Category Archives: Community

Reclaiming Time: “I’m hungry and have a thirst for life.”

By Raj Manimaran

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” — Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

The only way to describe the life of Hampton Jenks is extraordinary.

Stints at Jamesburg Juvenile Detention Center and Mountain View Youth Correctional Facility as a teenager, three years at Trenton State Prison and 10 years at Rahway State Prison; over 15 years in and out of incarceration, 30 years of struggling with drug addiction and lastly experiencing homelessness — when hearing only this portion of his biography, many would expect Jenks to have been another life lost to drugs and recidivism.

The dichotomy presents itself when you find out that he went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and a master’s degree in Human Service Delivery, and that he is now working on his second master’s degree and hoping to eventually earn a PhD.

Jenks grew up in Trenton, N.J., attending the Monument Elementary School and Junior High School No. 3. That is, until his first brush with the law came at age 14. After returning home, Jenks’ life seemed to be revolving around jobs, school and correctional facilities. At age 17, he worked at Acme Rubber in Trenton, passed a precollege exam and was accepted to Burlington County Community College. Unfortunately, soon after, Jenks was arrested and sentenced to three years at Trenton State Prison. Two years after his release, Jenks was sent to Rahway State Prison for an additional 10-year sentence.

In 1990, Jenks was released from prison; he spent the next five years working a variety of jobs, even becoming a certified technician in HVAC and refrigeration. However, in 1995, he returned to jail for two years.

This would be Jenks’ last time inside a prison.

When asked what changed, Jenks responded, “My family stuck by me throughout my life. My father and three of my sisters passed away while I was in jail. They t

Without A Limit by Demond Williams
Without A Limit by Demond Williams

old me at the last minute and wouldn’t let me go to their funerals. I decided then, I would never go back to jail and miss someone else’s funeral.”

Jenks returned to school and came one class short of an associate’s degree before taking a job as an outreach worker at New Horizons Treatment Center in Trenton, N.J. For the next six years, he helped connect individuals to resources such as counseling and transitional services as they recovered from drug and alcohol addictions. Unfortunately, Jenks’ own drug addiction brought his life to impending crossroads.

In 2007, he lost his car and apartment to a debilitating heroin addiction and became homeless.

Finding shelter in abandoned buildings or the woods was not the worst part for Jenks.

“I still couldn’t stay away from the drugs,” said Jenks. “I would steal, just to get more.”

Jenks attributes his recovery from his addiction and homelessness to his support network.

“They saw things in me that I had forgotten about myself,” explained Jenks. “They reminded me that everyone was special and that I could do whatever I wanted to.”

Once he completed drug rehabilitation himself, Jenks sought to help individuals who were going through the same struggles as he had, and was hired by the Juvenile Justice Commission. Simultaneously, Jenks began working towards a degree at Thomas Edison State College and Lincoln University. He worked hard to maintain a 3.5 grade point average, and looked toward the big picture, all the while.

“I just prayed to keep my sanity,” said Jenks. “You can’t just need it, you have to want it more than anything.”

Today, Jenks works as a lead outreach worker for the Trenton Violence Reduction Strategy and has begun to work on a second Master’s Degree. He believes that education is crucial, but the lessons that life and his loved ones have provided him are irreplaceable and have made him the man he is today.

“Once someone planted the seed in me, my ambitions began to grow,” said Jenks. “The trust of others means a lot to me, and when people began helping open doors for me, it helped restore my faith in human nature. It’s been a great journey; the hard times helped me build character, and I learned something at each step. I’m hungry and have a thirst for life.”

Bulletin: The Rescue Mission of Trenton Celebrates 100 Years

"Pacific Pink" By Sandra Livingston
“Pacific Pink”
By Sandra Livingston

By Engy Shaaban

Since it first opened its doors in 1915, the Rescue Mission of Trenton has been offering support services to men, women, and families in the Mercer County area who are in need of shelter, food, and clothing; happily embracing the “homeless, the hungry, the transient and the addicted” of Trenton and surrounding towns. In addition to its emergency services, the Mission offers an adult education program, and outpatient and residential services, among many others.

 

Back in October, the Mission held a “clean out” sale in preparation for its 100th anniversary. More events are projected to be held throughout the year, including a celebration in mid-April. According to the Mission’s website, the theme of the celebration will be “Rebuilding Lives — Making Miracles Happen.”

 

The Mission and all those involved with its many projects continue to be an integral part of the Trenton community. After 100 years of dedication to reshaping a struggling city, we wish them nothing short of 100 more!

Bulletin: HomeFront Family Campus

"A Child's Born" By Samantha Rivera
“A Child’s Born”
By Samantha Rivera

By Raj Manimaran

For the last 12 years, HomeFront has provided short-term emergency housing for over 1,800 families at their Family Preservation Center. This summer, HomeFront will be taking its efforts to new heights.

 

The new HomeFront Family Campus will be housed on an 8.5-acre decommissioned Naval base in Ewing, NJ. Featuring a 42,000-square-foot building with 38 dorm suites along with two ancillary buildings, the venue will serve as a one-stop social service center for its visitors. The space will allow HomeFront to expand the reach of its current programs such as ArtSpace and WorkFirst as well as create new opportunities for its clients such as: 24-hour childcare, a beauty parlor, teaching kitchen, outdoor gardens, and satellite offices for Womanspace, Family Guidance and a Wellness Clinic. By establishing this spectrum of support services, HomeFront is seeking to help families overcome the obstacles that often times prevent them for achieving self-sufficiency.

