Alumna’s Caring Commitment Empowers Camden Teens and Families 

Rutgers–Camden social work graduate has built a legacy of mentorship and service in her hometown

For nearly 16 years, Camden’s young women have found mentoring and empowerment through the I Dare to Care Association, founded by Rutgers University–Camden alumna Pamela Grayson-Baltimore GSC '92. The social work graduate, who has cultivated a career in service to youth and families, channeled her knowledge and passion into building a welcoming teen mentoring program in her hometown. I Dare to Care has since expanded to serve families and younger girls at its hub in the Family Life Center, where a motto along the building’s steps reads, “Here’s where we recognize the power of our voices and the value of our lives.” 

Grayson-Baltimore proudly describes herself as a public servant, called to service in both her social-work career of more than 30 years as well as her work with her community work in Camden. “I really do love helping people,” she said. “I also believe that with serving comes great responsibility.”

Grayson-Baltimore enrolled at Rutgers–Camden as a transfer student from what is now Hampton University and credited Rutgers–Camden’s Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Department for making her transfer, which included a change of major, seamless. She originally majored in nursing, but struggled with several courses. At the suggestion of the EOF, she changed to social work, and her college career took off from there. 

“I wound up pledging at Rutgers–Camden. I was a part of the Black Student Union, student government, and the work study program. I was also a cheerleader! I'm an outgoing person, so being involved is who I am,” Grayson-Baltimore said. “I enjoyed the atmosphere here.”

After Grayson-Baltimore graduated with her bachelor’s degree in social work, she took a position with what is now called the Department of Children Protection and Permanency before returning to Rutgers–Camden for the accelerated master’s in social work program, earning her graduate degree in 18 months while working full time. 

She later secured a position in the Camden County Public Defender’s office, a role she held for 20 years. Based in the juvenile unit, Grayson-Baltimore developed plans that would keep youth from incarceration, sourcing educational alternatives, counseling, and employment. “I say this humbly: I was really good at my job,” she said. “With a lot of professions, you need to build relationships with people. For me, it was about understanding exactly what people did in the community, where they were located, and how I could get kids and their families plugged into services.”

The connections Grayson-Baltimore fostered in her years with the public defender’s office continue to support Camden’s youth and families with I Dare to Care Association, which she founded in 2008. The idea came from a leadership management class Grayson-Baltimore took through her church. Impacted by women throughout her own life, Grayson-Baltimore developed a mentoring group to give back what was given to her as a young person.  

At the start, I Dare to Care met in Grayson-Baltimore’s own home, where she hosted programming in her living room and ran meetings from her kitchen table. Over time, the group outgrew the space and found its new headquarters on Kaighn Avenue in Camden, where the organization has grown both in scale and services. 

The nonprofit now serves girls from 7 to 18 years old and has expanded its services to families, offering a maternal health program, a homeschool cohort, and a trauma healing support group. “The Family Life Center is a safe, non-judgmental space for children and their families to come and grow together,” Grayson-Baltimore said. 

Grayson-Baltimore also spoke highly of her longstanding community partnership with her alma mater, particularly the student organization Rutgers Women’s Law Caucus, which has sponsored fundraisers for the program and held events with the girls, like a recent pajama party. 

The Rutgers–Camden alumna’s career and nonprofit work have earned her accolades, including the 2019 Camden County Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Medal. Yet Grayson-Baltimore, child of a single-parent household in Camden’s Ablett Village development, continues to set an example for girls and young women.

“There are amazing people who have come out of Camden City,” Grayson-Baltimore said. “There continue to be success stories here.”