How We Got Here
Building Stronger Communities Through Education, Outreach & Opportunity
Founded in 2009, Impact Charity Services (ICS), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, all-volunteer nonprofit organization, is dedicated to creating opportunities and building brighter futures for underserved individuals and communities.
With the support of our volunteers, donors, and community partners, Impact Charity Services has provided educational programs, community outreach, recreational initiatives, and career development opportunities designed to help children, adolescents, and adults throughout the tri-state area gain access to resources, skills, and pathways toward a more promising future.
Over the years, our programs have evolved alongside the needs of the communities we serve. Today, our primary focus is Cooper L.I.F.T. (Life Incentive Fulfillment Training), a workforce development initiative that helps create pathways to education, professional training, and career advancement in healthcare.
Our current work builds upon more than a decade of community service. From youth enrichment and educational support to workforce development and career training, each Impact Charity Services initiative has shared the same goal: empowering individuals with opportunities to learn, grow, and build a stronger future.
Our Programs
The following programs represent the foundation of Impact Charity Services and the many ways we have worked to support individuals, families, and communities since 2009.
Big ideas, real impact.
L.E.A.P. - Learning Exploration Activities Program
L.E.A.P. provides underserved youths with recreational experiences such as hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and swimming. L.E.A.P. also provides opportunities to attend professional sporting events and tickets to cultural experiences such as the Philadelphia Academy of Music's performances and Disney on Ice. Professional athletes, along with CBS News Philadelphia Co-Anchor Ukee Washington, have often teamed up to provide free football and basketball mentoring clinics. We also provide a yearly Holiday Party for an entire Camden elementary school. Our Holiday Gift Cards for youths in shelters and group homes often provide the only holiday gift these young people will receive.
L.I.F.T. - Life Incentive Fulfillment Training Program
L.I.F.T. - A last resort for youths aging out of juvenile social service programs; individuals must be referred by a social worker or vocational counselor for vocational training. L.I.F.T. is designed to redirect young people out of poverty and into self-sufficiency. Mia, age 20, was abused and abandoned as a child. She was facing a lifetime of poverty without fulfilling her dream of becoming a nurse. L.I.F.T. stepped in and funded her vocational training to become a CNA and Med Tech. She graduated first in both classes and then obtained A Nurse's Associate position in a major hospital. Recently, she moved with her daughter into their own apartment outside of Camden and is preparing for nursing school.
“Anything is achievable with confidence. This scholarship has given me the ability to achieve my future goals.”
Annual Holiday Outreach
Since 2009, over 2,500 children have celebrated the holidays with Impact Charity Services at our annual luncheon. Food, entertainment, and age-appropriate gifts are provided for underserved youth and their families.
We work every year to provide age– and gender-specific toys and gift cards to various shelters and youth services programs throughout South Jersey and Philadelphia.
We have also distributed over 500 new coats to children in need.
Military Youth Programs
Impact Charity Services supports our military youth whose parents are on active duty at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. (JBMDL). In 2016, we refurbished the community youth center's gym at McGuire Air Force Base.
In 2018 we renovated the center's nature park. We also provided all-new computers both for this center and the community center at Fort Dix. Through the generosity of corporate donors, we provide college scholarships annually to eligible high school seniors.
“ICS has been a wonderfully generous community partner, most recently creating a much-needed scholarship stream, allowing at-risk youths the opportunity to literally change their lives.”