“I first came into contact with Harlowtown in 2001 when my son was wrongly accused of a crime. I couldn’t believe that somebody would care enough to take up the fight. Despite my family’s troubles, as soon as I had them on the other end of the phone, I knew it was going to be all right because they would do everything to fix the situation.”

MERCEDES PELLOT-ROSARIO, WORKING MOTHER

“We were talking in the city’s Technology & Government Committee for 7 years about how to get more hotspots into neighborhood parks in underserved areas. The opening of the free Wi-Fi hotspot at Classon Playground with Harlowtown in 2009 was a dream come true. This is the kind of effort that should be made by the City of New York in all five boroughs.”

GAIL A. BREWER, NYC COUNCIL MEMBER – DISTRICT 6, MANHATTAN

“Although Refugees United had a global presence, we needed a foothold in the United States. We approached Harlowtown for legal and logistical advice. Now Refugees United is backed by the Clinton Global Initiative and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and a recipient of a major grant from the Omdiyar Network.”

DAVID AND CHRISTOPHER MIKKELSEN, FOUNDERS, REFUGEES UNITED

“I am an emerging artist who recently graduated from the School of Visual Arts. I found myself stepping out into the world wondering how I can make a living as an artist. Harlowtown assisted me in the first difficult steps of starting my career & business. My company "I Am Wet Paint" was established with their legal and financial assistance.”

SOPHIA DAWSON, ARTIST

“The economic downturn and government budget cuts forced us to reduce staff, and the future of our Children’s Food Pantry was uncertain. Harlowtown found volunteers to staff and manage the program so that we could continue to provide food assistance to hundreds of hungry children in our community.”

DENISE RICHARDS, COORDINATOR, MUSLIM WOMEN’S INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

“Harlowtown taught me to be more financially responsible and is helping me to stabilize my finances so I can buy my first home; a home that will give my son a better life. Most of all, Harlowtown has been a mentor to me and my son, encouraging and inspiring us to do our best.”

MANNY COOPER, SINGLE WORKING FATHER

“I am about to go to law school, the first in my family. I hope one day I can tell people what Harlowtown did for my family and me. Until then, I can only say that people halfway across the country, people that never met me before, took care of us because Harlowtown had once taken care of them.”

MARIA PADILLA, LAW STUDENT