Why Summer Matters
When school ends, the challenge begins.
For nearly 55 years, La Casa de Don Pedro has made one promise to Newark families: we will be here.
This summer, we are keeping it.
When schools close, and routines disappear, LCDP’s four program areas, including Family Success Centers, El Barrio Wellness Center, El Patio de La Casa, and the Immigrant Resource Center, remain open, staffed, and ready to serve. Mental health care in two languages. Community events and safe activities for children. Food access in a neighborhood has long been underserved by fresh groceries. Legal guidance for immigrant families navigating uncertainty.
The families we serve are not statistics. They are mothers like Carmen, working two jobs, raising three children, and doing everything right. Without La Casa de Don Pedro, Carmen’s children would spend the summer in unsafe hallways. With us, they have a safe place to be, meaningful things to grow and learn, and a community that shows up for them the way school once did.
Higher-income families spend five times as much on out-of-school activities as low-income families. For families in Newark, that gap does not close on its own. LCDP’s work is to close this gap.
This June, our Summer of Hope campaign needs to raise $20,000 to sustain that work. If you believe Newark families deserve the same opportunities as families elsewhere, this is your chance to act.
Give today
Family Success Centers
Parent workshops, culturally appropriate food distribution stocked with items families know and love, adult workforce, homebuyers education and financial literacy educational workshops, and family stabilization services for 800+ households.
El Barrio Wellness Center
Newark’s first bilingual mental health clinic offers individual, family, and child counseling in English and Spanish. It also features case management, play therapy for children and a Liberation Framework approach to care, designed for families who need a therapist who speaks their language and understands their lives.
El Patio de La Casa
La Casa de Don Pedro’s outdoor plaza at 43 Broadway is a community hub that hosts youth programs, summer activities, family events, and the LCDP Farmers Market. A space built by and for the community it serves.
Immigrant Resource Center
Know Your Rights workshops, legal guidance, citizenship preparation, multilingual advocacy, and emergency support for immigrant families navigating one of the most uncertain periods in recent memory.
“My kids know that La Casa will be there. That’s not something every parent in Newark can say, but it should be.”
What We Do This Summer
Support that goes beyond a single program.
