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Community Partners

Welcome to our community partners! We are proud to work with great organizations in Camden City and beyond to provide AmeriCorps members that build capacity and provide high-impact health-focused service. If you are interested in becoming a community partner of our AmeriCorps program, please contact us at PHAmeriCorps@camden.rutgers.edu.

HealthyWE Corps and community members in HealthyWE program

HealthyWE Corps

HealthyWE Corps aims to reduce obesity in Camden City. The program’s vision for a healthy community is grounded in its three core values: healthy nutritious food, healthy exercise and active lifestyles, and a healthy mind and mental wellness. Members support their community and promote these values through their service will participating in the HealthyWE program that features weekly education and training in each of the core values. Service activities include supporting afterschool and summer programs for children, supporting outreach and wellness checks, and monitoring a community food pantry.

Site Supervisor: Thomas Dahan (tom.dahan@camden.rutgers.edu)

 

AmeriCorps members and our partners at the Branches serve meals to 60 residents for Thanksgiving

Community Health Nursing Clinic @ Branches
Description coming soon

Site Supervisor: Kim McGuinness (km1627@camden.rutgers.edu)

Community Health Nursing Clinic @ North Gate
Description coming soon

Site Supervisor: Arcilia Ortiz (arciliao@camden.rutgers.edu)

Community First Fellows @ Center for Urban Research and Education

The Center for Urban Research and Education (CURE) encourages facilities and promotes innovative research by scholars at Rutgers University and around the nation on issues that face Camden, New Jersey, the Philadelphia metropolitan region and other large cities and metropolitan cities in the U.S. and abroad. It also helps train the next generation of urban scholars by providing opportunities for students to become involved with ongoing research projects.

The Community First Fellows (CFF) program is part of CURE’s community first initiative, which expands and strengthens the relationship between publicly-engaged research and community benefit. The CFF program applies this approach to the work of graduate students at Rutgers University-Camden who are recruited by CURE to participate as a fellow. These students receive specialized training and are placed at non-profit organizations within the Camden region to work on a project which advanced the non-profit’s mission. For fellows who serve as Rutgers Camden Public Health AmeriCorps, this work focuses on capacity building and improving health outcomes while engaging in community outreach and civic engagement.

Site Supervisor: Stephen Danley (sd694@camden.rutgers.edu and Mariah Casias mc2917@camden.rutgers.edu)

Lifting Up Camden’s Youth (LUCY)

At LUCY Outreach they empower the youth on their journey to become community leaders by providing programs that offer a safe haven, and support their educational, social, emotional, and physical growth. LUCY offers multilingual, culturally-responsive services to Camden County youth and young adults, ages 7-28+, and their families, who have a low income. LUCY accepts and welcomes all youth to take part in educational, social, and service-oriented programming, and also provides support and resources within homes & schools. LUCY empowers youth to form healthy relationships, make good choices and develop into compassionate and socially responsible adults who make a positive difference in the community.

Volunteer support LUCY in a variety of ways, including: serving as mentors to young people, leading presentations, workshops, and career fairs, tutoring those needing individual academic assistance, chaperoning trips and assisting event planning, etc. They also host groups for service projects to beautify our new dream building by landscaping, mowing, gardening, painting, meal prepping and building organization.

Site Supervisor: Kate King (kking@lucyoutreach.org)

VEEC Fellows @ Vaccine Equity Education Coalition
The VEEC Fellows program, a flagship initiative under the Vaccine Equity Education Campaign, is dedicated to promoting health equity and empowering youth though education and community engagement. Our program focuses on providing young individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to advocate for vaccine equity and improve public health outcomes in their communities.

VEEC Fellows engage in a variety of service activities aimed at enhancing public health awareness and addressing disparities in vaccine access. Their volunteers participate in:

  • Educational Workshops: Fellows lead workshops on vaccine equity, public health, and the importance of immunizations, targeting schools, community centers, and local organizations
  • Health Fairs: Volunteers organize and manage health fairs, providing free health screenings, vaccinations, and educational materials to underserved communities
  • Community Outreach: Fellows conduct door-to-door outreach campaigns, distribute informational flyers, and engage with community members to promote health services and vaccine equity
  • Advocacy Initiatives: VEEC Fellows collaborate with local and state health departments to advocate for policies that support vaccine equity and access to healthcare services

Site Supervisor: Hajar (Haj) Shirley (haj.shirley@vaxequityedu.com)

Rutgers Accelerate and Renew Academy 
Rutgers Accelerate & Renew Academy (RARA) is a transformative tutoring and mentorship program empowering middle school students in Camden City. RARA aims to break down barriers and shape a brighter future for all students through high-quality academic support, social-emotional growth, and fostering a love for learning.

RARA collaborates closely with two Camden City School District middle schools — Coopers Poynt and & Thomas H. Dudley Family– and one Catholic Partnership School, Holy Name. RARA. has partnered with NJ Tutoring Corps to provide comprehensive training to target tier II students as effectively as possible.

RARA has successfully launched targeted mentoring for 6th-8th graders, delivering essential skills such as goal-setting, time management, emotional regulation, and effective study habits. Following winter benchmark assessments, RARA tutors have begun providing targeted tutoring sessions to scholars. Currently, there are 87 scholars enrolled in tutoring who work actively in tutoring groups twice a week.

Site Supervisor: Amanda DeBellis and Michele Garcon (ad1783@camden.rutgers.edu and michele.garcon@camden.rutgers.edu)

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Camden County Food Pantry
Description coming soon

Site Supervisor: Sarah Malone Ditzel (sem288@njaes.rutgers.edu)