Jersey Gives a Damn - A Community Foundation of NJ Podcast

We are switching things up a little for this episode. The Community Foundation of New Jersey has started a webinar series that brings in multiple experts for deep dive conversations on important topics. This webinar – presented here as a podcast – focuses on human trafficking, which is a problem globally and in New Jersey. The topic is both heartbreaking and incredibly complex, but our expert guests lay it out in understandable terms and provide guidance on how fundholders and citizens can engage. Some of the recommendations may surprise you. We were pleased to welcome leaders from the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the Sanar Institute, Covenant House New Jersey, and Legal Services of New Jersey, a collection of organizations committed to preventing trafficking and supporting survivors. 

We hope you find this informative.  

The drop in reading scores of US children post-COVID dominated the headlines in Summer 2023 – with reading scores down in nearly every state. Unfortunately, low reading scores pre-date the pandemic, owing to intractable challenges in too many communities. “Dire,” “jarring,” and “ominous” is how one report talks about reading proficiency in New Jersey. Only a little more than 40 percent of New Jersey third graders are reading at or above proficiency. In Newark, less than 20 percent or third graders are proficient. In Camden, it’s less than 7 percent. And African American, Hispanic and children from economically disadvantaged families experience particularly low proficiency on average. 

In this episode, we unpack what’s driving these low reading levels, what the impacts are, and ways to address it. Paula White joins the pod. She is Executive Director of JerseyCAN, a leading educational and advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all New Jersey families have access to high-quality schools. Central to their mission is making sure that students get continuous support with appropriate resources and excellent teaching, regardless of their zip code, cultural background, or socioeconomic status.
Hope you enjoy!

Eva Turbiner is a public health legend, having led one of New Jersey’s largest health centers serving the un-insured and under-insured, Zufall Health, for 16 years.  In this episode, Eva offers the listeners an overview of the population health needs in state, particularly for those on the margins not being served by the larger healthcare system.

During her tenure at Zufall, the organization expanded from a single small health center in Morris County to a network of eleven clinical sites in seven New Jersey counties, serving 45,000 patients annually.  Eva’s previous posts include Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hudson River HealthCare and as President of Palisades Planning Associates, Inc., a health care consultancy.  

Eva retired from Zufall earlier this year but continues to lead the Health Center Advisory Board for the National Center for Health in Public Housing, among other distinguished board positions over the years. Eva has been a leader of note in advancing health justice in New Jersey and nationally and brings that hard-earned perspective as a board member here at the Community Foundation of New Jersey.

Jim is the Executive Director of Covenant House New Jersey, which has for 30 years been serving homeless and trafficked youth between the ages of 18  21, operating in 5 cities across New Jersey – Newark, Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Elizabeth, and Montclair.  Services include providing intermediate and transitional housing for young people and a suite of other supportive services – a continuum of care –  that we will hear more about from Jim.  Covenant House NJ also advocates on policy issues, including homelessness, trafficking, foster care, physical & mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, pregnant and parenting youth, affordable housing, employment, and racial discrimination.  

Jim provides a deep dive into the twin challenges of youth homelessness and the trafficking of young people, including the causes and ways to help set them on a course to thrive. This powerful conversation draws on Jim's extraordinary 40 years at Covenant House supporting youth in crisis. This is a good one.

Pastor Pam is a force of nature and an advocate for building the resiliency of New Jersey’s youth, the justice-involved, the unemployed, the under-employed, and other underserved populations and fragile families.  She founded Communities in Cooperation (CIC), an organization that strengthens communities through Family & Individual Assistance Programs, Job Readiness & Employment, Utility Assistance, Reentry Services, and youth mentoring. CIC has built a particularly strong platform of supporting prisoner re-entry into society, which Pastor Pam and host Aaron Turner discuss in detail.  

Pastor Pam diagnoses the big challenges people in or emerging from the criminal justice system face (with some surprises) and the types of critical support they need to get back on their feet and living fulfilling and productive lives. 

Mark unpacks the main drivers of food insecurity nationally and in New Jersey, talks through some common misconceptions around the issue, and highlights the most promising interventions.  Mark also shares his personal and professional journey to this imporant work.   

At the end of the episode Mark has two book recommendations for those interested in social impact work:  1) Tattoos on the Heart by Father Gregory Boyle and 2) The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.  

Ryan shares with listeners the big social justice issues of the day - in New Jersey and nationally - and how his organization is driving change.  He also lays out how donors and citizens can engage with this work and make a difference.