Cranbury company helps collect food to support Isles Youth Institute program

Abel HR, a full-service human resources company in Cranbury, and Creative Marketing Alliance, a strategic marketing and integrated communications company in Princeton Junction, collected food for donation to support Isles Youth Institute (IYI).
IYI engages out-of-school youth that seek to take control of their own lives and improve their communities. Participants in the Trenton-based program attain a high school equivalency diploma, job training and life skills, which they use to solve challenges in their own neighborhoods. The IYI mission of “self-reliance through education” is furthered by opportunities for leadership development, financial and health education, service learning and pathways to higher education.
“As human resource professionals, our goal is to ensure our employees’ success, which is exactly what Isles is doing with the youth in its program,” said Jim Bell Sr., president and founder of Abel HR. “I am in awe of what Marty Johnson (Isles’ president) is doing to foster the growth of the next generation of employees and my entire team is excited to give back to this wonderful program as part of our 25th anniversary celebration.”
“As we celebrate CMA’s 30th year, we are excited to give back to the community that has made us so successful,” said Jeffrey Barnhart, president and CEO of CMA, who was recently recognized with Rider University’s Leadership Legacy Award and MIDJersey Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Outstanding Small Business of the Year award. “It is an honor to help this program at Isles and Marty who has been tirelessly working to make the world a better place.”
Isles is seeking food donations to support the IYI students working on their education.
Since IYI was launched in 1994, more than 1,000 at-risk youth have benefitted from Johnson’s vision of self-reliance through education. Nearly 100 young people go through the program annually.
“The IYI pantry enables our students – some of whom are homeless, or parents of young kids – to stay on their pathway to self-reliance by focusing on their educational and career goals,” said Marty Johnson, president and founder of Isles. “Back in 1994, Isles was rehabilitating old, vacant single family homes scattered across Trenton and as we redeveloped homes, another challenge and opportunity arose: young people kept knocking on the door of our job sites, asking for work. Isles would hire and train the young people and found that even if they had solid construction skills, they often lacked a high school diploma. As a result, Isles developed the Isles Youth Institute (IYI) to blend the academic, vocational, and life skills that many young people need and want to succeed. As they learn, they redevelop homes and parks in their communities, multiplying IYI benefits.”