Project Self-Sufficiency Welcomes Commissioner Allison Blake

Dr. Allison Blake, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Children & Families, paid a visit to Project Self-Sufficiency on Thursday, March 21st, to get a glimpse of the work being done by the agency on behalf of low-income families in northwestern New Jersey. 

The Commissioner toured the agency’s “Sister-to-Sister” Prom Shop and stopped by an Enough Abuse child sexual assault prevention workshop.  Project Self-Sufficiency offers a variety of programs designed to assist low-income families in northwestern New Jersey along the path to economic self-sufficiency.

The “Sister-to-Sister” Prom Shop offers new and gently-used prom dresses and accessories to teens each spring.  Girls are invited to select a dress from the agency’s collection, which is replenished year after year from donations from the community.  The prom shop was initiated by high school students Isabella and Sophie Ilaria several years ago, and is now operated by the Parent Advisory Board of the Sussex County Family Success Center.  The agency gives away hundreds of dresses to area teens each spring.

“Prom time is such a special and exciting time in the life of any youth,” said DCF Commissioner Dr. Allison Blake.   “It signifies so much in respect to our lives, a culmination of much hard work, a final step closer to graduation and the beginning of a new journey- college and career.  I am absolutely thrilled to have been able to join in support of the Sister-to- Sister Prom Shop Dress event this year in celebration of the achievements of the many young women who participated and feel so privileged to have been able to partake in such an important and momentous time in their lives.”   

The agency has recently initiated the Enough Abuse campaign, under the umbrella of the Sussex Warren Partnership to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey.  Training programs are offered frequently at Project Self-Sufficiency, as well as at other venues, to offer tips to coaches, teachers, parents, students and child-serving professionals about detecting and helping to prevent child sexual assault.  A training program for area professionals was in progress during the Commissioner’s visit.

“Project Self-Sufficiency is proud to be able to showcase to the Commissioner of the Department of Children & Families the wide variety of programs we offer to area residents,” noted Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon.  “The Enough Abuse campaign is quickly spreading across Sussex and Warren counties, offering area residents the opportunity to take a stand against the horrors of child sexual assault.  In addition, the Sister-to-Sister Prom Shop allows teen girls to select a dress in a dignified setting.  These programs demonstrate Project Self-Sufficiency’s dual mission of promoting economic self-sufficiency and family stability for families residing in northwestern New Jersey.”

Project Self-Sufficiency offers a variety of programs designed to assist low-income families on the path to economic self-sufficiency with funding in part from the New Jersey Department of Children & Families.  Computer classes and help with resume-writing, interview skills and workplace etiquette are offered at the agency’s Career Center, along with GED instruction, testing and assessment and classes in financial management. 

The agency also offers programs for displaced homemakers, parenting skills workshops, legal assistance and education, childcare, life skills classes, home visitation initiatives for new parents, including Sussex Healthy Families/TIP, Parents as Teachers, and the new Nurse-Family Partnership, family activities, teen youth employment programs, and help with emergency basic needs like food and clothing.  Most services are free to income-eligible families; many programs are open to the public. 

For more information about the programs offered at Project Self-Sufficiency, call 973-940-3500 or visit www.projectselfsufficiency.org.