Thrive Collective has partnered with Bronx Connect officially as one of their arts education providers since 2021, and unofficially as friends and colleagues for more than 25 years.

BronxConnect is a faith and community-based organization in the Bronx that provides alternative-to-incarceration and detention programs for high-risk youth and young adults. Founded in 1999 by the Urban Youth Alliance, it offers mentorship, leadership development, and support for education and employment to prevent recidivism and improve communities. The organization emphasizes building community, using Credible Messengers from the community, and advocating for the rights of young people, including their right to remain silent before interrogation.

Fun facts:

• Bronx Connect President Rev. Wendy Calderon Payne has been a friend and mentor to Jeremy Del Rio since the mid-1990s, and co-founded School Partners NYC with him and others in 2015.
• Rev. Wendy’s protege Edgard Torres from Urban Youth Alliance was one of the original members of what became Thrive Collective.
• Thrive’s Sports Director Damian Rosado also works at Bronx Connect, currently as the Director of Preventative Services.

We salute Bronx Connect’s leadership, advocacy, and impact, and celebrate the great work of their staff and young people everyday.