Andrew Silverstein, chairman of the CIANJ board (left), presented the award to Brian D. Agnew, Ph.D., GCU vice president for institutional advancement (right).
Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey Salutes Corporate Philanthropy
The Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ) and COMMERCE Magazine recently hosted their Fourth Annual Chairman’s Reception—paying tribute to the kindness and generosity of the business community. Thirty-nine companies, including leading manufacturers, retailers, hospitals, banks, and colleges and universities, were each honored as a “Champion of Good Works” at the gala reception, attended by more than 260 business executives.
“For most of the companies that we are honoring tonight, their generosity and kindness is part of their culture,” said Andrew Silverstein, a member of the accounting firm, Dorfman Abrams, Music, who welcomed all the guests as chairman of the CIANJ board of directors. “The public is often unaware of the magnitude and scope of these good works. This reception is our way of shining a spotlight on ‘Companies that Care,’” Mr. Silverstein added.
GCU Provides Service to New Jersey Charities
Georgian Court University was honored for supporting New Jersey charities in the areas of housing, hunger, education, and health. GCU students, faculty, and staff provided more than 87,000 hours of service in 2014–2015, providing assistance to Catholic Charities, the American Red Cross, Read Across America, food banks, domestic violence shelters, clothing drives, health prevention and nonviolence awareness programs, and other organizations with an economic impact valued at $2.3 million.
In Sleep-out for the Homeless, partnering with Covenant House, 88 students slept outside on campus to raise funds and awareness about homeless youth. Volunteers participated in the CROP Hunger Walk, raising $1,900 for hunger worldwide and homeless families in Ocean County, New Jersey.
“Community service not only transforms the lives of GCU’s students, faculty, and staff, but also the people in the communities served,” said GCU President Joseph R. Marbach, Ph.D. “Service is one of the five Mercy core values to which the GCU community is committed, and we fully integrate it into the classroom, the playing field, and beyond.”
CIANJ is a statewide business advocacy organization, representing more than 950 corporate members from every industry sector. The organization asked the business community to share stories of its philanthropy. Their stories became a special section of the March issue of COMMERCE Magazine that was distributed at the reception, which was held at the elegant Nanina’s In the Park in Belleville. This year’s champions were decided by a blue-ribbon panel of judges, which also named Hackensack Meridian Health and its affiliate, South Ocean Medical Center, as the 2017 Extraordinary Good Works recipient.
