Our Story

Our Future First began immediately after losing our dear friend, Maurice "Reese" Lewis in May of 2018 to an act of random and senseless gun violence in our hometown of Millville, NJ. At just 19 years old, Reese was the kind of person who did everything he could to help others — and we wanted to do something to keep his memory and legacy alive.

Our dream has always been to open a community space called Reese's House that focuses on working with teenagers and young adults that serves our whole community. Through our experiences in education, we understand that this age group is one of the most neglected. If we are going to build our youth for the future, we have to invest in their growth instead of assuming it's just going to happen.

Reese's House

Reese's House is a community-centered space that serves as a cultural and civic hub for our community. It is a place where people get help with all things school-related, talk and receive counseling on life, college and career opportunities, learn about entrepreneurship and organizing through a lens of innovation and empowerment, and simply be themselves in a safe environment.

Our center is where our youth come to hang out, discuss the issues impacting their lives, and receive unconditional support to help create actionable solutions to those issues. Our goal is to help this generation of leaders understand that the only boundaries that exist are the ones we allow to be placed in front of us. We help them pursue their passions to ensure they are given every opportunity to succeed and lead the life they desire.

More Than a Place for Youth

While Reese's House is absolutely be a hub for our youth, it is also be a true space for our community.

• We run our own programs and initiatives — from school support and counseling to workshops on entrepreneurship, organizing and civic engagement.
• We open our doors to other community organizations so local groups can meet, organize and build with their people.
• We offer our space for private gatherings and parties.

There is a lot of incredible work happening in our area right now, and we want to support it in any way we can. To request use of Reese's House, just click here.

A Place for Our Future

Imagine a place where we can come together as a community to pour into our youth - a place where we can organize and build the future of our city and county together. A place where the only limits to what we can do are in our heads. That place is Reese's House. We have the building and we are doing the work, but there is always more work to be done.

Please consider supporting our work with a donation of any kind. One-time donations are always great, but monthly recurring donations help us budget to ensure our space can continue to thrive and grow.

Our youth needs this. Our city needs this. Our future needs this.