Helping youth grow with Haven Newberry

NEWBERRY — Haven Newberry, an organization founded this summer, provides middle and high school Newberry County students a space to grow professionally, understand positive leadership, learn crucial life skills and develop long-lasting relationships with peers and community leaders.

This organization was a dream come true for Newberry High School graduates Amir Cromer, Darius Stephens-York, Deuce Goings and Jaleel Gilliam, founders of Haven Newberry.

Haven Newberry held weekly meetings every Friday during the summer of 2022. They will continue to hold monthly meetings during the fall in a public space accessible to all students who want to get involved.

“We are grateful that Newberry provides us with genuine relationships and friendships,” said Jaleel Gilliam, co-founder of Haven Newberry, support staff and Newberry Middle School, and college student.

Haven Newberry currently has numerous community members, leaders, students, parents and others who volunteer to help the organization in any way they can. Haven meetings have previously been held at Genesis Hub, Grant Homes, Newberry Firehouse and Newberry NFT.

As an organization, Haven Newberry purposely holds meetings in Newberry County locations with community partnerships to allow students to find their place in Downtown Newberry and experience Newberry County from their perspectives, according to the organization’s founders.

“During the upcoming months, we plan to provide sessions on financial literacy, how to change a tire, and professionalism in the job market,” said Deuce Goings, co-founder of Haven Newberry and Newberry High School educator.

Haven Newberry prides itself on building a creative space where students can grow regardless of their background. As an organization, Haven Newberry provides a sense of community for students and a strong support system throughout their life, according to the founders.

“Our organization is built upon three principles — love, growth and relationships. Love is the center of it all. If we all loved each other, there would be no hate.” said Amir Cromer, a co-founder of Haven Newberry and educator at Newberry Middle School.

“We value growth at Haven. We encourage students to look inside themselves and find the things that hold them back. Haven fosters a supportive environment where we push students to let go of fear and become the best they can be,” said Darius Stephens-York, co-founder of Haven Newberry and law student at North Carolina Central University.

In the future, Haven aspires to have more students engaged with the organization.

“We trust God. There is no limit to what we can become. We are just vessels to help the community in any way we can,” said Cromer, Gilliam, Stephens-York and Goings.

Check out their social media pages on Instagram and Facebook for information regarding Haven Newberry’s next event. Instagram: @TheHavenNewberryFacebook: @HavenNewberry.