Strive (East Harlem Employment Services)

Robert Carmona. Robert Carmona is a Co-Founder of the East Harlem Employment Service/STRIVE, the original name of what is now known as STRIVE International. The company was founded in a basement community center of the James Weldon Johnson Housing Project, an East Harlem based NYCHA development, as a small community based organization. Under his stewardship, the organization grew into an international franchise… See full bio.

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Story: Read about the story of Rowena D, who turned her life around with Strive: When Rowena D. first came to STRIVE, she was 18. She had just arrived in the U.S. from her native Philippines. There were several strikes against her. She spoke poor English, she couldn’t afford to go to school, and she didn’t know how to get a job. “STRIVE’s headquarters were located in the basement of a housing project, just like the one I lived in,” Rowena recalls. “I didn’t know what to expect. I was scared. I didn’t have the money to buy the attire STRIVE required, so I borrowed clothes from my mother which were way too big.” She was sure she wouldn’t be accepted into the program. So when Frank Horton, STRIVE’s then Director of Training, informed her that she had been accepted, Rowena could not believe her ears. Mr. Horton then gave her two subway tokens — one to go home and the other to come back for the start of the training. “That was the beginning of my journey,” Rowena reminisces. “Those three weeks of ‘tough love’ at STRIVE have played a significant role in my life.” She has stayed in touch with STRIVE ever since. Her job developer at STRIVE, Larry Jackson, helped her get her first job at Stanley Computer Systems. There she was exposed to many different job functions. Using the skills and attitudes she learned at STRIVE, Rowena soon saw herself honored as the Employee of the Year. It was while working at the computer firm that Rowena discovered her interest in bookkeeping and accountancy. Larry Jackson encouraged Rowena to keep setting her goals high. As soon as she could, she decided to get her college degree. She worked during the day and went to school at night. Eventually, she graduated with a degree in Public Accounting from Baruch College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Since then, her career has continued to progress steadily. She rose to become Chief Accountant at Shanghai Tang and eventually Fund Controller at Financo Mercantile Capital Partners Fund. Over the years, Rowena has tried to repay STRIVE for its role in setting her on the right path at a crucial juncture in her life. Among other things, she keeps Larry Jackson, her mentor at STRIVE, regularly informed about job openings at her company, and she has proudly hired other STRIVE graduates. By all accounts, Rowena’s life has turned around beyond recognition. Not only has her professional life continued to blossom, she is now married and the mother of a little boy named Gilbert. In addition, Rowena and her husband have invested in some real estate properties. “But it all started with STRIVE,” says Rowena. “STRIVE gave me the biggest gift of all — courage and determination. The lessons STRIVE taught me have become a permanent part of my life.” (Read more success stories at: http://strivenational.org/strivesite/?page_id=925)

Evidence of Impact Summary:

STRIVE is praised for provided integrated support for at risk youth culminating in solid job placement even in a challenging economic environment.
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Organization Strengths Summary:

Nearly every respondent listed STRIVE's leadership as a strength. Other list program design and operations as other assets.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

STRIVE's areas for improvement largely dealt with program design elements: integrating programs, expanding reach, maintaining consistency, and improvement through evaluation.
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Robert Carmona is a Co-Founder of the East Harlem Employment Service/STRIVE, the original name of what is now known as STRIVE International. The company was founded in a basement community center of the James Weldon Johnson Housing Project, an East Harlem based NYCHA development, as a small community based organization. Under his stewardship, the organization grew into an international franchise with sites in 18 U.S. cities, single sites in England, Ireland, and Scotland, as well as 3 sites in the State of Israel. Prior to his tenure at STRIVE, Rob held a number of senior positions in the NYC not-for-profit community. Rob was the Assistant Director of Agency Relations at the Greater New York Fund/United Way, Senior Planner for the NYC Volunteer Corps, Director of Marketing for the Wildcat Service Corporation, and a Youth Counselor at Kings County Hospital. He is a founding Board member of The Workforce Alliance, and also sits on the Board of the following agencies: Self-Help Community Services, Inc., Episcopal Social Services, Inc,. Black Agency Executives, Inc., The National Puerto Rican Coalition, National Student Partnerships, Inc,. and Per Scholas, Inc. Rob received his MSSW in 1982 from the Columbia University School of Social Work, and his Bachelor of Arts from the College of New Rochelle in 1979. Rob resides in Teaneck, New Jersey with his wife of thirty one years, Christina, has two daughters, Elissa Malaica, and Danielle Christina, and a granddaughter, Rone Greaves.

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