Some gifts are priceless: Founder of non-profit 144th & Vine raises nearly $5,000 for Opportunity Youth Network

Newark, NJ—What started as an annual birthday celebration ended as a celebration of Newark youth. Tyneisha Gibbs, Founder and Principal Consultant of the non-profit consulting agency 144th & Vine, recently encouraged friends and family to make donations to Opportunity Youth Network (OYN) in lieu of birthday gifts for herself. Gibb’s original goal was $2,500 - which was quickly reached after a single donation - but she ended up raising $4,800. 

“It's one thing for you to talk about an issue or for you to care about something but to be able to rally other folks around that cause - it's just priceless,” Gibbs said. “You can't describe that feeling because those are your people…and because you are passionate about it, and they support you, they're willing to support that call to action. My tribe and community really stepped up in a big way. I feel blessed and grateful.”

Gibbs annually makes a donation at the end of each year and chooses organizations that focus on youth development. To amplify her personal giving, this year Gibbs hosted a fundraiser in honor of her late father, Van Lamont Jones. Jones, a native of Newark, passed away at the height of the pandemic and is the reason why she started the philanthropic arm of her agency, which focuses on “adjudicate youth” – a young person that has been involved in the criminal justice system – and children with incarcerated parents.

Both her father and her brother were incarcerated at young ages, a fact that continues to drive Gibbs’ passion to help others in similar situations. She explained that the organization was named after a favorite Bible verse: “then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.” (Psalms 144:12)

“That's the reason why I choose to focus specifically on this population. Because I wish that there was someone there for my father when he lost his parents and was growing up in Newark,” she said. “I wish that there was someone there for my brother when our mother passed and he was going through the things he was going through. I wish there was an Opportunity Youth Network for both of them. As my father’s only child, I am his legacy. In this small way, I hope I honor my dad and make him proud.”

OYN is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving the outcomes of opportunity youth - young people ages 16-24 who are not in school and not working - in the state through education, workforce development, policy advocacy, and systems building. Opportunity youth are statistically more likely to be justice involved than their peers.

Gibbs learned about OYN through the organization’s Chief Program Officer Jasmine Joseph-Forman, whom she graduated from college with. She was inspired by Joseph-Forman’s sentiments about the organization to encourage others to donate. 

“This past year, we both were honored at Rider University and every time I hear her speak about the organization I’m moved to support the work that she's doing and the kids in general,” Gibbs said. 

Joseph-Forman said, “We are so appreciative of Tyneisha’s dedication to changing the lives of young people in a meaningful way and for the generosity of all who donated. It provides Newark youth and youth across the state the resources and opportunities necessary to break cycles and create new pathways to success for themselves and their families.” 

Those interested in donating to OYN and supporting their work with opportunity youth can visit https://www.newark-oyn.org/donate-now.