The program is a simple one: two years of dedicated work through a four phase strategic action plan based on what matters most to the community at large. Yet there were a few other “bonus” components that sweetened the deal.

1. Hidden & Missing Voices

The Heart & Soul model is built on three principles: focus on what matters, involve everyone, and play the long game. The emotional connections communities have to their neighborhood are vital for tapping into the “heart and soul” of that place. Sustainability and making sure the work continues regardless of who’s in charge or where the money’s coming from makes the program the most impactful that it can be. But the root of what makes a program like Woodbury Heart & Soul so special is that it places those normally on the outskirts of local decision making right in the center of it all.

We’ve identified through extensive community network analysis that Woodbury’s youth, seniors, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ populations have not had a regular seat at the table. Bringing those voices into the fold and making sure these communities are heard is a top priority for Woodbury Heart & Soul and we’ve made great strides in connecting with some, but not all yet; there is still a lot of work to be done!

2. New & Emerging Leaders

As we engage with the community through story gathering, public events & activities, and other volunteer efforts, folks from across the city have naturally stepped up as new leaders. The work is so important to us all that it can rest on just one person’s shoulders. Creating opportunities for anyone that wants a chance to engage more directly with their community is what Woodbury Heart & Soul is all about! A perfect example is a young woman that we connected with through a local City Council member who became a Spanish translator for a story gathering event with Latinx folks at a salon in North Woodbury. A connection that might not have happened had Woodbury Heart & Soul not been around actually created a beautiful moment in connecting with our Latinx population more meaningfully. Volunteers who make our work possible are stepping into new leadership roles in their community every day because of our program!

3. Community Endowment Fund

All of the work we do with Woodbury Heart & Soul is grant-funded through various regional and national partners like the Orton Family Foundation and the Community Foundation of South Jersey. That grant, however, is only meant to serve one purpose: implement the Community Heart & Soul model in Woodbury. While this grant has served as an amazing catalyst for our City thus far, we will eventually deplete the funds, which means in order to keep our work going we need a more long-term and stable source of finances. That’s why as we continue to do the work right now, we’re also fundraising to establish a permanent endowment fund for community investment that will live on well past our two year program. Endowment funds are investment accounts that can be used for a variety of purposes, but the greatest feature is that they continually grow. When we start to wrap up the program officially, we’ll ask a group of residents and other community stakeholders to manage that community fund – our stewardship team. This will ensure that new opportunities for investment in our community are coming directly from our community.

These aspects about the Heart & Soul model were so important to me when I first decided to help The FAF write this grant. Building new platforms for folks in our City to share their voices with the larger community, especially those that don’t normally have a platform, exemplifies everything right about community development. Listening to stories and allowing people to tap back into the emotional connections they have with this City is such a beautiful honor to witness, both as Program Director and as a fellow Woodbury resident always eager to always learn more my City.

Community organizing is my passion. Connecting with folks gives me fuel. Discussing issues and solutions to make our City a better place is what gets me up in the morning. That’s why I loved being the Program Director for Woodbury Heart & Soul so much.

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The five other awarded towns were announced in February: the Town of Hammonton, Willingboro Township, Winslow Township, Downe Township, and Salem City.

The FAF Coalition, alongside the city government and many local residents, businesses, and nonprofit & faith-based organizations worked tirelessly to secure this grant award. The work consisted of workshops, webinars, submitting a letter of intent and full application, holding a community engagement meeting at the Woodbury Child Development Center, and a site interview at City Hall with members of the Community Foundation of South Jersey and other local and national funding partners.

The grant is made possible through generous support from the Community Foundation of South Jersey’s Transform South Jersey, a collaboration between the Community Foundation of South Jersey and local & national funding partners, which aims to strengthen the social, cultural, and economic vibrancy of South Jersey communities.

After attending the program introduction meeting, The FAF Coalition board felt this would be an incredible opportunity for the City of Woodbury, and one in which we could successfully respond to the Request for Applications and provide the infrastructure to support the program. It felt like a natural fit to step in as the local convening partner because Transform South Jersey complements The FAF’s mission perfectly. The FAF Coalition champions initiatives rich in arts, culture, and sustainable design as a catalyst for community development and economic revitalization. It executes those initiatives by creating engaging places and innovative experiences that transform the lives of the community.

