Christopher A Pender, Sr. is a native North Philadelphian educated in the Philadelphia Public School system. Chris has been married for 35 years and has four children. He holds a Master’s degree in Human Services from Lincoln University.
In October 2010 he was awarded the 2010 NAACP Extraordinary Citizens award. Other certifications include Rutgers University (Camden Campus) Early Childhood Education, National Fatherhood Initiative 24/7 Dads - Dr. Dad, and P.A.I.R.S (Marriage/Relationship Counseling) as well as being a member of The National Mentoring Children of Purpose Advisory Board in Washington DC. The Chester State Correctional Institute awarded Chris with the Volunteer Award in 2009 for his work with the SCI population.
Chris has accumulated over twenty-five years of experience working with young people, Families and Fathers in several different capacities such as coach, mentor and facilitator.
A few of his greatest accomplishments include writing a book, designing curriculum on such topics as Fatherhood, Healthy Relationships, Vision/Purpose, and Choices & Consequences. Other projects that provide a sense of pride for Chris is creating workshops on various topics, designing a re-entry program for incarcerated individuals, creating a Job Readiness Program, designing an academic enrichment summer camp and authoring a Thesis on “The Absentee Dad Through abandonment, death, and incarceration.”
Chris also created an after-school / summer program for youth between the ages of 8-15. Helping Youth Prepare Effectively (H.Y.P.E) equips today’s young people with the tools needed to become individuals of character who are prepared to become leaders for the next generation.
Chris believes just as George Washington Carver wrote, “No individual has any right to come into this world and go out without leaving behind him legitimate and distinct reasons for having passed through it.” “My legitimate reason for being here on earth is to make a difference in the lives of the next generation and their families in a positive way.”