Bridgeport, CT— The Center for Family Justice is lucky to have the support of so many volunteers, especially our youth volunteers who spend hours helping with donations, putting together event packets, and organizing food drives.

Our younger volunteers have such a presence here that The Center for Family Justice debuted its Youth Volunteer of the Year Award in 2023.

This year, CFJ is happy to announce that Fairfield residents Olivia Kahn and Declan O’Gorman are 2024’s Youth Volunteers of the Year!

“Our kids have so much to offer, and volunteering with CFJ allows them to help their communities in so many different ways,” Debra Greenwood, CFJ President/CEO, said. “We appreciate and value their contributions.”

Olivia, who is heading into her senior year at Fairfield Ludlow High School, has been volunteering every week at CFJ since October 2023. She has helped us organize the space in our closets, sort donations, and put together informational packets. She also recently helped at CFJ’s Walk A Mile In Her Shoes event in April.

Olivia is also a member of the National Honors Society and serves as the Vice President of the American Field Service organization at her school.

Olivia enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and going on runs outdoors. She is planning to study social work and public health in college.

Declan O’Gorman, also of Fairfield, worked closely last year with The Center for Family Justice to coordinate a food and toiletry drive for our clients as part of his Eagle Scout project. Over any given year, supplies tend to run low, and Declan’s project came at a perfect time.

He reached out to us in July of 2023. As part of his project, Declan researched what the center does and what items our clients need.

Based on that information, Declan put together an Amazon Wishlist and advertised that list through a video he put together. He also held a food drive at a Stop & Shop in Fairfield, which allowed him to gather even more donations.

The items Declan brought in filled our lobby and our shelves, allowing us to provide our clients with basic needs during a stressful time in their lives.

Congratulations to Olivia and Declan and thank you for your hard work in support of your neighbors in need.

About Center for Family Justice

The mission of The Center for Family Justice is to break the cycle of domestic, sexual, and child abuse and violence by providing services that create hope, restore lives and drive social change through education and community collaboration.

Our vision is to end domestic and sexual abuse and violence in our communities.

We believe that:

  • Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.
  • Collaboration with our clients, partners and communities is vital to achieve individualized choice, success and empowerment.
  • Trust is essential for our work in building self-sufficient survivors.
  • Compassion and hope allow people to thrive and feel safe.
  • Community education, awareness and outreach are essential to drive and maintain social change and justice.

 

For more information about The Center for Family Justice, visit www.centerforfamilyjustice.org or call (203)334-6154. CFJ is located at 753 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, CT and serves the towns of Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, and Trumbull.

 

24/7 Hotline Numbers:

 

  • Domestic violence (203) 384-9559
  • Sexual abuse (203) 333-2233
  • Spanish (203) 568-8332