The FAF Coalition is also excited to introduce Jared Hunter, who has accepted the position of Program Director. Jared has lived in Woodbury for over ten years with a long family history in the City. He is currently pursuing a PhD in public affairs with a concentration in community development at Rutgers-Camden. His work in community development began seven years ago in West Philadelphia as an undergraduate student at University of the Sciences, before moving onto Camden to pursue a master’s degree in public administration.

In Camden, he worked for a public health nonprofit and supported the development of the organization’s community engagement strategies on a local and national level. He oversaw a national program that organized people with complex health and social needs to advise healthcare industry executives on their engagement strategies. Locally, he worked with a group of activists to stop the shutdown of a methadone clinic downtown, to ensure that people who needed medically assisted treatment had the access they deserved.

Jared has recently received his second master’s degree in public affairs from Rutgers-Camden, and since returning to Woodbury, has become involved in a number of community-focused efforts. He has joined the Board of Directors for The FAF Coalition, spent a year and a half working for the local government at City Hall, and for the past year has curated a Woodbury coverage podcast called “Woodbury Voice!” highlighting stories about good work being done in the community.

Over the next two years the program’s leadership will lay out a foundation to engage every corner of the City’s neighborhoods and communities, collecting stories and holding public discussions about what matters most to them. Those stories will be transformed into an action plan to address issues, create stronger relationships between communities, and establish new and sustainable economic development strategies.

While the program leadership is expected to change and grow over the next two years, the initial leadership team highlights the City’s diversity, collective strengths, and commitment to partnership:

Jared Hunter Program Director

Bonnie Powers
Secretary, The FAF Coalition

Dr. Melinda Johnson
Founder & President, Johnson Manor of Faith & Education, Inc.
Woodbury School Board Member

Ted Johnson
Woodbury City Councilman

Reed Merinuk
Woodbury City Councilman

Cassidy Swanson
Woodbury City Community Events Coordinator
Woodbury City Neighborhood Preservation Coordinator

Jamilah Damiani
Owner/Operator, MADE. Artisan Marketplace
President, Woodbury Human Rights Commission

Jose Avila
Owner, Vallarta House Grocery Store

Rev. Dr. Charles Boyer
Pastor, Bethel AME Church of Woodbury

Savanah Lewis
Local resident and high school student

Transform South Jersey is built on the Orton Family Foundation’s Community Heart & Soul model, a catalyst for positive change in small cities and towns. By actively seeking the community’s collective wisdom, including those whose voice are often missing, Woodbury will become a stronger, healthier, and more economically vibrant place to live, work, learn, and play. During this two-year process, the program will also actively dedicate resources toward asset building by establishing a community endowment fund. This fund will dedicate wealth, resources, and direct investment into the Woodbury community for many years to come.

If you are interested in and excited by this unique opportunity in Woodbury’s history and would like to get involved, please reach out to Jared Hunter at (856) 812-4112 or jared@thefaf.net.

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The summer pop-up park, spearheaded by The FAF Coalition, has been one of Woodbury’s most incredible annual events since 2014. On Friday nights between June and August you can come out to a public space that’s designed to capture Woodbury’s heart and soul. Live music, games, food trucks, wine & beer; and as of last year there’s been an even stronger presence of the arts including live paintings, clothesline displays, and an enormous interactive mural right at the center of it all.

(Pictures of the north and south facing sides of the mural at LOT 323 by Runnemede artist J. Kenneth Leap)

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced us all into our homes last summer, as restrictions loosened the community came back together in full force for 2021 at LOT 323! Woodbury Heart & Soul joined along to connect with our neighbors and chat with them about what matters most. Over the three weeks we set up at LOT 323, we asked the community three simple but extremely important questions: 

• How would you describe Woodbury in three words?
• How would you describe what you’d like Woodbury to look like in five years?
• What is your favorite Woodbury memory?

From these three simple questions over three weeks we got 170 individual responses! These stories that you shared with us included descriptions of Woodbury as “community,” “potential,” “home,” and “diverse.” In five years the community told us that Woodbury would have more stores, an ice cream shop, and better appreciation for the arts. And some of the greatest memories you shared were about all aspects of community life including walking down Broad Street, the Wood Theatre, and kids playing in the local neighborhoods. 

We also had great activities for our youth, asking them the same questions, but with some more creative & interactive end results!

We’re so excited to explore our community in Phase 2 and look forward to staying connected as the work continues!

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