We were proud to celebrate the Central New York Fiver community this past September at Fiver’s Fall Festival, commonly known as Fiver Fest. The event was a success and we raised over $15,000 in support of our Central New York youth and programs.

Andre and Jonathan Jean-Pierre are twin brothers who graduated from the Fiver program in 2011. Jonathan currently serves on Fiver’s Board of Directors and works in Human Resources at Google, and Andre serves as a NYPD officer in Far Rockaway, Queens. In 2022, they approached Fiver with the idea of creating an abbreviated summer experience for boys from Far Rockaway and Harlem who were involved in a year-round mentoring program— Far Rockaway and Harlem Giants— founded by Andre’s boss, NYPD Lt. Lenora Moody.

Fiver provides a unique weekend experience for parents and families to enjoy the captivating Camp Fiver program through Family Retreats. After a three year hiatus, we returned to offering the weekend getaway providing 23 families—95 individuals in total— with the opportunity to participate in traditional camp activities and family oriented workshops.

The foundation of Fiver’s program is the year-round social-emotional one-on-one support that staff provide to our youth and families. Our staff’s dedication and unwavering support are continuous examples of the transformative power of community-building within the Fiver community. This is the case with Mabel Munoz ‘15, Fiver’s Senior HR & Operations Manager, whose commitment and tireless efforts have made a lasting impact on the life of Fiver participant Gaby U.G. (Class of 2027).

Summer is one of our favorite times of year at Fiver! Camp Fiver opens its gates to nearly 400 new and familiar faces, and our bustling NYC office is filled with activity as teens participate in workshops and trips tailored to developing career goals and plans.