Local Nonprofit Restores Families and Expands National Reach

BALTIMORE - Nov. 6, 2013 - PRLog -- The Center for Urban Families (CFUF) is continuing its mission to restore families who suffer from father-absence, poverty and unemployment. This year the organization celebrates being named a Black Male Achievement Social Innovator by the Open Society Foundations - further advancing its mission to help fathers and families achieve stability and economic success. CFUF will also celebrate its 15^th Year Anniversary next year culminating with its Urban Visionary Awards.

Friday begins CFUF’s 182^nd cycle of its nationally recognized STRIVE Baltimore initiative that provides employment services to Baltimore’s most disconnected men and women. The organization’s Baltimore Responsible Fatherhood Project also continues to serve as a national model after receiving support from Governor O’Malley last May to approve its “Couples Advancing Together” bill. The approval of this bill partners CFUF with the Department of Human Resources to provide relationship building, skill building and employment support to disadvantaged parents with children. CFUF’s national Practitioners Leadership Institute (PLI) is also preparing itself for new beginnings with its forthcoming fellowship cohort. It will kick off in March 2014 alongside its 2^nd Annual PLI Summit.

CFUF is also pleased to announce the recent addition of James C. Durrah, II as Communications and Digital Strategy Manager. Durrah, a seasoned journalist and multi-media specialist, received his training at Howard University as a broadcast journalism student. He later received his master of arts in new media journalism from Full Sail University. Although former experience at BET Networks and News Channel 8’s Planet Vehicle program have helped to shape Durrah’s expertise in communications and digital media, he is no stranger to the nonprofit arena. Previous work at the national Sickle Cell Disease Association, and consultant work with start-up nonprofits in the area, afforded Durrah the opportunity to become knowledgeable about necessary operations within the not for profit circuit. CFUF Founder and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Jones says that Durrah’s addition to the team couldn’t have come at a better time. “I’m extremely excited to add James to CFUF’s talented team of committed advocates. His addition will help CFUF continue its national discussion about what it takes to empower economically aspiring fathers and families to achieve stability and economic success,” says Jones.

About CFUF

Since its founding in 1999, CFUF has remained at the front-line of addressing some of Baltimore’s most pressing issues including poverty, unemployment, father-absence and family disintegration. CFUF maintains an unwavering focus on addressing the key challenges of Baltimore’s urban families by working to connect fathers to their children, creating opportunities for economic and financial security through employment and providing access to other key interventions and supportive services.