Bernice's Place

Bernice's Place Bernice's Place is a Program for children who are homeless or housing insecure in Union County, NJ!

Bernice's Place is a Program that serves homeless and housing insecure children and their families through after-school activities and a summer day camp, enrichment opportunities, and mentor-ship for the children enrolled in the Program as well as events and field trips for the whole family, case management services for the families, and regular workshops/support meetings for parents and caregivers.

The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless hosted a beautiful and heartfelt farewell celebration to honor the familie...
05/29/2026

The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless hosted a beautiful and heartfelt farewell celebration to honor the families who have been part of this incredible journey throughout the years. It was an emotional day filled with laughter, music, dancing, games, hugs, and heartfelt memories that reminded everyone how deeply this program touched so many lives.
A very special thank you to the Coalition staff who stepped in with kindness, teamwork, and dedication to help serve the families buffet-style and make the event run so smoothly. Your collaboration, support, and willingness to come together for the families truly reflected the spirit of compassion and community that made this program so special. Your hard work and care did not go unnoticed and were deeply appreciated by everyone present.
This farewell reminded us all that the impact of kindness, compassion, and community never fades. The love poured into these children and families created memories, opportunities, and moments of joy that will continue to inspire them for years to come.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every donor, sponsor, volunteer, partner, and supporter who made this mission possible. Your generosity changed lives, brought hope to families, and created unforgettable memories for countless children. Your support will always be remembered with gratitude and love. šŸ«¶šŸ‘‹ Carina Grajales.

05/29/2026

The The Elizabeth Coalition to House the Homeless hosted a beautiful and heartfelt farewell celebration to honor the families, children, volunteers, and supporters who have been part of this incredible journey throughout the years. It was an emotional day filled with laughter, music, dancing, games, hugs, and heartfelt memories that reminded everyone how deeply this program touched so many lives.
During the event, mothers shared moving testimonies about how grateful they were for the love, guidance, support, and kindness they received during difficult moments in their lives. Many expressed that the program became more than just a place for their children; it became a second home and a safe space where families felt welcomed, cared for, and never alone. They thanked the staff and volunteers for loving and caring for their children as if they were their own.
The children also shared touching words from their hearts. They spoke about the friendships they made, the lessons they learned, the fun activities, and the joy the program brought into their lives every single day. They expressed deep gratitude for the generosity and abundance of gifts, especially during the Christmas season, when many families felt truly supported and remembered. The children said they will carry these beautiful memories with them forever.
This farewell reminded us all that the impact of kindness, compassion, and community never fades. The love poured into these children and families created memories and opportunities that will continue to inspire them for years to come.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every donor, sponsor, volunteer, partner, and supporter who made this mission possible. Your generosity changed lives, brought hope to families, and created unforgettable moments for countless children. Your support will always be remembered with gratitude and love. šŸ«¶šŸ‘‹Carina Grajales

05/19/2026

Matilda performed by the children of Berniceā€™s Place Theater Club! šŸŽ­āœØ

, Westfield Service League, Stacia Ann French

Matilda performed by the children of Berniceā€™s Place Theater Club! šŸŽ­āœØWe extend our heartfelt thanks to the Westfield Ser...
05/19/2026

Matilda performed by the children of Berniceā€™s Place Theater Club! šŸŽ­āœØ
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Westfield Service League for their generous support in sponsoring our Theater Club program and helping make this wonderful production possible.
We also want to express our sincere appreciation to Stacia French for her many years of leadership, dedication, creativity, and commitment to the Theater Program. Her passion and guidance helped inspire confidence, teamwork, and creativity in so many children throughout the years.
Last but not least, we thank our former students Jared Severe and Mary Kate Severe for returning to support and mentor the next generation of young performers. Your continued involvement means so much to our children and program.
Thank you all for helping create memorable experiences filled with creativity, friendship, learning, and joy. ā¤ļø
,

On behalf of the families and children of Berniceā€™s Place, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the members of the Westf...
05/19/2026

On behalf of the families and children of Berniceā€™s Place, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the members of the Westfield Service League (WSL) for their generous donation and continued support in sponsoring the wonderful Berniceā€™s Place Theater Club program.
Because of your kindness, the children were able to participate in a fun, creative, and enriching experience filled with improvisation games, acting exercises, teamwork activities, and theatrical rehearsals. Throughout the year, the children learned important skills such as public speaking, stage presence, confidence building, character development, creative expression, collaboration, and communication.
This year, the children proudly chose to perform Matilda as their end-of-the-year production. Through months of preparation and practice, they explored storytelling, memorization, choreography, teamwork, and performance techniques while building friendships and unforgettable memories together.
Your support made it possible for the children to express themselves creatively, step outside of their comfort zones, and discover their talents through theater and the arts. Thank you for helping create joyful and memorable experiences that will have a lasting impact on our children and families.
We are truly grateful for your generosity, encouragement, and dedication to supporting youth enrichment programs in our community. Westfield Service League, Thrift Shop of the Westfield Service League

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Steven Jacobson from Jacobson & Company for his many years of dedication, support, and...
05/19/2026

