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Contact: Gillian Linden
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gillian@rosengrouppr.com
National Nonprofit Relocates Brooklyn Campus to Central Hub in Bustling Borough Under Leadership of Nonprofit Education Champion Courtney Crawford
BROOKLYN (April 26, 2023)—Jeremiah Program (JP)—a national nonprofit with one of the most successful strategies for disrupting generational poverty and investing in economic mobility among single mothers and their children—is moving its Brooklyn campus closer to key resources while welcoming new executive director Courtney Crawford.
JP’s new office location resides on the second floor of 83 Third Avenue and is strategically located directly across the street from JP’s Human Resource Office, which provides SNAP, Medicaid and a host of public benefits for JP moms, including a Head Start center where 30% of JP Brooklyn moms receive childcare assistance and early childhood education for their children. The space is centrally located at the intersection of Boerum Hill, Gowanus and Downtown Brooklyn, and will serve as the new administrative office as JP relocates from the Gregory Jackson Center on Rockaway Avenue.
“We have deep roots and a strong commitment to the Brooklyn and specifically the Brownsville community,” said Chastity Lord, President and CEO, Jeremiah Program. “Accessibility is key as JP Brooklyn continues to grow, with moms enrolling from the Bronx, Manhattan and Westchester. Opening a central space and providing ample resources was a top priority for us, giving moms the ability to print or copy for school, use a computer, pick up supplies for their children, or grab some extra clothing during the winter. Our hope is the new location can be a refuge for them and their children.”
In addition to providing resources to Brooklyn moms and their children, JP’s Brooklyn office will be utilized for programming events, family recruitment and college information sessions while acting as a transportation hub where moms will have easy access to buses or trains.
Leading the new chapter of JP Brooklyn is lifelong New Yorker Courtney Crawford. With over 20 years of experience working with families as an education advocate, school leader and mentor, Crawford brings a wealth of knowledge about education, volunteerism, community organizing, mentorship, and social-emotional learning to the role. Upon graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education from Virginia Union University, she began her career as a public school teacher, later moving into school leadership roles such as Dean of Students, Assistant Principal, and Principal after completing her Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Strayer University. Most recently, she served as the executive director and part-time CEO of Little Essential’s, a local nonprofit offering at-risk families living in poverty with children under the age of 5 children’s supplies and parenting education in all five boroughs. Crawford spent decades working in under-served communities in Washington, D.C. and New York and has completed mission work in Uganda. She currently mentors young women interested in becoming education and community leaders and was recently recognized by New York City’s 26th District Councilmember Julie Won for her outstanding service and enduring contributions to the community.
“Courtney is a dedicated community leader with a proven record for implementing and scaling successful programs that center families facing poverty as experts of their lives,” added Lord. “Courtney’s lived experiences, passion for service and professional background make her the perfect fit to empower and support JP moms in Brooklyn as we step into our new location.”
In the executive director role, Crawford will ensure the Brooklyn campus continues to serve as a champion for JP’s two-generation mission while providing moms the resources they need to succeed. She is responsible for achieving the annual fundraising goals of the campus, growing strong community partnerships, working closely with a local community board of trustees to build community engagement, and recruiting, developing and managing a team that plans for a thriving family experience.
“As a young child who was diagnosed with learning disabilities, I experienced the inequities of the public education system firsthand,” said Crawford. “I remain determined to be a part of the change I want to see in the world, specifically in the ways that children and families receive support in the education system, which I believe to be the biggest equalizer. I feel deeply committed to JP’s two-generation approach and the support that is given to moms, so they feel like family no matter where they are in their journey.”
Jeremiah Program launched in Brownsville, Brooklyn in 2017 and impacted 323 lives in 2022, serving 56% more families than in 2021.
About Jeremiah Program: Jeremiah Program (JP) is a national organization whose mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children, two generations at a time. By investing simultaneously in a mother’s vision for her personal and professional goals and the education of her children, she simultaneously reauthors her family’s outcome as well her community’s — proof points matter. In 2022, JP supported 1,100 moms and children across nine cities in Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Boston, MA; Brooklyn, NY; Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN; Las Vegas, NV; Minneapolis, MN; Rochester, MN; and St. Paul, MN.