Author Archives: Mike

Year-End Update from the Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund

October 21, 2014 The below update is from our friends at the Afghan Girls Financial Assistance Fund.  We are proud to work with this wonderful organization making a real difference for young women.   Summer internships, academic research, volunteer work, travel and relaxation – our students did it all this summer.  …

Responding to the Ebola Outbreak

October 20, 2014 With the global Ebola outbreak dominating recent news coverage, many of the Community Foundation’s donors have either given to fight the deadly disease or requested additional information on the most effective organizations worthy of a donation.  Given the disease’s potential for widespread harm, the concern is well-placed and the desire to learn more especially astute.…

Why it Matters: Supporting the Rutgers Post-Disposition Advocacy Project

October 20, 2014 Many things fall through the cracks in life, but when it’s a young person, no length is too great to go to find them. Tragically, our state is filled with far too many youth who have fallen through every possible crack in society and now sit incarcerated, some in solitary confinement—“the box”—a five foot by seven foot cell with a metal or plastic bunk, thin foam mattress, toilet, and sink.…

Making a Difference for Incarcerated Youth

October 20, 2014 Young people incarcerated in New Jersey’s juvenile correctional institutions have, historically, been treated as statistics. From being subject to unduly harsh punishments to being denied access to lawyers to advise them of their rights, youth have been forgotten in a system that until recently, was shielded from public scrutiny and, therefore, from accountability.…

Fundholder Project: Keeping Carly’s Love and Legacy Alive

October 15, 2014 Nothing is more heartbreaking than losing a child. Haworth, New Jersey native Carly Elizabeth Hughes was just two days shy of her 24th birthday when she was diagnosed with gastric cancer in October 2012. She fought the disease with determination and endured radiation, chemotherapy, and multiple operations before passing away on February 17, 2013.…

NJ School Breakfast Participation Rises 55 Percent

October 7, 2014 Scroll down for a release from our friends at Advocates for Children of New Jersey, who have some good news to share about school breakfast participation rates in the state.  We’re proud members of the Food for Thought School Breakfast Campaign and are working with with this important coalition to provide more breakfasts after the school bell rings (not before), which significantly boosts student participation.…

Get the Facts on the Open Space Ballot Question

September 24, 2014 In this year’s November 4th election  – SAVE THE DATE! – New Jersey voters will get to decide whether four percent of the money collected from New Jersey’s corporate business tax will go to preserve open space. Our friends at New Jersey’s Keep it Green campaign have developed the below Q&A to help voters understand the question and its ramifications. …

New Jersey Earns Perfect Score for Trafficking Laws

September 17, 2014 Polaris today released its State Ratings on Human Trafficking Laws and there is good news for New Jersey. Scroll down to learn more, or click here for the full report. The ratings of all 50 states and the District of Columbia are based on 10 categories of laws that are critical to a basic legal framework that combats human trafficking, punishes traffickers and supports survivors.…

Community Foundation Celebrates 227 Students Receiving Donor Scholarships in 2014

September 12, 2014 The Community Foundation today proudly congratulated the 227 students receiving scholarships this year from funds created by donors and administered by the Foundation. More than $1.4 million in scholarship dollars were distributed this fall – ranging from one-time awards to multi-year – making 2014 yet another year in which the Community Foundation distributed more than $1 million in scholarship dollars.…