Camden pupils make, test dog sled

Courier Post – February 20, 2012
Written by Joe Cooney, Courier-Post Staff

SELLERSVILLE, PA — There was no snow, but a group of students from Camden were still able to say, “Mush,” when they participated in the Pennridge Dog Sled Challenge here this weekend.

And they got to use a sled they built themselves.

“We built the sled two years ago at the Shipyard and Maritime Museum in South Camden,” said Steve Tuttle, who used to work for the city’s Urban Promise Missionary.

“We wanted to do something that would honor the great African American explorer Matthew Henson, who located the North Pole along with Admiral Robert Perry.

“So as an after-school program, we had students participate in the building of a sled just like the one Henson used.”

Tuttle said he and other Urban Promise workers went to New York City to look at a real sled Henson had built so they could take photographs and measurements.

“This kind of sled was designed by Henson and primarily used to transport goods and equipment,” Tuttle said of the 10-foot long sled.

“Henson learned the Inuit language and learned how to work with sled dogs. They would transport cargo and equipment and build stations along the way (to the Pole), so when they came back they could pick up the supplies they needed.”

“It was really fun to learn how to build (the sled),” said student Orianna Walker, a member of Urban Promise. “We had to take wood and put it into really hot, boiling water. And then we would bend it so it would keep the curve.”

The dog sled is sponsored by the Sellersville Kiwanis Club. Kiwanis member and 20-year dog sledding veteran Chuck Weiss describes the Dog Sled Challenge as “a party for sled dog people.”

Instead of a full-fledged race, mushers engage in a variety of spectator-friendly competitions throughout the day.

The Camden sled made its debut Saturday behind sled dogs, with Walker enjoying a ride behind the team.

“The best part was making it,” she said. “But seeing it being pulled by the dogs and riding on it was also very cool. It went really fast.”

“It was awesome and so much fun to see the kids here and see the sled move with the dogs,” said Tuttle.

“We wished we could have been here a couple years when we had all that snow, but we just couldn’t do it.”

We are proud to announce that UrbanPromise Academy freshman Faith Kroma won a place on the National Moot Court Team of Rutgers Law School’s Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project. Congratulations, Faith and all at UrbanPromise Academy!

Faith was one of six finalists in a very competitive moot court argument on Tuesday on the Rutgers Law campus. Students from Brimm Medical Arts, Camden Catholic, and Camden High also competed.

Faith will travel to Washington, DC from March 30-April 1 to compete against students from all over the country.

Looks like we have a lawyer in our future!

NJ Nets star Kris Humphries spent the day with kids from UrbanPromise.  Humphries traveled down to Camden to take a tour of the city and UrbanPromise campus.  After playing a little basketball at UrbanPromise’s gym in East Camden, Humphries and the kids boarded a school bus and headed off to NYC.  Once in NYC the kids met with dentists from Smile Design Manhattan for free dental work. Thank you Kris!

This is what happens when Tyree fails alseep on the school bus with Kris Humphries.

CAMDEN — The Rutgers–Camden Black Law Students Association will honor three community leaders at the 16th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Champions of Social Justice Awards Banquet on Thursday, Jan. 26.

This year, the honorees are New Jersey Superior Court Judge Gwendolyn Blue, Bruce Main, the president of Urban Promise of Camden, and David Sciarra, the executive director of the Education Law Center in Newark.

The annual banquet recognizes the contributions of individuals whose commitment to social justice and equality invoke the spirit and ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It will be held during 6 to 9 p.m. in the Rutgers–Camden Campus Center on Third Street between Cooper Street and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

“Over the past 16 years, it has been our honor to recognize individuals both within and outside of the legal community whose commitment to social justice and equality has embodied the vision of Dr. King,” says Molly McNulty, a second-year law student at the Rutgers School of Law–Camden and president of the Black Law Students Association. “Our annual awards banquet is truly a night of reflection, fellowship, and inspiration for everyone in attendance.”

The Champions of Social Justice Awards Banquet has honored 75 community leaders since 1997. A committee of students and faculty advisors representing BLSA considers nominees’ impact on society, public service, length of their service, and leadership qualities

For the past 24 years, Main has led UrbanPromise, first as executive director and now as president. UrbanPromise focuses on equipping children and teens from underserved communities with the skills necessary for academic achievement, life management, spiritual growth, and Christian leadership.

As I reflect on another great year at UrbanPromise I wanted to share with you a few accomplishments and milestones reached these past 12 months.

Thanks to you and God’s goodness, UrbanPromise has grown, our youth have succeeded, and our families have been blessed through your giving.

As we prepare for the New Year we hope you will celebrate these achievements with us:

• 600 children, teenagers, and college students engaged in UP’s after school programs, experiential learning, boat building, StreetLeader job training, schools, and summer camps.

• 4 UrbanPromise alumni returned to UrbanPromise after graduating from college to play significant roles in our ministry.

• 110 individuals from the Camden area volunteered weekly in one of UP’s programs. They helped our ministry run effectively and, perhaps more importantly, blessed youth and staff through kindness, support, and friendships.

• 50 college students from all over the world served as interns and learned, lived in community, grew, and gave selflessly through their work in Camden.

• 2 resiliency/counseling groups were started in our schools by professional volunteers: one for children who have lost a loved one to death; the other for teen girls facing issues of loss and abandonment.

