Bob Just is the founder and president of Concerned Families, an organization focused on rebuilding neighborhoods and fostering a sense of community. His personal experiences as a child of divorce and time in boarding school shaped his perspective on the importance of community and trust.

As a child, Bob had a formative experience when local police officers visited his boarding school, providing him a sense of caring and community that he felt was missing from his own family situation. This inspired Bob’s work to recreate that feeling of safety and connection for children in need.

The core of Bob’s work is the Birth-day Project, which celebrates every student’s birthday collectively in schools. This project brings together community fathers, mothers, and youth to provide a sense of belonging and celebration for children who may not receive individual attention on their birthdays.

Bob has expanded the Birth-day Project to schools in the Bronx and Chinatown, areas with diverse populations and family situations. The project aims to show children what loving parents are like and how the community can act as loving parents, especially for those with absent or emotionally unavailable parents.

A key aspect of the Birth-day Project is the involvement of local police officers. Bob shares an example of officers participating in the PS 126 event in Chinatown, where they were warmly received by the students. This helps bridge the gap of distrust between the community and law enforcement.

Bob also shares stories of the emotional impact the Birth-Day Project has had on students, including a high school girl who said it was the best day of her life. The project also has a positive effect on the teachers, administrators, and community members who participate.

The Birth-Day Project has expanded through partnerships with churches, organizations like the New Canaan Society, and businesses like Alphabet Scoop that provide logistical support. Bob hopes to continue growing the project to more schools and communities, fostering a culture of care and connection.

Since my Christian leader friend called me about the book “Hardwired to Connect,” Concerned Families has added two major projects that further the concept of “authoritative communities” and positive connections to police.

One project active in the city right now is Birth-Day. Launched here in 2019 by the Manhattan chapter of the men’s friendship group New Canaan Society, Birth-Day is organized as its own separate movement. We work with an ice cream shop called Alphabet Scoop, which is part of a homeless ministry on East 11th. Young Life Manhattan-Bronx recently adopted this fun project to help brighten the lives of our students. Happily, Youth for Christ NYC has now also adopted Birth-Day to bless and give hope to young people in our correctional system.

Birth-Day is our way to celebrate everyone in the community, especially our precious youth (who too often don’t know they are precious). It’s a great example of the kind of “single-moment ministry” that changed my life.