John Cooper Jr. takes command at Falls rescue mission

Mark Scheer, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·2 min read

Jan. 13—NIAGARA FALLS — A local rescue mission has entered the new year with new leadership.

Representatives from the Niagara Gospel Mission, located on Portage Road in Niagara Falls, have announced the appointment of John Cooper Jr. as the organization's new executive director.

Cooper Jr. replaces former mission director Tom McLaughlin, who retired at the end of 2023.

Cooper Jr. said hopes to continue the success McLaughlin had in terms of raising awareness about the needs of the local homeless population and about the mission of the shelter itself.

"I'd love for us to be so successful that we don't need our jobs anymore. Until that time, we'll labor where we are at," Cooper Jr. said.

A Town of Wheatfield native and a graduate of Niagara-Wheatfield High School, Cooper Jr. served as a sniper in the U.S. Army for six years. His father, John Sr., is the CEO of Cooper Signs, Inc., a third-generation business that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022.

Cooper Jr. got involved with helping the mission in 2011 after he volunteered as a chapel speaker. He joined the shelter's staff as its development director in February 2022. Recently ordained as a Baptist pastor, Cooper graduated from Clarks Summit University in Pennsylvania and is pursuing a master of divinity in leadership through Liberty University.

"I have a deep love for helping people and for the city of Niagara Falls," Cooper Jr. said. "My family has served in the business community and local organizations for decades. We've fought in our nation's wars and as part of the Underground Railroad. My family and faith have taught me to care for those in need."

"I want Niagara Falls to become a strong city again, and I believe that happens when we focus on those in need and love them," he added.

During his time with the mission, Cooper Jr. was heavily involved in the development of Liberty Suite, a part of the shelter reserved exclusively for homeless military veterans which opened in the fall of 2022. Last year, he instituted a series of symposiums dealing with veterans' and mental health issues.

This year, he said he plans to initiate a structured discipleship program, offering life-skills classes, regular work assignments, Bible study and more. He is also taking the lead on the mission's three-year campaign to open a women's center in Niagara Falls.

Cooper, his wife Elizabeth and their three boys live in Niagara Falls.

Niagara Gospel Mission is a non-profit organization that provides services to the homeless and poor out of the former YMCA building located at 1317 Portage Road, Niagara Falls.

To learn more about the shelter's services and plans to add services for homeless women, visit niagaragospemission.org.