CJF employees reveal new details on camp conditions, paychecks bouncing
DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Where is the money? ABC11's I TEAM investigation continues into CJF America as more employees of the foundation are coming forward, saying they also haven't been paid by CJF America.
Aspiring art teacher Ethan Bognar thought he found the perfect job at CJF America's summer camp in Raleigh, "I really wanted to teach them art," Bognar said. He said he was excited to work as a camp counselor, but his first day on the job at the end of June was an eye-opener. He says, "Our boss quit day one and said that she hadn't been paid." Despite receiving that news, the 19-year-old Wake Forest resident wanted to keep working for CJF America.
"The Courtney Jordan Foundation, when I looked them up, they seemed like pretty reputable."
CJF America is a branch of the Courtney Jordan Foundation. Jordan, who lives in Durham, is the man behind the group that claims to build stronger communities. ABC11 News Troubleshooter first told you about CJF's payment issues when the foundation failed to pay The Chicken Hut in Durham for meals the restaurant had supplied to the Durham summer camp.
"They reached out to us to provide meals for 125 kids for breakfast and 125 kids for lunch daily," Tre Tapp, owner of The Chicken Hut, adds. Despite promises to pay and even informing Troubleshooter Diane Wilson that they'd pay The Chicken Hut the $3,400 owed by July 30th, CJF American still has not paid The Chicken Hut. "Once again, the same old story that we've been hearing for going over a month," Tapp said.
Wilson also heard from Durham CJF employees and camp counselors at the CJF Durham summer camp who say they never got paid. "I was told that there was no money in the account," Dr. Cherrise Collins said, who was hired as Assistant Vice President and Regional Director for the North Carolina region in May and worked for months without pay. She says she's owed $27,000 to date. Crystal Graves, a community activist in Durham, was also hired by CJF and says she's owed about $10,000. Graves adds, "We all have bills. Our credit has dropped."
Bognar reached out to Wilson after seeing her stories on CJF America, as he said he didn't realize the problems were so big. After his boss quit on his first day working at the camp in Raleigh, he said he, along with two other camp counselors, all three younger than 20 years old, were left to manage the kids in the Raleigh camp.
"It was just the three of us managing like eighty kids." He says they were given a schedule, but he adds, "There were no supplies to follow on the schedule. It was like playing games with kids, but we didn't have any games, or I was like, I teach the kids art, but we didn't have any art supplies. We played like Duck, Duck Go, like that kind of thing, like, you know, and Simon Says a lot of that kind of thing," Bognar says. He adds that Courtney Jordan and other executives at CJF America would show up in the afternoon at the camp, promising field trips and activities, but says it didn't happen.
Just the three of us managing like eighty kids.Ethan Bognar, CFJ Camp Employee
The President of CJF America, Kristen Picot, refutes claims that the camp doesn't offer meaningful programming, saying, "Campers have participated in writing workshops, media labs, STEM exercises, and more."
After working a month at the camp, Bognar says, "They finally gave us our checks and then we went to cash them and the checks bounced."
When Wilson asked CJF America about the pay issues, Picot says, "CJF America is currently addressing all outstanding compensation matters through legal counsel. Those who may be impacted will receive direct communication from our legal representatives. We understand this is a sensitive and personal matter, and we are committed to resolving it with diligence, professionalism, and care."
Wilson tried to get further answers and went to CJF America's Durham office, but it was locked, and no sign of anyone there. As for Bognar, it's the kids at camp that kept him working so long without pay. "Everyone who was working there was working under really bad conditions, but they were still doing their best to make sure the kids were having a good time," he adds.
Many of these workers said they filed complaints with the North Carolina Department of Labor, and they confirm they're investigating the multiple complaints of non-payment.
We've been trying to get a comment from Courtney Jordan, but he has not responded. Instead, CJF America said, "Mr. Jordan remains engaged and informed. However, he is not involved in day-to-day operational decisions or payment processes." Yet the camp counselors we spoke with all said they saw Jordan often at the camp.
