Is This Really Camden?

Carol Riley remembers the tears running down her face as she watched her 7-year-old grandson Aziz Goode swim for the first time. 

"The biggest thing [The Salvation Army's Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center] did for me besides keeping him in a safe place, was you taught my child how to swim," Riley said. "Aziz learned how to swim here. We came to watch him – his mother, his father and me – and all we did was cry. Aziz can swim, and then he also went scuba diving? Where are we? Is this really Camden?"

Seeing her grandson at all is a gift that Riley counts her blessings for every day. After what she has been through, seeing Aziz born, let alone seeing him grow up, seemed unlikely. Ten years ago, Riley suffered a stroke; and then another and another. All told, Riley has suffered five strokes over the course of the last decade. The days lost to hospital beds have been far too many to count. Yet whatever toll those strokes have taken from here physically, they have done nothing to disrupt her mentally or slow her hunger for her family to succeed. 

"This is something on my bucket list – to spend valued time with my grandchildren before I go to sleep," Riley said passionately. "But before I go to sleep, they are going to have to tie me down. Thanks to this place and Life of Lords – which is where I go for medical and is the reason I'm alive – between mentally here and physically there, I might be here for a while."

Riley became aware of what the Kroc Center had to offer shortly after its opening. Her nephew had been going through health problems and hoped the fitness components the building had to offer could help him become healthier. 

"He's lost fifty pounds since coming here," Riley said. "I knew I had to come check it out."

As summer approached, she also knew she had to find a way to get her grandson into the six-week summer camp offered at the Kroc Center. So with the help of Aziz's father, Riley made the financial investment necessary to ensure Aziz's summer would be one to remember.   

 "The most positive thing that I have seen here this summer is that children in Camden have somewhere to go," said Riley. "I have lived in Camden for over 50 years and used to sit and watch the fireman come here (the Kroc Center site which used to be a landfill) because the fire would be coming out of the ground. I've been here a long time. Children have somewhere to go now. You really don't know how many lives you have saved here. These kids come in here in droves. They love this place, and I like it too."

"I had to find somewhere for my grandson to go for the summer where I knew he could be safe,” Riley continued. There are so many children and young black males, and Hispanics and whites killed on these streets every day.”

Riley paused before speaking about two young men in their 20s who were killed in Camden the night before. 

"I don’t care what city or town you are in - things happen, and I don't want my child to be out there. I thank God for his blessings for allowing us to be here."

In addition to learning how to swim, Aziz has improved on his math skills thanks in small part to the café. Riley makes sure her grandson can count change before allowing him to order a meal.

Despite seeing so many tragic things in her 50-plus years living in Camden, Riley's outlook is one of extreme positivity. She believes things have made a serious stride in the right direction in recent years and that the Kroc Center is a major step in the right direction for the city's future. 

"I have friends that come here from Voorhees," she said with a raised brow. "That's interesting to me. People never wanted to come through (Camden) on the bus, but they come here to the Kroc Center because they always know they are safe. You see people walking here, you see people coming in buses, cabs. People are coming to this place. This place is awesome."

After being through so much the last 10 years, Riley has a true appreciation for life and the time she gets to spend with her family. Having a place where that could happen this summer was the ultimate gift.  

"I couldn't have anything better," she said. "Kids always ask me what I want for my birthday, and I always tell them 'love, peace and happiness.' And God knows this has been my love, peace and happiness to have my grandson with me."


Written by Eric Schwartz
Operations Assistant
The Salvation Army Kroc Center - Camden

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A Summer of Adventure, A Lifetime of Memories

One of the lesser known programs of The Salvation Army is its residential camping program for children aged  6-12. There are eleven such camps in the Northeastern states. In New Jersey, our Camp Tecumseh is a beautiful 400 acre property nestled in the pastoral farmlands of western New Jersey, not far from the Delaware River. It offers a full array of traditional camp activities, such as swimming, boating, athletics, horse rides, arts & crafts and hiking. Its petting farm, with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and rabbits, give inner-city children an opportunity to discover the wonders of the animal world in a personal way, without cages and restrictions. All of these traditional activities are enjoyed in a Christian camp setting where the love of God and Christian ideals are modeled, taught, experienced and celebrated.

Camp Tecumseh is named after Chief Tecumseh of the Shawnee Nation, who lived from 1768-1813. It is accredited by the American Camping Association and licensed by the State of New Jersey. The staff is a very diverse group; they come from across New Jersey, other parts of the United States and around the world. They are carefully chosen for their maturity, enthusiasm, compassion, love for children and dedication to making a difference in the lives of others.

At the conclusion of camp, one child said: "My counselors helped me make the right choices." Multiply this statement by the hundreds of children who enjoy the Camp Tecumseh experience each year, and The Salvation Army's camping program is impacting the future of the State of New Jersey. 