• 0 days when we did not experience God at work through the life of our ministry and lives of our young people.

Whether you gave your time, resources, prayers, or talents, we thank you for embracing and supporting UrbanPromise Camden in 2011.

May you experience peace and joy this upcoming year,

Jodina Hicks
Executive Director

We did it! Amazing! Hundreds of gifts were delivered in the last week because of your generous, heart-warming response to our Christmas delivery appeal.

The incredible response from our UrbanPromise supporters allowed our vans to be fueled, gifts to be wrapped, and deliveries to be made.

I wish I could share all the notes, the phone calls, the hugs, the tears and the smiles our staff have received from grateful families.

Here is one short, powerful note from an appreciative mother.

“Words cannot express nor explain the joy I feel right now…I was embarrassed by my hardship and then I let it go and gave it to God. I was no longer embarrassed and then UrbanPromise showed up to bless my family….My children will now have gifts under the tree. We will also have a blessed meal along with food after the holidays. Thank you! Thank you! I can go on forever saying saying thank you because I truly mean it!”

This is just one of hundreds of stories. I hope your Christmas was as have joy-filled, peaceful and wonderful as ours. From all the UrbanPromise staff, volunteers and children.

We love you!

Dr. Bruce Main
President

Thank you for your generosity this Thanksgiving! Because you and many others gave to UrbanPromise’s Thanksgiving dinners, more than 650 after school program families received holiday feasts this past month.

There was enough turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie for all who came. Children unveiled dance and vocal performances they’d been practicing and blessed their families and all in attendance with their holiday acts. UrbanPromise Children’s Ministry staff worked tirelessly to host meals on the Friday, Saturday, and Monday evenings before Thanksgiving.

And the best part of the meals? Seeing the happiness and fellowship enjoyed among guests. Families who were otherwise strangers shared a meal together–black, white, Asian, and Latino families, from babies to senior citizens, broke bread (and ate turkey) at the same table.

In addition to these three dinners, UrbanPromise sent home more than 100 turkeys and sides dishes to families in need.

We, and our families, thank you. The best thanks I received came from a single mother struggling to raise seven children on her own:

“I was so glad to see you at the Thanksgiving dinner. You didn’t know what I was going through and that I didn’t want be there, but my daughter begged me to come because we attend every year. I was really feeling down because of our situation. One reason is that we didn’t have Thanksgiving preparations of our own. Through God’s grace and mercy we received a turkey basket at the dinner, so it was meant for us to be there. God already knew what blessing He had in store for us to receive.”

I hope you experience similar blessings this Advent season.

Jodina Hicks
Executive Director

On October 5, 2010 UrbanPromise student’s Karim and Ivan traveled to New York City to visited Diane Sawyer in New York to ask her some very important questions.

It was graduation night, 2011 at Azusa Pacific University, Southern California! The excitement was electric.

My wife, Pam, and I stood at the side of the stage, straining to see over the crowds of families and friends who waited for the name of their son or daughter to be announced. As each graduate’s name was called, shouts of joy reverberated throughout the stadium. If you’ve had a graduate, you know it was a very happy moment for everyone.

It was a particularly special event for me. As an alumnus of APU, I was there to witness Greg Collins, the first UrbanPromise youth to graduate from my alma mater. Starting in the 3rd grade as a camper, Greg had attended all of the UrbanPromise programs. He became an Afterschool Program participant and then a StreetLeader–where his obvious leadership skills were recognized and honed.

Because of a generous “Presidential Scholarship” from Azusa Pacific’s President, Jon Wallace, Greg was awarded the opportunity to attain a Bachelor of Arts in Education. He studied hard, enjoyed the southern California lifestyle and became a leader on campus. Greg, with his proudly awarded degree, truly embodies the potential of our youth.

But Greg never forgot his hometown and the young people of Camden. Greg resisted what social scientist call, the brain drain.

In a landmark book called, Hollowing Out the Middle, two Philadelphia-based scholars looked at the devastating impact on cities and rural towns when the brightest and best young people leave for college…and never return. They called this trend “civic suicide”. All too often intelligent young people, like Greg, get university degrees and don’t come back to inner city communities because the job market is so bleak. Consequently our cities lose the smartest and most dynamic young leaders.

However at UrbanPromise we’re continuing our trend to foster an environment where the best and brightest want to be part of our mission. Two weeks ago Greg was hired as our new Third Grade Teacher at UrbanPromise’s CamdenForward School.

“These kids need role models,” Greg said this summer, “role models who have grown up in Camden and yet have been able to do something positive with their lives–and for their country.”

“He is remarkably talented with children,” affirms our principal, Denise Baker. “Even as a college student I wanted to hire him. Our young people need positive male leadership.”

After 24 years of ministry in Camden, Pam and I are seeing some remarkable fruit—young people like Greg, coming back to Camden as teachers, social workers and counselors. It’s very gratifying.

Now, of course, you can help us celebrate our 24 Years of Promise!

With a gift of $24—that’s a dollar for each year—you can help UrbanPromise celebrate this milestone.

Or, how about $240—that’s just $10 a year—I can enroll the next Greg Collins in an AfterSchool Program this fall.

Donate now: http://upusa.servicenetwork.com/Display.asp?Page=24years&adcode=A911

Your gift will affirm our vision of keeping this ministry vibrant, forward looking and creative.

God Bless You,

Dr. Bruce Main
President