Woman who dedicated her life to N.J. kids dies at 80 – NJ.com

Every summer, Trish Morris-Yamba made sure Newark kids were away from the city for weeks at a time.

They’d get on buses headed for summer camp, an outdoor experience she needed them to have through the Greater Newark Fresh Air Fund, a program she passionately led as executive director of the Newark Day Center, the oldest social service agency in New Jersey.

She led the multifaceted organization for 32 years with a holistic approach that served children, adults and seniors. But the Fresh Air Fund, which has sent kids to camp since 1882, is the one program that is synonymous with her name.

“That was her baby,” said A. Zachary Yamba, her husband, and former president of Essex County College.

She nurtured the program child, raising funding year-round so Newark kids could be outdoors with nature. Many had never jumped into in a lake or saw a frog leap from lily pad or gazed at a deer in the woods while hiking.

“She was the face of the Fresh Air Fund,” said Donna Johnson-Thompson, the current executive director.

And, her presence will be missed.

After a long illness, Morris-Yamba, 80, died Friday at home in South Orange surrounded by family and friends.

“It was a source of comfort for us,” said her husband. The couple was married for 32 years. “There was a certain peace that came across her face.”

Morris-Yamba, who was born in Binghamton, New York, made her mark on many fronts to improve the lives of children and families. When she led the agency, Morris-Yamba expanded its outreach with enrichment programs, mentoring services and workforce initiatives.

She was suited for this work even before coming to Newark. While attending Livingston College at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, Yamba said his wife started a campus childcare center for adult students.

After earning her undergraduate degree and a master’s from Rutgers in education, Morris-Yamba continued her advocacy as the first principal of the CHEN School, a collaborative preschool sponsored by the Council of Higher Education in Newark.

She moved on from there, and in 1981, Morris-Yamba began her tenure at the Newark Day Center, which set up an early childhood education program on Saturdays at Essex County College.

Considered a visionary in the field, Morris-Yamba made sure para-professionals received their certifications, knowing that the state of New Jersey would be requiring credentials.

It only made sense that she would be the founding president of the Early Childhood Coalition of Newark, an advocacy organization which helped develop procedures to address the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Abbott mandate for early childhood providers.

There wasn’t much that Morris-Yamba was not a part of in Newark. Community involvement was natural, a civic responsibility Yamba said his wife inherited from her family growing up in Burlington County.

She was president of the Board of Trustees of the Newark Public Library and a trustee of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Women’s Board Association. She was also a board member of Newark Emergency Services for Families and the Community Advisory Board of Thirteen/WNET. And, she found time to be the host of “Black Spectrum,” which aired on a local NBC-TV affiliate.

A long-time member of Bethany Baptist Church in Newark, Morris-Yamba was an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and an officer with the National Congress of Black Women, chairing its metro-Newark chapters.

Wherever she went, though, Morris-Yamba always talked about the Greater Fresh Air Fund and what the camping experience did for Newark children. She knew the families intimately, following up with them to see how young people enjoyed the summer.

For those who were unable to go to camp, Johnson-Thompson said Morris-Yamba organized special day trips for the kids to go to an amusement park or horseback riding. Once, she even got enough funding from the donors to take the kids to the Bahamas for one day.

“Most of them had never flown before,” Johnson-Thompson said.

Everything Morris-Yamba did was for the kids, and she spent time with them at the camp. She’d visit, eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and go swimming with the campers.

When she wasn’t talking about the fund, Morris-Yamba was known around the state in political circles. News of her death touched many who spoke of her commitment to children.

“Trish Morris-Yamba was an incredible part of this community and her impact can be felt across this county,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. “She distinguished herself as an advocate for children for the health and welfare of our families and for the uplifting of our community.”

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo added, “As Director of the Newark Day Center and Fresh Air Fund, she had a tremendous influence on the development of youth and created a lasting legacy by providing generations the opportunity for enrichment, education and the chance of summertime fun.”

Morris-Yamba retired from the Newark Day Center in 2013, but she stayed close to the organization located on Hill Street.

“She will always be a part of the Newark Day Center,” Johnson-Thompson said.

She will always be the face of the Greater Newark Fresh Air Fund, too.

Her life will be celebrated starting Friday with a viewing from 5 to 8 p.m. at Bethany Baptist Church in Newark. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the church.

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Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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