If completely honest, I’ve never known the numbing feeling of my world collapsing in on me.
I’ve never known what it’s like to feel helpless to change my circumstances.
Call it luck. Call it privilege. Call it blessing. By God’s grace, I’ve not traveled that road.
But Johnani has….
“People just don’t understand how hard it is to break out of the street life,” he recently shared. “I was in deep.”
In deep? Johnani sold crack cocaine between classes in high school, paid off security guards for their silence, packed guns, ran with gangs… He was on a fast track to the morgue or life behind bars.
“I was on probation,” continued my young friend. “The judge gave me six months to clean up my act. If I didn’t, I was going to get real-time. That scared me.”
So what do you do when you’re 15 and need to radically change your life—with no support system, no wealthy benefactor, no relative to move you out of the neighborhood for a fresh start….
For starters, he needed to get back in school. “Camden High wouldn’t take me, Woodrow Wilson High wouldn’t either because of my history.”
Johnani needed a lifeline—a place willing to look beyond his criminal record and his low grades.
UrbanPromise was his only option. We opened our arms.
“Classes were small. I couldn’t hide,” remembered Johnani. “Teachers didn’t judge me. I got serious about school.”
And UrbanPromise became more than his school. Johnani joined the Trekker program, built boats, and was employed to help with our camps.
Instead of being consumed by the streets, he was consumed by the good things happening at UrbanPromise.
“Looking back, I think about how much my time at Urban helped me grow and become the person I am today,” he reflected.
Some kids simply need a lifeline.
When families, law enforcement, social services, and public institutions can’t provide what’s needed—where do kids turn?
UrbanPromise is that place. A place that says “yes” when the world says “no”.
A place that surrounds every child—especially those who need it most—with love, faith, and support they need to grow into the person God created them to be.
We play a critical, necessary, and unique role in our community.
And that’s why I need you to step up big this Christmas and year-end. We need to keep our doors, arms and hearts open for the next Johnani.
Trust me, there’s no better investment.
And, your contribution can be my early Christmas gift. Nothing will make me happier.
Merry Christmas!
Bruce Main
Founder & President
P.S. Did you know? From 2016 to 2019, while Johnani was a student at UrbanPromise, it cost approximately $22,500 total to educate and support him. In contrast, if he had spent those same three years in a juvenile institution, it could have cost the state of New Jersey up to $750,000. This staggering difference in cost and outcomes highlights the incredible impact our team has on young people and society as a whole.
P.P.S. After graduating from our high school, Johnani’s become an electrical lineman—now making a good living with a matching retirement plan. “I just got back from Florida where I was replacing power lines after hurricane Milton. It’s long hours and hard on the body, but I make good money and save it up.”
Double your impact!!
The first $135,000 cash, stock gift, or pledge (one-time or monthly) will be DOUBLED between now and December 31, 2024.
