Urban Upbound
David Bruce Merrell is an accomplished professional with diverse experience in grant writing, marketing, communications, and media production. Currently serving as a Grant Writer for Urban Upbound since July 2022, David focuses on securing funding and supporting development initiatives for a non-profit dedicated to combating poverty. Prior experience includes working as a Story Producer for ABC News, where David develops and edits news features, and as Jr. Director of Marketing and Communications at Super Purposes™, overseeing marketing strategies and communications efforts. David has also contributed as a writer for Screen Rant and Queen of Style, and managed public relations for FilmInside, interviewing celebrities and publishing film reviews. Earlier career roles include a comprehensive position at Umpqua Bank handling various banking functions. David holds an education from New York University, completed between 2014 and 2016.
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Urban Upbound
Urban Upbound’s mission is to provide public housing residents with a comprehensive group of accessible, vital, and impactful services to tackle poverty and change lives. We work with the more than 30,000 individuals living in four Western Queens public housing neighborhoods – Queensbridge (the largest public housing community in the nation), Astoria, Woodside, and Ravenswood. Urban Upbound serves clients through four comprehensive programs: 1.) Workforce Development: providing soft skills job readiness training and one-on-one career counseling, as well as job placement and retention assistance for the unemployed and underemployed. 2.) Financial Fitness Program: providing a suite of financial empowerment services including one-on-one crisis and short-term counseling, one-on-one long-term asset building counseling, community-based financial educational workshops, free tax preparation and comprehensive public benefits screening and enrollment. 3.) Youth Development/College Access: Urban Upbound’s youth services include in-depth SAT, college preparation, and college retention services. 4.) Community Revitalization: Urban Upbound ensures public housing neighborhoods have access to community assets such as mainstream financial services through the Urban Upbound Federal Credit Union, opened in 2010, the Urban Upbound FCU is the first low-income designated credit union in Queens ever.