Paterson native Rodney experienced houslessness after a car accident. He was able to find housing through Triple C Housing and has found a community at Elijah’s Project.
Read MoreKatura Williams
Katura Williams has experienced an abusive home life several times in her life. She has had a substance abuse disorder and served a five-year prison sentence for assault. She is now certified in culinary arts, but is stuck in New Brunswick because of car issues. She is utilizing the resources at Elijah’s Promise until her car can be fixed so that she can go home.
Read MoreIngemar Hankerson
Ingemar Hankerson has recently experienced houslessness and is currently living in a sober living house. He now works with the donations at Elijah’s Promise and has been clean for four years.
Read MoreCharles Wallace
Charles Wallace has been experiencing houselessness for over ten years. He discusses his abusive childhood and his daily trials and routines. Charles often volunteers and is usually cheering up those around him.
Read MoreTown Clock CDC Resident
This Town Clock CDC resident details their upbringing in Canada and New Jersey, and the domestic abuse that occurred in their family. They describe the physical and verbal abuse they encountered during their second marriage and the traumatic circumstances that occurred during their separation from their spouse. It was during this point that they found the services provided at Town Clock CDC.
Read MoreSandy
Sandy describes her childhood and multi-generational domestic abuse, both during her childhood and later in her life. She has had many interesting careers, specifically in the food business, and now is involved with the Board of the Town Clock CDC.
Read MoreEric Pereira
New Brunswick resident Eric Pereira grew up in a large, close-knit family near Howell, New Jersey. Eric caused a fatal car crash, which led him to serve six years in prison. He discusses his experiences with the legal system as a young person. While incarcerated, Eric took advantage of the NJSTEP program, which he now works for after he was released.
Read MoreTheresa Lyons
Family law attorney Theresa Lyons discusses her life’s trajectory, as well as the societal pressures that she felt growing up as part of the LGBT community during the height of the AIDS crisis and learning and teaching within Catholic school systems. She not only is a practicing lawyer, but also has her Master’s in Social Work. She has pioneered several activities and organizations, including the Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion, and is the managing partner of Lyons & Associates, P.C.
Heather Fenyk
Heather Fenyk was raised in Minnesota and, after her time at the University of Iowa, moved to New York City where she became involved in Hudson River restoration projects. An avid and experienced traveler, Heather attended Rutgers to study transportation, bicycle, and pedestrian planning. This experience led to Heather receiving a doctorate in civic science, and has shaped her work in various community projects, and specifically with the Lower Raritan Watershed Partnership.
Read MoreSusan Kramer-Mills
Reverend Susan Kramer Mills is the Executive Director of Town Clock CDC. She recalls her early childhood as well as her lifelong mission to help others and how she does that through church services.
Read MoreBill Schultz
Bill Schultz grew up at the lower end of the Raritan River in Perth Amboy. He narrates his life relative to the water that was around him, and also reflects on the important interactions with water that shaped his relationship to water preservation now. After several moves around the country, Bill came back to the area and spent twenty-nine years in public services. He founded the Raritan RIVERKEEPER program in 1998. Bill discusses his role as a Raritan Riverkeeper, and how he would like people’s perceptions of the Raritan River to change.
Read MorePatricia Willard
Metuchen resident Patricia Willard has always understood how gender plays an important role in how people are treated. She details growing up in Somerset, New Jersey in the 1950s, as well as her careers in music education and her time as a deputy attorney general. Patricia has a transgender son, who is the light of her life. She talks about experiencing her son’s transition and how his experiences have helped to shape her.
Read MoreDonald Roden
Dr. Roden is a History Professor at Rutgers and was very influential in starting the Mountainview Education Project for individuals who were previously incarcerated. He is very passionate about education being a pathway to a better quality of life.
Read MoreIvelisse Gilestra
Ivelisse Gilestra was raised in Puerto Rico and moved to New York City when she was 17 to get away from an unsafe lifestyle. She was arrested when she was 26 in Jersey City after a serious incident with a police officer. Ivelisse served fifteen years, with five years of parole. She is an organizer and a proponent of NJ-STEP, and is interested in healing justice initiatives. She is currently involved in campaigns to remove barriers to education for those who were formerly incarcerated as well as for those who are currently incarcerated.
Read MoreJeff Dement
Jeff Dement loved fish and the natural world since he started fishing in Monmouth County at the age of five. He was the Program Director for Marine and Fish Tagging Program at the American Littoral Society. Jeff narrates his life through the bodies of water that he lived by and that were important to him.
Read MoreJoe Mish
Joe Mish has lived his entire life near the Raritan River. Throughout his life experiences, Joe’s interests and studies revolved around the biodiversity and importance of the wildlife of the River. For over fifteen years, he has written a column called “Along the South Branch” for Branchburg News. During the interview, Joe pulls from memories to contextualize the importance of the past, present, and future of the Raritan River.
Read MoreEric Ekoue
Eric Ekoue was born and raised on the Ivory Coast, and left two years into his Biology, Chemistry, and Geology studies to come to the US where he studied at Essex County College. Eric’s path led him to the Watershed when he began working at the Newark Water Plant, and had led him to his career. As an expert in his field, Eric discusses the City of New Brunswick’s Water Utility, and the need for all of us to conserve and protect our water sources.
Read MoreNancy Gale
Nancy Gale recounts her adolescence and describes what it is like to raise a transgender child. She discusses how she has advocated for her child and how hindsight has helped her see key moments in her child’s gender expression.
Read MoreMargaret Nichols
Therapist Margie Nichols is the founder and was the first executive director of the Institute for Personal Growth. She charts the therapeutic evolution of helping the LGBT community, and discusses the many LGBT and gay-lesbian organizations that she was a part of and founded, including HYACINTH, a social service organization for people with AIDS.
Read MoreBrian Smith
Brian Smith is a teacher at North Star Academy in Newark. He has lived in New Brunswick since 1991, when he came to Rutgers to row on the crew team. He has lived on the canal since 1997, and chose to raise his kids there because of their access to the water. Brian discusses his life on the Raritan, his love for the area, and also the various storm experiences he has had living so close to the river.
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