Spotlight on Cherry Hill leadership: Raheem Brown
As Cherry Hill prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary, Raheem Brown stands out as a driving force behind its youth and community stability. Through the Cherry Hill Eagle Foundation, he continues to build opportunity and mentorship. The post Spotlight on Cherry Hill leadership: Raheem Brown appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
Black News 
By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
As Cherry Hill prepares to mark its 80th anniversary by reflecting on its history and resilience and imagining its future, it is also a moment to recognize those who have helped sustain the neighborhood’s progress.
Raheem Brown, founding president of the Cherry Hill Eagles Foundation, is among them.
“Cherry Hill is like a rose growing from concrete,” said Brown, 52, painting a picture of how he regards his community. “We have got a unique neighborhood, because even though there have been ups and downs, we have always been aligned. You can’t just come into this community and set up without checking in with everyone. We have always been organized.”
A native of Cherry Hill, Brown has worked since 2002 to empower youth and expand their opportunities for success through the Cherry Hill Eagles Foundation. He also serves on the board overseeing the community’s upcoming 80th anniversary gala, which is set for May 16.
In keeping his work rooted in the community, Brown placed the foundation’s office in one of Cherry Hill’s earliest buildings, dating back to the 1940s. He has renovated it into a youth and family resource center, preserving its past while giving it a new purpose.
“I grew up in the Cherry Hill community, in a single-parent household with no father figure,” he said. “The only males we had to look up to were the so-called gangsters.”
Brown said at age 6, he began visiting a recreation center across from his home.
“It was a safe place to play and have fun,” he said. “Nathaniel Brown was the director at the center. He was a hard-working man and a positive role model to all the youth in the community. We looked up to him as a father figure.”
Inspired by the resources provided by the recreation center and its director’s leadership and presence in the community, Raheem Brown carried that example into adulthood, later establishing the Cherry Hill Eagles Foundation.
Brown received a Neighborhood Spotlight Award in 2023 from the Baltimore Community Foundation for his work with local youth, recognizing his daily engagement with young people and families and his efforts to connect them with resources.
Through the Cherry Hill Eagles Foundation, he has developed programs, including individualized mentorship, academic support, college preparation and sports leagues for boys and girls.
“We host over 100 kids in our programs,” he said. “We do all-year-round sports and after-school programming: basketball, football, baseball and cheerleading. With kids who are chronically absent at the school, we provide a service to take them to school in the morning. We do an annual Thanksgiving dinner that feeds around 1,000 people in the community. We do a lot.”
The organization also serves older residents through free monthly events such as jazz nights and bingo, which draw about 160 seniors aged 60 and older for community gatherings and meals.
Additionally, the foundation offers a free certified nursing assistant (CNA) and geriatric nursing assistant (GNA) training program for residents seeking healthcare careers.
“With this program, it really puts you in a position where you get a head start,” said Malaya Oliver, a student in the six-week CNA and GNA program. “This program is going to help me because I’ve been wanting to get into the healthcare field for a long time. I just wasn’t sure about the resources I had or when or how to start.”
Oliver regards Brown as a strong and uplifting part of the community.
Photo Credit: Courtesy photo
“He has great hospitality and strong leadership,” said Oliver. “What he’s doing for the community is a great and beautiful thing, especially since our community is so small and doesn’t have many resources.”
She recalled seeing Brown coaching youth football, calling it a moment that reflected his commitment and inspired her.
“When I am older and have children, I would like for them to have resources and leaders such as Raheem to put them in a healthy mindset,” she said.
As Brown continues his work in the community, he said he remains focused on Cherry Hill’s future, including improving housing options to help residents who want to stay in the neighborhood. He noted that many homes are currently smaller, but added that Cherry Hill is on the rise.
The post Spotlight on Cherry Hill leadership: Raheem Brown appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