Chief Tecumseh would be pleased. History has recorded his words of wisdom to his people - words that challenge us, more than two hundred years later:

"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Love your live, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.
Seek to make your life long and its purpose the service of your people.
Show respect to all and grovel to none.
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.
Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.
When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in I different way.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."
-Chief Tecumseh, 1768-1813

One little boy from the inner-city of Newark, exclaimed "Camp is the best place in the world!" That positive experience is the objective of all staff members for every child who arrives at camp.

The Salvation Army's ministry to suffering humanity is not just a special seasonal project, identified by the famous "Red Kettle." It is true that ”Need knows no Season” and for the disadvantaged children in New Jersey, Camp Tecumseh is a special week that gives memories to last a lifetime.

Jesus said: "Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children!" (Matthew 19:14)

For more information on Camp Tecumseh, visit http://www.camptecumseh.com, or to donate, visit http://www.salvationarmynj.org/donate

Written by Gloria Hohn
Asbury Park Corps

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The Offering

It's the small things in life that truly capture my eye. Things like the smile of a child and that light in his or her eye that glows and shines beyond anything I have ever witnessed in life. Moments like these are captured flawlessly by my mind like a photograph, and they remind me about the love and word of God. One child in particular named Jayden, a small young boy in my Corps, left me with an unforgettable portrait. 

One Sunday morning during announcements, he tapped my hand and whispered, "Elizabeth guess what?" I looked at him with curiosity and responded, "What?" He smiled so widely as he cradled something out of his pocket. "What is it?" I asked. He opened his little fist and showed me two pennies, and his little eyes glowed with excitement. Then, he sat back and anxiously waited for the announcement to end and the time of offering to begin. As the time came, he smiled at me then became nervous. He asked me to walk with him, and I did.

It meant so much to see such a young child present an offering to God. Two pennies doesn't really seem like much. However, to this child, two pennies meant everything. It brought me back to the story in the Bible about the widow who gave two small copper coins in the offering box. The Bible tells us that “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." (Luke 21:1-4)

Jayden reminded me that it isn't about how much you give but how you are giving it to Him. He presented his offering with a willing heart, full of love and excitement for God. Even if he didn’t quite understand that, it was powerful to me. It reassured me and taught me that nothing is too small for God. I've convinced myself time after time that what I have to give to God just isn't enough, nor can it be compared to all He has done for me. My all isn't always a lot, but God says it's enough, and that amazes me. God receives all that we give with a willing heart and blesses it no matter how small. Deuteronomy 15:10 tells us to "Give generously to Him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to."

That day in offering, Jayden gave more than anyone in the congregation. He offered to God all that he had, a big heart along with two small pennies, and that was the greatest offering I have witnessed. Not only do I believe that God will bless his little heart, but through Jayden, God has blessed me.

Written by Elizabeth Ramirez

Newark Ironbound Corps

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Why Are You Here?

It began as an assignment and quickly became a calling.

I'm the multimedia gal at the office. I build websites, manage social media accounts, take photos and film/edit videos. So, visiting The Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club of Newark Ironbound to capture new photos was "all in a day's work" in my mind. I couldn't have anticipated what God had in His mind for me that day.

As I floated through classrooms of students doing homework, almost everyone stopped to flash me a smile. Some shared what they were working on, some wanted to know all about me. Every second that passed opened my heart a little bit more.

It's important and humorous to note that for practically my entire life, I've had an aversion to kids. Didn't want to be around them, didn't want to talk to them and certainly didn't want to have them! So, for God to be softening an area of my heart that had been hardened for years...Well, that's just characteristic of who He is!

I'm not sure exactly what it was about these children (perhaps sensing God's love for them) that made me want to come back again and again. I am now a weekly volunteer at the Club.

Spending time with "my kids" (it didn't take long for me to dub them that) is exciting, exhausting and eye-opening. In some ways, their childhoods mirror mine, and in others, they are painfully different. Many are considered at-risk children for circumstances beyond their control. I feel I have a responsibility to show them what they can control - their actions towards others and carrying hope for the future.

I want these kids to understand that the kingdom of God belongs to them (Mark 10:14), and the Lord of all creation knows them intimately (Psalm 139). I want to guide them in truth and grace. Sometimes, sitting on the steps and playing Uno cards doesn't feel like I'm doing that. But I know that every minute we spend together is blessed. Any time I have with them is an opportunity to encourage the good in their hearts and see the sparks in their eyes that nearly melt my being.

Last week, my future soccer star and Candy Land enthusiast friend, knowing I'm not a full-time counselor like some other Club staff, asked me, "Why are you here?"

"Because I love you," I answered.

I pray she heard my words as if they flowed from Jesus' lips. I pray that we as an Army and I as a follower of Christ show children why they are here. Because He loves them. Endlessly, fiercely and completely.

Written by Elyse Jankowski
Community Relations Associate

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