Gateway Community Action Partnership

Happy New Year from Gateway Community Action Partnership! This year, 2024, marks 60 years of #CommunityAction! For six decades, our network has been helping people find pathways to opportunity all across America, building strength and resilience in the communities we serve. As part of the Community Action network, Gateway is dedicated to achieving its mission “to provide services that improve the quality of life and promote self-sufficiency” within our service area as the federally-recognized Community Action Program in Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties, and serving Atlantic, Cape May, Camden, and Mercer counties, and Philadelphia, PA. #CommunityAction60th #60YearsStrong

Gateway Community Action Partnership is taking another step towards providing affordable housing for residents across South Jersey. Together with Eastern Pacific Development, and funded by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, TD Bank, and Enterprise Community Partners, we will offer 56 affordable three-bedroom homes to residents of Bridgeton, NJ. To learn more about the Phoenix Redevelopment Area project, follow the link to an article published by the Courier Post: https://lnkd.in/eRfWSuQN To see more photos from the groundbreaking event on July 11, follow this link: https://lnkd.in/esT_6sbf...

Edward Bethea, CCAP, Executive Vice President & COO of Gateway Community Action Partnership, led the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Phase II of the Phoenix Redevelopment Area project, marking a significant step in affordable housing development, which would provide fifty-six three-bedroom units. Distinguished speakers at the event included Assemblyman Antwan L. McClellan, Deputy Minority Leader of New Jersey's 1st Legislative District; Kevin Gibala, SVP and Regional Vice President of TD Bank; Hans Lampart, Founder, President & CEO of Eastern Pacific Development and Brookfield Construction; Melanie Walter, Executive Director of the New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency; and Albert B. Kelly, Mayor of Bridgeton and President & CEO of Gateway CAP. Mr. Kelly fondly called the city "The Great City of Bridgeton" and described to attendees what a shotgun house is. Among the other notable attendees were J. Curtis Edwards, President and CEO of CompleteCare Health Network; Robin A. Walton, Vice President of Government and External Affairs at Inspira Health Network, and Chief Michael A. Gaimari Sr., Chief of Police for the Bridgeton Police Department.

Gateway completed its 10th annual Gateway Golf Classic at Little Mill Country Club on June 17. Thank you to our sponsors, golfers, volunteer staff, and Little Mill for supporting Gateway’s programs and benefitting children and families in our communities.

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate #CommunityActionMonth in May, recognizing the dedication and incredible impact that our employees, partners, and fellow Community Action Agencies across the US have on the "War on Poverty" and our mission "to provide services that improve the quality of life and promote self-sufficiency!" While Community Action Month may be over, we're still celebrating the 60th anniversary of Community Action for months to come! #CommunityAction60

Please follow the link to read an op-ed written by Ed Bethea, Gateway's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, on action needed to provide affordable housing in New Jersey. This piece was written in collaboration with Staci Berger, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey (HCDNNJ). Bethea is also Chairman of the HCDNNJ. https://lnkd.in/ezgmyKTX

Gateway is a proud recipient of a new #HousingforEveryone grant, awarded by TD through the TD Charitable Foundation to help us support independent living for marginalized community members in Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties in Southern New Jersey. We are grateful for TD’s support. Follow along as we kickoff this program and learn how we’ll be supporting our community’s housing needs with this funding! #AffordableHousing #HousingForEveryone #TDReadyCommitment.

If you've been following our playground project with Atlantic City Electric, Paulsboro Borough, and KABOOM!, please see the video to learn more! Thank you to all of the partners, volunteers, sponsors, and the Paulsboro community for coming together to make this project a reality.

May 1 kicks off Community Action Month, a month to reflect on, share, and collaboratively work to improve our commitment to addressing poverty locally and across the United States, as a network of more than 1000 Community Action Agencies nationwide. #WeR1000Strong #CommunityActionMonth #communityaction60

More than 130 volunteers from Gateway Community Action Partnership, the Borough of Paulsboro, Atlantic City Electric, KABOOM!, and the Paulsboro community came together to bring a child-designed playground to life at West Buck Street Park in Paulsboro, NJ on April 10. Volunteers had only about 6 hours on this designated “Build Day” to assemble thousands of pounds of playground equipment, fill the space with 138 cubic yards of mulch, build picnic tables, paint a mural, and make sure everything was ready for the children to enjoy. This playground build is the starting point of a longer-term revitalization plan for the Paulsboro community under Gateway’s Neighborhood Revitalization Planning Grant, received in December 2023. It focuses on community-driven projects, like the playground build, to support comprehensive equity-focused community development plans. The project is also part of a nationwide effort led by KABOOM! to end playspace inequity—the reality that far too many children and especially children of color do not get the chance to play on a playground in their community, something that should be part of every child’s life. Their work is to ensure every child can experience the numerous physical, social and mental health benefits of play regardless of background or where they live. "This represents more than just an investment in swings and slides; it symbolizes a dedication to the well-being, joy and unity of our local community. It reflects our profound commitment to fostering secure, welcoming and interactive spaces that support the growth of our children, strengthen family bonds and promote neighborly connections,” said Edward Bethea, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Gateway. “We must also emphasize that this new playground will act as a key catalyst for the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative process in the Paulsboro area." While there are many people to thank for making this playground a reality—including those at Gateway, Atlantic City Electric, KABOOM!, Paulsboro Borough, Elk's Lodge, food vendors (The Zallie Community Foundation, Chick-Fil-A, Heritage's, and Sam's Club), and the Paulsboro community—Gateway would especially like to thank Kyana Evans, Gateway’s Program Operations Manager, for facilitating the project on behalf of Gateway and for her dedication to revitalizing her native Paulsboro, NJ. Although it was no small task, the hard work and collaboration expressed by all of the volunteers at “Build Day,” and in planning efforts leading up to the event over the last few months, allowed us to complete the project on-schedule and bring this shared vision of a supportive playspace for children to life.