As 2025 comes to a close, we are reflecting on the memorable moments at Anchor House this year.
Transforming Our Programs and Our Community: Mental Health Services Expansion
Anchor House was ecstatic to announce earlier this year that we were the recipient of a Sunset Grant through the Bunbury Fund at the Princeton Area Community Foundation (PACF).
This was truly a transformational gift as it allowed Anchor House to expand our mental health services not just for youth in our programs but throughout our community in dire need of help. Our goal is simple: reduce wait times, increase access, and ensure that every young person who walks through our doors can receive the high-quality mental health care they need and deserve.
With threats of Medicaid cuts and mental health programs being eliminated, this funding and our expansion is needed, now more than ever.
Youth Success Stories
At the heart of Anchor House’s mission are the young people whose courage and determination shape their own paths to success.
Earlier this year, we shared the inspiring stories of Ke’Asia and Myasia, who served as featured speakers at an Empowerment Breakfast hosted by Dress for Success Central New Jersey, one of our longstanding community partners. Both courageously shared their journeys before a packed audience, and we could not have been prouder.
Throughout the year, we also highlighted the stories of several other youth as they worked toward happy, successful futures. Stories like DJ, who dreams of opening his own culinary business, knowing that his Anchor House family will be his first customers. Journeys like Tracy’s, who is pursuing a full-time degree in Biomedical Sciences at Rutgers University, with aspirations of working in the medical field and making a difference, just as Anchor House made a difference in her life. And stories like Ezra’s, who found stability at Anchor House and, in doing so, rediscovered his passion for music.
What do all these stories of have in common? Each credits the unwavering support of the Anchor House staff for helping turn their challenges into triumphs, paving the way on their road to success.
Supporters Transforming Lives
At Anchor House, we believe that every gift is transformational. We rely on grants and donations to sustain and grow our programs and operations.
This year, we received a gift from Tara’s Starfish Foundation, founded by Carol Troy in memory of her daughter. This gift helped transform our youth’s summer into one filled with fun and adventures, as it covered the cost of field trips to places like Six Flags and even a goat hike that our youth loved.
We welcomed support from new funders this year including the TD Foundation and First Bank Charitable Foundation, and were thankful for the continued support from funders like the Church & Dwight Employee Giving Fund, James Kerney Foundation, Merancas Foundation, Northfield Bank, OceanFirst Foundation, PNC Foundation and the Provident Bank Foundation.
Transformational gifts do not always mean dollars – it could be the gift of time. Or both in the case of Bank of America who awarded Anchor House their 2024 Neighborhood Builders Award. Bank of America’s Employee Network, Black Professionals Group New Jersey (BPG NJ), spent over a year planning and hosting a series of financial literacy workshops with young adults in our programs.
In addition to donating dollars, many generous supporters organized and contributed to item drives benefiting Anchor House, collecting back-to-school supplies, holiday gifts, Code Blue items, and Thanksgiving essentials for the youth and families we serve. These in-kind gifts play a critical role in meeting immediate needs and helping young people feel supported throughout the year. Trenton’s own NBA rising star Jamir Watkins hosted a Back-to-School Bash at DICK’S Sporting Goods in Princeton, where ten of our youth had the chance to select brand-new clothes, shoes, and other essentials to start the school year with confidence.
Every Pedal, Every Step, Every Mile: Anchor House Foundation Ride for Runaways
The Anchor House Foundation hosted another successful Ride for Runaways, the largest fundraiser for Anchor House. We are thankful for all the Classic Riders who bike 500 miles in a week, the Flex participants who cycle, walk or run, the Support team and volunteers keep the event running, and all the donors. It amazes us, how, year after year, many of the participants return to support Anchor House while welcoming new participants.
This year, one of our staff, Marcia Wilson, joined the Support team for the first time along with Luisanny Ortiz, a longtime staff and Support team member. Our Board Treasurer, Russ Buckley, who wears multiple hats (well helmets) celebrated his 25th year on the Ride.
