Author Archives: Mike

How Donors Can Make a Difference in the Lives of Those in Need During the 2011 Holiday Season

November 10, 2011 Greater Newark Holiday Fund – www.holidayfund.org “For most people the holidays are a season of joy. But the neediest among us have so little to celebrate. You can make a difference. Your support reaches across six counties — Essex, Union, Passaic, Hudson, Morris, and Bergen counties in northern New Jersey to help in so many ways: Food for the Hungry Shelter for the Homeless Care for Seniors Clothes and Toys for Kids Crucial services to individuals and families in crisis Our 2011 campaign runs from November 13, 2011 through January 15, 2012.…

Summer Job Programs Build Character & Confidence

August 24, 2011 For the last few summers, Community Foundation donors have approached us about how to help youth find summer work. Their interest was motivated by a simple belief that summer employment can accomplish a number of good things: for some, it is an opportunity to gain learning opportunities, confidence, and a set of new skills.…

Donation Funds “Hydration Stations” Project

August 2, 2011 Long Beach Township first community to install tankless water coolers for public use The Alliance for a Living Ocean (ALO), whose mission it is to “promote and maintain clean water and a healthy coastal environment” in the Long Beach Island and local Barnegat Bay areas, was awarded a generous anonymous donation to fund tankless water cooler installations along the Island.…

Donor Advised Fund Provides “End of the Line” for Unwanted Firearms

February 6, 2013 According to Federal Bureau of Investigation data recently reported by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, two-thirds (66%) of New Jersey homicides are attributable to gun violence. Given these staggering statistics, the underground sale of illegal guns poses an undeniable threat to police efforts to stem crime in communities across the state.…

Increasing Access to Field Trips That Bring Learning Alive

What is your favorite school field trip memory? Where did that trip take you that day and since? Field trips have the power to awaken, hush, awe, enrich and change lives of our children by taking students out of familiar surroundings into new places, connecting classroom learning with real-life experiences and enabling them to envision themselves as future college students, researchers, artists, and leaders.…

Jumping for the Cause Without Being Asked

By JACK SHAKELY. Reprinted from The New York Times, March 18, 2008.One of the first people to call to congratulate you is a guy from college you haven’t seen since graduation. He says that he and somebody named Tom Hamilton will be in town next week.…

The Legacy Your Children Deserve

by William T. Knox IV, CFP, CFA, JD, formerly of RegentAtlantic Capital, LLC From the moment our children are born, we must consider and plan for their future without us. As new parents, we are well advised to prepare for every scenario — including one in which our kids might lose both Mom and Dad prematurely.…

Donating Cars Wisely

Many of us have seen the billboards and heard the radio ads about donating a used car. Some of us have also read newspaper and magazine articles that talk about the “scam” operations that have accompanied some of the car-donation organizations.…

Charitable Giving Opportunities in Changing Times — Look Beyond Cash

by Sandra Brown Sherman and Tracy McSweeney Sandra Brown Sherman and Tracy McSweeney are both attorneys who specialize in the practices of trusts & estates and tax. Introduction Given the current turbulence in the market, many otherwise charitably inclined individuals may be reluctant to make sizable gifts from their available cash.…

Support Our Work in the Community

One of the services the Community Foundation offers, is the opportunity for anyone (in or out of New Jersey, with or without a fund) to support our work addressing critical community challenges. Scroll down for our current list of Changemaker Projects.…