A Personal Narrative: “Not All Bad Here.”

By Essence B. Scott

 

The experience with homelessness I remember most clearly was when my family lived in the Trails End Motel when I was eight and a half, almost nine, years old.

 

Imagine: You are in the middle of nowhere, on the side of the highway. A few minutes up was a diner. Nothing in the way of grocery stores or laundromats. New Jersey Transit didn’t serve this area of New Jersey we were in, so getting into Trenton, where we were from, was difficult. The only way we could get to Trenton was by taking a cab, and that was pricey: $60 for four people.

 

When we were homeless, people were kind, which made the experience less painful.

 

My room mother from my elementary school came to the motel my family was staying in and gave us toys. Things had gone wrong with the money my mom had saved up that Christmas. It was our first Christmas in a place not quite a home, and we weren’t expecting to have anything. This mother and her daughter, who was one of my friends, came at night and bought us all these toys. I will never forget that. I think that’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for my family.

 

My school nurse gave us gift certificates, which we used at the diner up the street.

 

We ate at that diner every time we got a certificate and we would order breakfast: pancakes mostly, but anything was a break from the canned goods we ate daily. The diner was small, but everyone there was really nice.

 

While homelessness is clearly nothing that should be celebrated, I remember my mom had made the experience a little less hard on my siblings and me.

 

We couldn’t do much because we were in the middle of nowhere. But the memories I do have are of my mom working hard at being a cleaning lady, of visiting one woman who also lived in the motel, of playing with the occasional child who lived there, the people on the outside who would help us.

 

I was never abused or neglected, and living in a motel is not something I am eager to experience again, but I remember my mom who was always trying to make it a little better for us.

 

Getting our own apartment after that was like stepping into an air-conditioned room in the middle of August.

 

We could have meals like meatloaf or meatballs. We could have ice cream. We could have cereal and soda and whatever else we wanted because we finally had a refrigerator. We had our own beds. We had cable — lots of channels, most I’d never heard of. Soap Network? HBO Family? An East and a West channel, meaning I could watch the same show twice?

 

All of this was so strange, so surreal. But I loved it. Finally, a bed to myself! More space! What could be better than that?

"Seaside High"  By Sharon Jackson
“Seaside High”
By Sharon Jackson

“It is as simple as one wish.”

By Emery Gewirtz

A day at the movies, new clothes for school or your own laptop. These are simple things a lot of us take for granted. When you were growing up did you ever think of where your dollhouse came from or what it took to have that new videogame? A lot of the time, children in foster care do not have these simple pleasures.

 

According to the website of the National Foster Care Coalition, every year around 254,000 children enter foster care. The foundation One Simple Wish works hard to support children who are becoming a part of the system. One Simple Wish does not want these children to get lost in the shuffle; instead they work to help them be seen as individuals.

 

Danielle Gletow, who is a foster mother herself, founded the organization in 2008. She, along with many volunteers and donors, has helped over 35,000 children to date. In 2013, CNN named Gletow amongst their “Top 10 Heroes.”

 

Gletow’s goal is to have kids be kids. Sometimes even the most basic wishes are the most meaningful to a child. Gletow sees children as full of endless possibilities. They can all can be extraordinary if they are given the tools to explore, grow and find out who they are.

 

One Simple Wish is a village of people who care about children. There are multitudes of people who volunteer time, donate money and of course, grant wishes. Anyone can be a fairy godmother to these children by granting a wish.

 

"Bird House Series 4"  By Kathy Bird
“Bird House Series 4”
By Kathy Bird

The beautiful thing about this organization is that it shows people can care deeply about others they will never know. If you just ask for help, a lot of people will answer the call.

 

Sarah Dale, the Community Relations Manager, said, “It is a an incredible journey. People care about the little things that bring normalcy to their lives.”

 

From a personal standpoint, Dale said, “I have kids and I can’t imagine my kids walking through even a portion of what these kids walk through.” This is why she has worked hard with One Simple Wish to grant nearly 99 percent of all wishes.

 

“Some people can’t be foster parents, but I can give my time to support them and draw attention to who they are as people and not who they are as a statistic,” Dale attested.

 

One Simple Wish also goes beyond helping children in foster care; they make sure the children are cared for after they leave. According to the website of One Simple Wish, more than 20,000 children age out of foster care each year with little to no support. At age 18, these children have no family, no siblings, no relatives and no mentors to turn to.

 

This foundation is needed because these are the children in critical need for real attention. According to the organization’s website, “Children who age out of foster care are several times more likely to end up homeless, addicted to drugs or incarcerated.” Furthermore, the website states, it is estimated that more than 250,000 prisoners in the United States were once foster children. The average child in foster care remains in the system for more than two years, living away from their family, friends and familiar environments.

 

Over 8,500 wishes have been granted since the organization opened it’s doors.

 

“It takes a lot of effort and takes a lot of people coming together,” said Dale. “But it gets done.”

 

So sometimes, perhaps, it is as simple as one wish.

 

One Simple Wish 1977 North Olden Ave, #292 Trenton, N.J.  08618 Phone: (609) 883-8484 Email: info@onesimplewish.org Website: www.onesimplewish.org