WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) today announced $1.4 million in new federal funding for two Community Partnership Centers founded and run by Rutgers University in Camden. The funding was secured by the congressman in the FY 2023 omnibus package and will be used at two community centers to increase staffing and programming in adult education, workforce development, health, wellness, youth and families, civic engagement, and other areas of need identified by the communities.

“This critical funding for Rutgers University in Camden will go directly to supporting the children and families who need it most. Rutgers–Camden’s Community Partnership Centers have expanded the realm of possibilities for university and community partnerships, which are crucial sources of support for local families and students,” said Congressman Norcross. “I’m proud to have secured this funding to help expand local programs that will have a direct impact on improving the quality of life for families in Camden and build on the transformative partnership between the community and the university.”

“Thanks to the leadership of Congressman Norcross, this support will allow Rutgers–Camden to – in partnership with the mayor’s office and a wide range of civic organizations – activate several community centers as vital hubs of activity, service, and support for our city’s neighborhoods and families,” said Rutgers–Camden Chancellor Antonio D. Tillis. “We will collaborate with the city to deliver initiatives in the areas of adult education and workforce development, arts and culture, health and wellness, youth and families, K-12 remediation and college preparedness, and individual and family support.

“Rutgers–Camden is proud to be an anchor institution for Camden and all of South Jersey. Moreover, we are recognized nationally as a model for how a civically engaged research university can help to transform its host community. We thank and applaud Congressman Norcross, Senator Booker, and Senator Menendez for their unwavering commitment to Camden and South Jersey and for their support of Rutgers–Camden,” added Chancellor Tillis.

“Starting in the fourth grade as a student in North Camden, I stayed after school with the Rutgers-IGNITE program, where I met lifelong mentors and was exposed to a variety of academic opportunities not available during the school day,” said Qua’meer Amin, a Rutgers–Camden student-athlete. “This new program feels like a full-circle moment. As a young student, I had the opportunity to participate in Rutgers classes and play basketball in the Rutgers–Camden gym; now I am a student at Rutgers–Camden myself, taking classes in Armitage Hall and playing for the men’s basketball team. Had it not been for the programs offered by Rutgers–Camden, my journey to college would not have been possible.”

“The city looks forward to maximizing these underutilized community centers by providing expanded programming, resources, and support to the residents directly within their neighborhoods," said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen. "I am grateful to Congressman Donald Norcross for once again delivering critical funding to help address inequities that exist across Camden. I am also confident that Rutgers–Camden and our community partners will make certain that each reenergized site is prepared to accommodate robust, year-round community activity. This will be an extraordinary and innovative place-based partnership.”

About Rutgers–Camden Community Partnership Centers

The Rutgers–Camden Community Partnership Centers (RU–C CPC) will work with the City of Camden and other partners to maximize city community centers by providing programming, resources, and support to the residents of the city in their neighborhoods. Initiatives will focus on the areas of health and wellness, youth and families, and arts and culture.

Rutgers–Camden provides a spectrum of critical services for the residents of Camden related to health, housing, law, social work, arts and culture, small and micro business launches, college preparedness, and early childhood learning. However, inability to travel to the Rutgers–Camden campus to access these services can be a barrier.

The RU–C CPC will provide social and economic mobility benefits and a more equitable distribution of resources in Camden by establishing a consistent and sustainable stream of programming within two city community centers. These efforts will help to reenergize the centers as resources intrinsic to the lives of their communities.

The RU–C CPC will utilize these spaces to bring together the knowledge and expertise of Rutgers–Camden faculty, staff, and students with that of Camden residents. Community stakeholders will work on the issues deemed most pressing in ways that address systemic inequities that exist across the city of Camden.

Each center will develop and host initiatives that will focus on the following areas:

• Adult education and workforce development
• Arts and culture
• Health and wellness
• Youth and families
• K-12 remediation and college preparedness
• Individual and family supports
• Civic engagement

A council of residents from each neighborhood will advise the centers to ensure that their programming and operations are grounded in the needs and desires of the local community. As an institution of higher education focused on research excellence, Rutgers–Camden will rigorously evaluate the programs and initiatives to ensure that all efforts are having a positive and substantive impact on the community.