About Us
The Equity Center is a community recovery and social enterprise endeavor, formed by Cross Community Inc., serving particularly vulnerable and historically marginalized communities in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Our mission is to advance human dignity, equity, and flourishing in Montgomery County and to assist the faith sector to be more effective in building community, empowering hope, and transforming lives.
Our Team
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Ben Wikner
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ben is a community development specialist, working to move people and organizations towards equity, inclusion, and flourishing. In his free time, he likes to help people go deeper in their personal and faith development, so they can better connect with God and find greater clarity and purpose in their life and work. He is married with seven children and two grandchildren.
Contact: ben@cross-community.org
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Edwige Tebou
OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
Edwige is a proud Camaroonian who has been actively serving the community for the past 5 years to help make Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village a better place to live and work.
Contact: edwige@cross-community.org
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Abbie Bridges
LACTATION COUNSELOR (CLC)
Abbie is a Certified Lactation Counselor who is passionate about supporting parents in achieving their infant feeding goals through accessible and evidence-based lactation care. Abbie lives in Gaithersburg with her husband and two children.
Contact: abbie@cross-community.org
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Community JEDIs
Our JEDIs work to advance Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, (JEDI). As members of the community, they have the real-world, shared experience of struggle as those we serve, making them more compassionate and effective in empowerment work.
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Our Volunteers
Our volunteers are the backbone of our work and serve in all capacities including tax clinics, food and diaper distributions, and community events. To learn about volunteer opportunities, please email edwige@cross-community.org.