It is a morning that will forever be etched in the mind of Christopher Smith. He was nine years old and asleep in the two-family house in Irvington he shared with his parents, four siblings and elderly grandmother.
“At about 6 o’clock a lady from the first floor came banging on the door telling us to get out,” the now 17-year-old West Side High School senior recalled.

The house, located on Grove Street, was on fire. It would end up being destroyed by a blaze that quickly spread through the wood-frame structure. read more

Barbara Waiters is raising ten grandchildren, ranging in age from one to nineteen.  While the older children pitch in to help, the task is not easy.

“I just felt it was my place to take them all,” Ms. Waiters said when asked about her motivation for taking in all the children.  “They’re brothers and sisters,” she continued.  “I just wanted to keep them together.  It felt like it was the natural thing to do." read more

From Welfare To Work:
NCC Program Gave Her The Break She Needed

Before Christy Archer enrolled in New Community Corporation’s Gateway to Work ShopRite Training Program, her search for a job was leaving her increasingly frustrated. No one wanted to hire her. read more