April 9, 2026
This spring, Sherelle attended a Father’s Day gathering, and it was the first time in a long time she enjoyed celebrating with her family. The difference this year was Sherelle was sober. “When I was drinking, family parties were different,” she said. “This year, drinking …
March 30, 2026
Born and raised in Hamilton, Marshay enlisted in the Navy after graduating from Hamilton High School North in 2002. She was following in her older brother Michael’s footsteps. For the next four years, she served as a Quartermaster, navigating Navy vessels all around the world. …
March 20, 2026
Samantha’s Journey to Recovery
“The gratitude I have for this place…” Sitting in the art studio at HomeFront, an emergency shelter, Samantha shakes her head, searching for the right words. “Everyone here has been incredible.”
In just three months, Samantha has gone from one of the …
March 17, 2026
TRENTON, NJ – After 15 years at the helm of a growing social service agency, Marlene Laó‑Collins, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, has announced she will retire this December marking the close of a remarkable chapter in the organization’s history.
“On behalf of …
March 9, 2026
Every Thursday, volunteer John Cleary stands at the front of a classroom at El Centro in Trenton, helping people learn English. The number of students may vary, but John is always there, ready to teach. El Centro, a program of Children and Family Services, supports …
October 25, 2025
Celebrating Marlene Laó-Collins
On October 21, 2025, the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, Inc. (NJAMHAA) honored our Executive Director, Marlene Laó-Collins, with its prestigious Lifelong Leadership in Serving Vulnerable Populations Award at the association’s Fall Conference, Harvesting Hope: A Vision for Behavioral …
September 27, 2025
On September 19, 2025, a horror beyond imagination struck families living along the 1200 block of North Olden Avenue in Trenton. That night, a three-alarm fire tore through seven connected houses. By morning, residents learned the devastating news: the blaze had claimed the life of …
March 17, 2025
Sophia and Eddie were sweethearts in their teens. Though their relationship ended, they remained friends. Fast forward to 2013, and the couple reconnected, rekindled their love and decided to marry. “Eddie is my rock,” Sophia said. “We’ve been through so much together.”
In 2018, tragedy …
November 27, 2024
In 1997, Roberto Hernandez recognized the Hispanic population in the City of Trenton was grossly underserved — dealing with poverty and violence in their neighborhoods. Hernandez, who was working as a Program Coordinator with the Family Growth Program at the time, said he brought it …
October 25, 2024
Since taking the helm of Catholic Charities USA a year and a half ago, Kerry Alys Robinson has been traveling around the country visiting the network of agencies making up the CCUSA family. In October, her travels brought her to Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, …
