I write this note with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it gives me great joy and honor to step in as the Executive Director in the long and rich 35-year history of Greater Newark-LISC (GNL). On the other hand, I recognize the somewhat formidable challenge of not only the critical and demanding (and the increasingly in demand) work of GNL, but also the dual honor and daunting task of stepping into the very large shoes of Rhonda Lewis, my predecessor who passed away just over a year ago. Given the massive void left by the strength & power of Rhonda’s intellect and voice, I well acknowledge that Rhonda’s shoes can never be filled, but only to exhaust our best efforts to sustain her legacy well beyond her days. As shared, we have intentionally engaged in a series of legacy-sustaining activities to ensure we do our part to memorialize Rhonda.
While elated and energized in joining the LISC family, my emotional paradox also considers the ‘crisis mode’ we remained mired in. While the pandemic has generated so much pain and suffering and way too many lives lost and ruined, the crisis of racial, economic and political inequities has for far too long caused unthinkable pain, suffering and lives lost.
But with rain – and as heavy as it might be at times – there is plenty of sunshine….and plenty to marvel at as it relates to our work. I first marvel at the GNL team who is comprised of such endless energy, talent and undeterred dedication that, even in the face of tragedy and crisis, has been a beacon to help guide our local organizational and resident leaders towards the light; towards the sunshine.
I marvel at the response and resiliency of our nonprofit partners and leaders who not only remain but have expanded their absolutely crucial role and imprint as community first- and long-term recovery responders. I marvel at the members of our Local Advisory Council, investors and institutional partners & anchors who so generously share their unique blend of expertise and skill sets coupled with their unwavering and laser focus in seeking the maximum ‘social return’ on their investments of time & resources. I marvel at LISC’s vast national infrastructure driven by community development leaders who bring a collective and individual wealth that covers the ‘streets to the suites’, i.e., a comprehensive continuum of leadership & technical know-how that brings those massive resources starting at the national level and making their way down to the neighborhoods we care the most about.
Most of all, I marvel at our resident leaders who, even largely in a virtual format, remained as engaged and as connected as ever and serve as such as a crucial, civic mechanism for our communities to heal and to serve as the neighbors’ keepers irrespective of the circumstances. In my mind, they are in fact the ‘solar power’ to bring the much-needed sunshine of hope & help into their home communities.
So, let’s stick with the ‘marvel’ theme. And as you read thru the newsletter and learn more of our work and, more importantly, the work of our local stakeholders, I believe you will be marvelled too….
Sincerely,
Jorge Cruz, Executive Director
Greater Newark LISC