The ManKind Project New Jersey was born as a MKP Satellite Center on Nov. 19, 2002 and blessed as a full center in Feb. 2006.
The initial New Jersey Council was comprised of: Tom Crewe - Center Director, John Schilter - I-Group Coordinator, Rich Leitman - Elder Rep, Mark Chiarmonte - Finance Director, Caesar Chiarmonte - LKS rep, King Mott – Leader Body rep. With the Houston Center selected as the mentoring Center, a vision statement was developed with six major goals, envisioning men having balance within their missions of trainings, being with family, and supporting men in I-groups.
1. A single center for the entire state;
2. Strong leadership – men supporting men in a good way;
3. Family-oriented through conscious integration;
4. Brother-oriented through intra-connected I-groups;
5. Mission-oriented within the brotherhood as well as with the outside community;
6. Healthy growth through creative means including trainings as well as mentoring others.
It was also agreed that to develop the NJ center in a good way meant that NJ men needed to move forward in brotherhood, not forgetting their roots in and need for support from the Philadelphia and NY Metro Communities.
New Jersey blessed and thanked Philly and New York and gave the gift of a full buffalo skin, separated in half – half to Philly, half to New York in gratitude for what New Jersey had received from these communities. Tom Crewe then gave a talking stick that he had fine-crafted to the new New Jersey Center and tied the tail of the buffalo to the stick to symbolize the unity of the three communities.