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Steven Jacobson from Jacobson & Company for his many years of dedication, support, and volunteer service to our childrenā€™s program. We are truly grateful for the time he spent with the children, creating meaningful memories and inspiring moments they will cherish.
Through his continued support and the collaboration or the music teachers from The Institute of Music for Children; our children were able to participate in enriching music lessons that encouraged creativity, confidence, and self-expression. We were especially happy that Steven was able to attend and celebrate with us during our End of the Year Musical Performance.
During the event, the children performed a lively dance presentation, with the help of choreographer Stephanie Guenard, they explored salsa dancing and even created some of their own choreography moves. Throughout the year, under the guidance of Justin Vedovelli, the children learned basic ukulele techniques, simple chords, and introductory note reading skills. For the final performance, the children also created their own original drumming patterns, which were beautifully integrated as background music during the dance performance.
We also extend our sincere appreciation to Justin Vedovelli for his patience, dedication, and passion for teaching music to our children throughout the year. His guidance helped the children develop new musical skills, confidence, and a love for creative expression.
Special thanks as well to Stephanie Guenard for sharing her talent, energy, and creativity with the children through dance instruction and choreography. Her encouragement allowed the children to explore movement, teamwork, and self-confidence while having fun and expressing themselves artistically.
Thank you all for helping make these experiences possible and for inspiring our children through music, dance, and creativity. Your kindness, dedication, and support have made a lasting impact on our program and the children we serve. Steven Jacobson, Vedovelli, , The Institute of Music for Children

Berniceā€™s Place ā€œDream Bigā€ Leadership Program says a heartfelt farewell to our dear friends from Be the Change from Kea...
05/19/2026

Berniceā€™s Place ā€œDream Bigā€ Leadership Program says a heartfelt farewell to our dear friends from Be the Change from Kean University. We thank you for the many years of friendship, dedication, and service you have given to our children and community.
Your kindness, mentorship, and commitment helped inspire our children to become better leaders, build confidence, and believe in their dreams. Through your support, you created meaningful memories, shared laughter, and made a lasting impact in the lives of so many families.
We are truly grateful for every activity, lesson, event, and moment you shared with us throughout the years. Your presence brought joy, encouragement, and hope to our program.
Thank you for walking alongside us on this journey of helping children to dream big and reach their full potential. We wish you continued success, blessings, and happiness in all your future endeavors. You will always be part of the Berniceā€™s Place family. ā¤ļø

Motherā€™s Day CelebrationWe hope all the mothers had a blessed Motherā€™s Day. Bernice's Place celebrated and honor all of...
05/12/2026

Motherā€™s Day Celebration
We hope all the mothers had a blessed Motherā€™s Day. Bernice's Place celebrated and honor all of your hard work, love, and dedication in raising your children and encouraging them to pursue an education and strive for a brighter future. Thank you for your endless support, sacrifice, and guidance. Your impact makes a difference every day.
We also extend our heartfelt thanks to all the organizations, volunteers, and supporters who helped provide Motherā€™s Day gifts and contributed to making this celebration a success. Your kindness, generosity, and commitment to our families and children are truly appreciated. Thank you for helping us create such a special and memorable event for our mothers. Special thanks to Iris Rodriguez, Leah Troche from Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., Maureen Hagan and the Marists of NJ/NY from Roselle, NJ, the Brothers of Champagnat Hall from Bronx, NY, Marcie Maccarelli from I Support the Girls in Verona, NJ, Mary Kate Panella, Christine Grova, Amelia and Lori Donnelly, and all of our wonderful volunteers.

Your kindness, dedication, and support helped make our program and events truly special for the children and families we serve. We are deeply grateful for all the love, time, and encouragement you shared with us. Love ā¤ļø always! šŸ«¶

Berniceā€™s Place says a heartfelt farewell to STEM Professor Ashok Maliakal, who generously shared his knowledge and pass...
05/01/2026

Berniceā€™s Place says a heartfelt farewell to STEM Professor Ashok Maliakal, who generously shared his knowledge and passion for science with our children. Through his guidance, he inspired them to explore science and dream of future careers in STEM fields.

We also extend our sincere gratitude and goodbye to our interns, Joshua Coughlin and Angelina Matto, who helped co-lead STEM lessons and scouting activities with dedication, enthusiasm, and care.

We are truly thankful for all of your support, time, and commitment. Each of you has made a lasting and meaningful impact on our children and on the success of our program. We wish you all the very best in your future endeavors.

During this lesson, the children participated in a hands-on activity to learn about the structure of DNA šŸ§¬ and used a 4D model to identify the different components of an animal cell.

Berniceā€™s Place children say farewell to the Dove volunteers from Seton Hall University. One volunteer group visited on ...
05/01/2026

Berniceā€™s Place children say farewell to the Dove volunteers from Seton Hall University. One volunteer group visited on Mondays to co-lead the Theater Club, while a second group came on Wednesdays to assist with homework and educational activities. We truly appreciate their dedication and support. Thanks to their efforts, the program was a success, and we shared many memorable moments together. We had lots of fun!

Special thanks to Jared Severe and Marykate Severe, who were once students at Berniceā€™s Place and members of the Theater Club when they were 9ā€“10 years old. Now, they have returned as Drama major students through the Dove Volunteer Program. Thank you for coming back to help mentor the children of Berniceā€™s Place.

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118 Division Street
Elizabeth, NJ
07201

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