Once again this year, the Golis family provided scholarships in memory of Cory Golis. The Douglas C. McCune Memorial Awards were also presented at the Ride banquet.
Continuing tradition, the Ride kicked off from Trenton Thunder stadium and culminated with a celebration at Quakerbridge Mall. Read more about the Ride and these events.
Community Partners
Dress for Success Central New Jersey is just one of Anchor House’s partners that benefit the lives of the youth we serve.
Anchor House has been partnering with One Simple Wish since they started, and many of our young people have been granted wishes through this amazing organization. We were proud to be the first stop on their Love Hope Joy Delivered tour, bringing their first mobile truck to Anchor House, custom-built to grant wishes and deliver comforting, joyful items.
Another strong partnership is with Ocean’s Harbor House, which we affectionately call our “sister organization.” We do resemble one another! Located in Toms River, Ocean’s Harbor House provides transitional housing, supportive living programs, and advocacy for youth who are homeless or in crisis, Throughout this year, each of our staff has traveled to visit one another, including members of their team being onsite for the Love Hope Joy Delivered tour, and our team attending their Graduation Celebration and Appreciation Dinner. One of the graduates even began their journey at Anchor House before transitioning to Ocean’s Harbor House, making the night even more meaningful.
Last month, as part of our A Day in the Life series, Anchor House highlighted our partnership with Calvary Christian Fellowship Ministries and their Hearts Matter Food Pantry which supports Anchor House through food donations for our youth, young adults, and families. As a way to show our appreciation for these donations, our team volunteers at the pantry, packing and distributing food bags. It is a lovely example of what we can do when we work together!
Staff Milestones and New Faces
In 2025, several staff members celebrated milestone anniversaries at Anchor House, highlighting the dedication and longevity of our team.
June Albanowski, our Director of Youth Services, marked 30 years with the agency. June began her journey with Anchor House as an intern through Rider University. Since then, she has worn many hats including Case Manager and Program Coordinator before rising to her current role as Director of Youth Services.
Two staff members, Luisanny Ortiz and Christie Schweizer, each celebrated 15 years at Anchor House, together representing 30 years of service. Reflecting on her time with the organization, Luisanny shared, “I’ve not only helped change lives, but have changed myself.”
We also welcomed several new staff members including Taylor Carmona, a former intern at Anchor House. It is one of our goals to create pathways for interns to transition into staff. We have been quite successful at it – June and our Executive Director Kim McNear are perfect examples of interns who turned into leaders at Anchor House.
If you are interested in a job where you are making a difference each day, check out our Careers page.
Volunteers
Volunteers share their time, talents, and skills at Anchor House.
We have volunteers like Claire the extraordinaire who is a frequent contributor to our blogs including one on volunteering. And we are happy to continue to have the dynamic duo of Tom and Simon who have been volunteering for decades at the Shelter.
At Anchor House, we rely on volunteers to provide leadership on our Board of Directors. This year, we welcomed two new additions to our Board: Anupama Bangalore and Matthew Polizzotto. Both bring expertise in their respective fields (finance and mental health) along with having nonprofit backgrounds.
We are excited to host volunteer group projects throughout the year. New this year, Amicus employees volunteered at Anchor House by gardening and painting our spaces and, most recently, wrapping presents they generously collected for our youth.
Advocacy and Awareness
The Anchor House team is deeply committed to advocacy and raising awareness around issues that impact our community, including youth homelessness, human trafficking, child abuse, and mental health. Through education, partnership, and community engagement, we work to amplify the voices and needs of the young people and families we serve.
This year, in recognition of these efforts, Anchor House was honored to receive a Community Award from the Ivy League Educational Foundation and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Upsilon Omega Chapter. The award was presented at their 44th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Breakfast in February.
Thank you for being part of our 2025! Stay connected for our 2025 Impact Report in the coming months highlighting our impact and stories.
Remember, it is not too late to make an end-of-year donation. Donate today.
