North Ward News North Ward Center
This article originally ran on nj.com March 15, 2009
The Rev. Andre LaPaul Speight said he has been praying for a bus for his Newark ministry. His prayers were answered Sunday when a bus donated by the North Ward Center pulled into the parking lot in front of God's Deliverance Praise and Outreach Center in the city's Central Ward.
"We could never afford a bus like this," Speight told his ministry, which had gathered outside after Sunday service. "This bus will be well used to do our ministry."
This article originally ran Feb. 17, 2009 on nj.com
Federico Velez was headed to Columbia University in the early 1970s to earn a master's degree in social work when he had a change of heart. Instead, the Brooklyn native came to Newark to study law at Rutgers University.
As a lawyer, Mr. Velez believed he could be a more effective advocate for the Puerto Rican community. His first job in the legal profession was with the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund in New York, where he worked on class action cases involving civil rights litigation.
This article originally appeared Feb. 1, 2009 in The Star-Ledger
Oprah Winfrey, whose charitable work has extended around the world, has handed out more than $1.5 million to five nonprofit schools and organizations based in Newark as part of a nationwide gift-giving campaign that surprised many recipients.
A spokeswoman for Winfrey said the contributions were among more than a dozen grants to education- and community-focused organizations that were given through the entertainer's foundation at the end of the year.
