Too often people think they are not powerful enough or significant enough to facilitate change and that way of thinking holds them back from even trying. Tony Wood, founder and director of Carmen Ministries, thinks differently.
Mr. Wood believes that every at-risk young man Carmen Ministry mentors has an underlying desire to turn his life around and succeed. He also believes that every individual within the community has the potential to make that happen. It is due to these beliefs and the many years of work with troubled teens and young men throughout New Jersey that Mr. Wood was aptly chosen as recipient of the Warren/Sussex Branch of the NAACP’s Community Service Award presented at the Branch’s 1st Annual Freedom Fund Awards Banquet in May 2010.
The theme of that awards banquet, “Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things,” exemplifies the work of Mr. Wood and Carmen Ministries. Through example, empathy, mentoring, training and support, Carmen Ministries’ volunteers help incarcerated and formerly incarcerated young men cultivate a relationship with Jesus Christ and take the first steps on their journey toward reform – proof that every individual possesses the ability to make a difference and to change lives one by one.