Camden Non-Profit Giving Back to the Community with 'PHIERCE-ness'

By Alicia Cruz
The Black Urban Times

The Courier-Post showcased the stories of two New Jersey women, all too familiar with the struggles and strife life can deliver. These women, who refused to allow adversity to shape and define their lives, have risen above their pasts to begin realizing their dreams.

Brandye Frazier, a 37-year-old former prostitute and drug addict, from Camden and 21-year-old Elaine Wright of Pennsauken began transforming their lives with the help of a phenomenal women's support organization in Camden called "PHIERCE, The Movement."

Frazier told the Courier-Post that she overcame her fear of returning to school after 20 years after she turned her life over to the Lord. Today, she's a psychology major at Camden County College and has plans to give back to her community as a licensed psychologist upon graduation.

Looking for a "fun and challenging" experience when she joined PHIERCE, Frazier told the Courier-Post that she enjoys the "networking and the ample opportunities for community service."

"I took so much from this community . . . selling my body and using drugs and selling drugs," Frazier recalled. "For me, it was like empowerment. It boosted my self-esteem. Now, it's time for me to give back and show there's life after addiction."

Raised by her older sister, Elizabeth since she was 10-years-old, Wright said she hoped to find support and additional guidance from others involved with PHIERCE when she joined the group in 2008.

Wright, who says Elizabeth is her biggest supporter, attributes her successful completion of Camden Community College's Associates Degree program to her sister. Wright is a member of the student government association at the Camden Campus and says, "I believe that to succeed you must work hard and believe in yourself to strive to be the best that you can be."

Elaine Wright

The aspiring lawyer's current degree is in law, government and politics, but come September, she will become a student at Rutgers-Camden where she will work towards a degree in political science and law.

The "PHIERCE" movement program draws women from all walks of life. It's founder 38-year-old Yolonda Whidbee is from Camden and says she conquered her own self-doubt in order to allay the skepticism of those who underestimated her academic abilities and soar above the covetousness of co-workers.

"When I was going to college, people made assumptions because I was from the city of Camden, Whidbee told The Courier-Post. "I had to spend a lot of time proving my capabilities and my talents."

When Whidbee created "PHIERCE," she wanted to instill in it's members the qualities representative of the group's acronym. PHIERCE stands for Phenomenal, Intelligent, Educated, Resilient, Courage and Exquisite.


"I want each woman to start thinking of herself in that way," Whidbee told the Courier-Post.

"We all have something we bring to the table. We all have gifts."

Founded in 2008, the group has 40 members who range in age from 18 to 63 and addresses the needs of women from all walks of life including former prison inmates to professionals to homemakers. The majority are Camden natives, but there are residents from other areas of Camden County and Philadelphia.

"One of my major goals was to give back to the community and cast Camden in a more positive light," said Whidbee, who lives in Lindenwold.

"PHIERCE" organizes workshops that enable members to work improve themselves while honing skills that will shape them into marketable competitors in the workforce. Whidbee helps empower members through educational programs, networking and career-building. Members of the organization visit schools to speak to young females about building their self-esteem.

They encourage them to strive for higher educational opportunities which will lead not only to gainful employment, but blossoming careers. The group also plans to reach out to young girls incarcerated at the Camden County Youth Detention Center with the hopes of being able to "make them whole while they're incarcerated."

The group also undertakes community service projects such as work for Habitat for Humanity. This summer the group plans to work in conjunction with Volunteers of America.

Whidbee, who is seeking 501-C3 nonprofit status for "PHIERCE," is looking for a permanent home that would be used as a rendezvous point for socializing, group meetings, activities, after-school programs and workshop training.

"A lot of my passion is geared toward helping women to get to the next level," explained Whidbee, who is working toward a communications degree from Rutgers-New Brunswick.

"The best part is giving back to the community and encouraging other young women to be a part of the PHIERCE program, and enabling them to give back to the community through the different activities we're involved in," said Whidbee who also runs her own company, "Defining You," which provides image management services to groups, corporations and individuals.

She also has worked for nonprofit organizations that work specifically with women, including those in welfare-to-work and domestic abuse programs.