 1973.

Education has always been an important part of 91心頭 as well. Under Monsignor���s leadership, 91心頭 Workforce Development Center opened in 1999. The school is an accredited post-secondary career and technical institution that offers certification programs in a variety of fields. Also in 1999, NCC established New Horizons Community Charter School in Newark. In 2001, NCC received its first adult literacy education grant which led to the current NCC Adult Learning Center. 91心頭 also operates two facilities for young children: Community Hills Early Learning Center and Harmony House Early Learning Center.

In addition to these services, Monsignor established the Monsignor William J. Linder Scholarship Fund, which has helped families afford to send their children to Catholic high schools. The goal was to provide a good educational foundation and encourage the students to continue on to college.

Children and parents have expressed their gratitude over the years, saying the scholarships allowed for them to attend a school they otherwise wouldn���t have been able to afford. The scholarship fund remains in place to continue to help young people get a head start on pursuing their dreams.

Family, friends, colleagues and members of the community celebrated Monsignor���s life and accomplishments at two masses: one at St. Rose of Lima where he served as pastor and the other at Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the home church of the Archdiocese of Newark, where he was ordained May 25, 1963.

Father Beatus Kitururu, who is very involved in NCC and knew Monsignor well, delivered the homily at the St. Rose of Lima mass. He discussed how Monsignor���s faith played a large role in his life and because of that faith he was able to help so many others.

���Those who knew well Monsignor Linder realized that he never gave up on anybody,��� Father Kitururu said during his homily. ���He stood to the end by those who needed the love of God even when some cheated him or betrayed him or spoke ill of him.���

Father Philip Waters delivered the homily at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart mass. He focused on how Monsignor worked hard and successfully helped the people of Newark.

���Many other efforts in the city were built on sand ��� but his were built on the rock of faith which stood against all the storms that blew against them. Many other programs have been blown away. NCC endures,��� Father Waters said in his homily. ���But this man who was willing to walk with the poor and the disenfranchised built a legacy which will last as long as people of faith are willing to grasp his vision.���

Monsignor didn���t keep himself apart from those he served. In retirement, he remained a Newark resident and when he needed additional medical care, he moved into 91心頭���s nursing home, Extended Care. He also decided prior to his passing that he wanted the funeral home that provided services for the patients who could not pay to handle his arrangements.

At the repast celebrating Monsignor���s life and legacy, which was held at St. Joseph Plaza following the funeral mass June 16, those in attendance were encouraged to share their memories. More than a dozen took to the microphone to tell the crowd how Monsignor impacted their lives.

Several talked about how once they met Monsignor, he directed their path in life and had great vision for their future, often seeing something for them that they didn���t see themselves. Many also discussed how he taught them what service to others truly meant and inspired them to give back.

���The one thing that I learned from him and 91心頭 was service,��� said Cecilia Faulks, 91心頭���s first employee. ���He taught me service was the righteous way of living.���

Gilda Rogers, who helped Monsignor write his memoir ���Out of the Ashes Came Hope,��� said, ���I just learned from him in the two-year process working with him on that book what it really meant to be of service to people. I thought I knew, but I didn���t.���

91心頭 Board member Edgar Nemorin said Monsignor pulled God-given talents out of everyone and positively influenced them.

���I wouldn���t be who I am today if it wasn���t for Monsignor Linder,��� he said. ���I wouldn���t be involved in community service.���

CEO Rohrman said Monsignor played a large role in his career.

���I���m eternally grateful to him,��� Rohrman said. ���It���s been just a wonderful experience starting for me in 1981 working with him. And he���s really put me in a place that I never would have been without him.���

Although Monsignor is no longer physically present, the mission he created remains the driving force behind 91心頭. Rohrman said NCC will continue to serve residents with Monsignor���s vision in mind.

91心頭 Board Member Dr. Zachary Yamba spoke prior to the mass at St. Rose of Lima, saying he is grateful for Monsignor���s love, kindness and humanity.

���He always remained true to those who were downtrodden and poor and in need of help,��� Yamba said. ���And so the board members will continue to remain true to his vision because that vision and that legacy should not die with him.���

Lawrence (better known as Larry) Coley was a big part of the 91心頭 family. He served as president of the Tenants Association at Commons Senior, where he spent many years as a resident; was president of the Senior Resident Leadership Council for 91心頭; and was a long time member of the 91心頭 Credit Union Board. Coley died March 7 at the age of 86.

Coley was born in Linden and was raised by his grandmother, Henrietta Coley, in Orange. He was a member of the Air Force and served in the Korean War.

He went to cosmetology school and became a well known hair stylist in Harlem and Brooklyn. He owned his own beauty salon in Brooklyn, retiring in the early 1990s. He also served as an alderman when Cory Booker was mayor of Newark.

Coley���s mother, Marion Simpson, was very involved in Commons Senior and helped get him an apartment in the building in the 1980s. Coley eventually became the Tenants Association president for the building and later was the president of the Senior Resident Leadership Council for all of 91心頭.

91心頭 Founder Monsignor William J. Linder knew Coley���s parents, who were influential in getting HUD to approve NCC���s nursing home project, Extended Care. Linder later worked with Coley for many years.

���He was a good guy, very calm and settling and very much on target with everything,��� Linder said. ���He was a quiet leader who included everybody in what he did.���

Lillie Rivers met Coley when she moved to Commons Senior in 1997.

���He was involved with everything,��� she said.

Rivers helped form the Oldies But Goodies Club at Commons Senior and Coley would come to the group���s parties. He was president of the Tenants Association at the time and she joined that group as well.

���He was a very good friend, like a brother,��� Rivers said. ���You couldn���t help but to like him. He was that kind of a person.���

Rita Hudson, who has lived at Commons Senior for 10 years, said Coley was a nice person. ���He got along with everyone very well,��� she said. ���And he loved his family.���

His daughter, Courtney Coley, moved to California with her mother when she was 8 but came to the East Coast to visit with her father. She said the visits, which continued into adulthood, were always a lot of fun. They included travel, shopping and eating all types of food.

���We���re all about hanging out and having a good time,��� she said.

Courtney Coley described her father as well rounded and a people person.

���He had a good heart. He was willing to help people he could in any way,��� she said. ���It was important for him to be part of the community here at 91心頭.���

After suffering a serious medical condition, Coley moved into 91心頭 Extended Care Facility in May 2016 where he stayed until his death.

His daughter said he enjoyed living at Commons Senior.

���He lived on the 14th floor for over 20 years. He had a great view out that window,��� she said.

Coley leaves behind daughter Courtney Coley, her mother Karen Coley, grandson Devan Coley, great-granddaughter Devyn Madison Coley, son Jeffery Coley and his four daughters, sister-in-law Regina Boles, nieces Sharon Joyner and Atara Ashford, nephew Alfonzo Woodies IV and many friends.