Shirley Irizarry is a single mother of two daughters and has lived most of her life in Camden, New Jersey. Having grown up in a city that for years had failing schools, Shirley knew she wanted better for her daughters. However, without the financial means to move to a “better” school district, she was determined to have better options within her own community.

For years, Shirley volunteered in any way she could with local initiatives and nonprofit organizations that helped to bring the community together, all the while advocating for better schools for Camden. In the Spring of 2021, during the pandemic, Shirley launched the nonprofit Parents Invincible. The organization seeks to represent parents across the entire city, regardless of school type. Parents Invincible’s outreach involves effective grassroots strategies such as phone banking, door-to-door canvassing, community events, and has evolved to include case management, newsletters, and strategic partnerships with other community organizations and leaders.

Shirley believes in parent power and works toward informing, empowering, and elevating their voices, one family at a time! The work she and her team do on a daily basis, allows them to have a reach of over 7,000 parents in Camden, New Jersey.