NJRC Announces 2025 Reentry Ambassador Luncheon Roundtable

The New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC) is pleased to announce the upcoming “2025 Ambassador Roundtable” to be held on Friday, May 2, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., at 195 Campus Drive, Kearny, New Jersey.

This event will honor the vital role of community leaders and ambassadors in promoting social
reintegration, restorative justice, and community equity throughout New Jersey. During the ceremony, the prestigious Lifetime Ambassador Award will be presented to two distinguished leaders:

George Helmy: honored for his outstanding leadership in public service and his steadfast advocacy for historically marginalized populations.
Reverend Allen Boyer: recognized for his transformative pastoral ministry, commitment to social justice, and tireless promotion of human dignity.
Reverend Louis Scott-Rountree: celebrated for her impactful civic leadership, dedication to faith based community empowerment, and unwavering service as Councilwoman At Large in Newark.

In addition, more than 100 new ambassadors will be formally sworn in, embracing their commitment to serve as agents of change, reconciliation, and community building. The day’s program will feature strategic panel discussions focused on critical areas:

Legal Panel: Discuss legal services provided by NJRC, including identification card restoration and over $1.9 million in fines waived and bail revoked in 2024.
Mental Health Panel: Highlight the achievements of the Francine A. LeFrak Wellness Center, operated by the Reentry Training Center with RWJBarnabas Health and Clara Mass Medical Center, which provides on-site mental health screenings, referrals, and treatment for trauma and substance abuse linked to incarceration.
Training and Workforce Development Panel: Discuss the Reentry Training Center, which offers training in healthcare and general construction industries, including forklift operation, general electricity, phlebotomy, solar installation, and welding. Participants may earn stackable, industry recognized credentials, including Peer Recovery Specialist and OSHA 30 certifications.
Call to Action: Review the NJRC report “Sentencing Reform for Criminalized Survivors of Abuse in New Jersey;” prepare guests to engage with the State Legislator to advocate for the passage of a Survivors Justice Act (SJA) in NJ. The SJA emphasizes the urgent need for sentencing reforms to protect survivors of abuse who have been unjustly criminalized.

About the NJRC Ambassador Program
Based on Columbia University's initiative to increase dialogue between court-involved individuals, law enforcement, and representatives of the broader community, the NJRC Ambassador Program aims to promote reconciliation, repair harm, and rebuild community relationships through restorative processes that respect the dignity of all participants. Through storytelling, apologies, acts of amendment, and civic engagement at NJRC-facilitated service events, such as diaper, feminine product, coat, and food distributions, participants work toward restoring trust and strengthening social cohesion.

Professor Carolyn Boyes-Watson of Suffolk University affirmed that the Ambassador Program “seeks solutions that prioritize repair, reconciliation, and the rebuilding of communal relationships, fostering mutual accountability for constructive responses to harm.”

About the New Jersey Reentry Corporation
The New Jersey Reentry Corporation is a nonprofit organization committed to eliminating faced by individuals reentering society, providing integrated access to healthcare, employment, job training, housing, and legal assistance. NJRC’s mission is to build a model of Second Chances that fosters self-sufficiency, equity, and human dignity.