All Wrapped Up Needs YOU!

The Volunteer Center of Bergen County's "All Wrapped Up" holiday giving program is in full swing!  We've received requests from nonprofit agencies to help 4,000 people.  We’ve been busy matching donors with people in need, but we still have a long way to go.  More than 300 individuals and 400 families still need to be matched with donors.

Individuals, families, civic groups, corporations and business associations are encouraged to "adopt" an individual or a family in need.

Requested items include such basics as winter coats, warm sweaters, slippers, or books and toys for children. Gift cards for supermarkets and discount department stores are on everyone's list, too.

To help, sign up online. We'll match you with an individual or family and email their profile back to you within 24 hours.

Call Debbie at 201-489-9454, ext. 118 for further information.

Times are tough, so please do whatever you can to help our neighbors right here in Bergen County!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving

from everyone at the Volunteer Center!

Our Third Honoree is...

The Volunteer Center of Bergen County is celebrating its 45th Anniversary this year with a Heart of Gold Gala on Saturday, December 3, 2011, at the Dolce Palisades Hotel in Palisades, NY.  

Over the past few weeks we’ve been introducing our distinguished honorees to you; so far you’ve met William “Pat” Schuber and Becton Dickinson (BD).  Now we’d like you to meet United Water.

United Water New Jersey provides water services to approximately 750,000 people throughout Bergen and Hudson counties plus several hundred in Sussex and Passaic counties.  United Water has been a good friend of the Volunteer Center throughout its existence. In 1994, the company helped to establish a unique public-private collaboration that became the Bergen County Campership Fund. This initiative, for which the Volunteer Center continues to serve as custodian of funds, has since generated more than $500,000, enabling children of low-income families to enjoy the healthful benefits of summer daycamp.  United Water helped to establish and remains deeply committed  to the Northern New Jersey Business Volunteer Council and Bergen LEADS.  United Water has hosted various fundraising and networking events for the Volunteer Center, as well as providing ample supplies of water for numerous  special events.

The Heart of Gold Gala is “black tie optional” and will feature cocktails, dinner, dancing and entertainment by Beatle Magic – The Ultimate Beatles Experience, in keeping with a sub-theme of the gala “With a Little Help from Our Friends.”

Deadline to purchase tickets is Monday, November 28, and tickets are $175 per person.  To purchase sponsorships, on-line journal ads or tickets, visit www.heartofgoldgala.org.    For more information, contact Jane He at (201) 489-9454, Ext. 125.

Major sponsors of the Heart of Gold Gala to date are: BD, United Water, TD Bank, Reader’s Digest, PSE&G, and Lakeland Bank.

Teens Learn Leadership Skills

13 teens from around the county spent their Teacher’s Convention break honing their leadership skills at the Volunteer Center’s Youth Leadership Institute.

The teens participated in such hands-on experiences as community mapping, a “what if” survival scenario, and team-building activities that involved building towers out of straws and tape.  Each activity was specially designed to help the teens learn to function as teams, to learn about leadership styles and to use their new-found skills to plan service projects that benefit our community.  

The Youth Leadership Insitute is designed to ignite in students the desire for civic engagement and while providing them with the leadership skills they will need to create effective service activities, whether in school, in a group or on their own.  The Institute was originally developed by Prudential Financial and implemented by the Points of Light Foundation. 

For more information on how to plan an institute for your school or youth based group, please contact Debbie Emery, Program Director at demery@bergenvolunteers.org or 201-489-9454, x118.

Our Second Honree Is...

The Volunteer Center of Bergen County is celebrating its 45th Anniversary this year with a Heart of Gold Gala on Saturday, December 3, 2011, at the Dolce Palisades Hotel in Palisades, NY.  Over the next few weeks we will introduce you to our honorees. We introduced William “Pat” Schuber last week; next up is Becton Dickinson (BD).

BD is a global medical technology company headquartered in Franklin Lakes. Since its founding in 1897 by local residents Fairleigh Dickinson and Maxwell Becton, BD has been dedicated to improving people’s health, and its reach now extends around the world. The company conducts business in approximately 50 countries and has more than 29,000 employees worldwide.  While BD is a Fortune-500 company with a reach around the world, its people and its heart stem from roots deep in Bergen County.

BD has been a staunch supporter of the Volunteer Center’s Business Volunteer Council, the company is a committed investor in the ongoing success of Bergen LEADS, and over the past several years BD has provided more than $100,000 in support for Volunteer Center programs and events. In addition, the Volunteer Center is honored to coordinate the judging of BD’s prestigious Henry Becton Award for Community Impact, which recognizes the involvement of employee volunteers across the globe.  BD is a wonderful company and a good neighbor, and BD has a heart of gold!

The Heart of Gold Gala is “black tie optional” and will feature cocktails, dinner, dancing and entertainment by Beatle Magic – The Ultimate Beatles Experience, in keeping with a sub-theme of the gala “With a Little Help from Our Friends.”

Tickets are $175 per person or $1,750 for a table of 10.  To purchase sponsorships, on-line journal ads or tickets, visit www.heartofgoldgala.org.    For more information, contact Jane He at (201) 489-9454, Ext. 125.

Major sponsors of the Heart of Gold Gala to date are: BD, United Water, TD Bank, Reader’s Digest, PSE&G, and Lakeland Bank.

Business Leaders of Tomorrow Lend a Helping Hand

Volunteers with Business Leaders of Tomorrow (BLT) at Fairleigh Dickinson University added a special flair to our Mentoring Youth program’s Halloween party, helping to serve food, make crafts, play games and dance with scores of kids in costumes ranging from the festive to the frightful.

In addition to holding social and educational events at FDU, members of BLT also enjoy volunteering to help in the community.  “Working with the Volunteer Center of Bergen County was a very rewarding experience,” says Jill DiMaggio, BLT president.  “What they do for those in need is so generous. We saw that they put a lot of hard work and dedication into making what they do the best.”

“We were happy to donate our time and efforts for such an important cause,” she continues. “All the work paid off when we saw the smiles on their faces. We all had a great time. We look forward to helping at Mentoring Youth the holiday party in December!”

Our first honoree is...

The Volunteer Center of Bergen County is celebrating its 45th Anniversary this year with a Heart of Gold Gala on Saturday, December 3, 2011, at the Dolce Palisades Hotel in Palisades, NY.  Over the next few weeks we will introduce you to our honorees.  First up is William “Pat” Schuber.

Mr. Schuber is the Seminar Director for Bergen LEADS, which was launched by the Volunteer Center of Bergen County in 2008 and now stands as the county’s premier civic leadership program.  His breadth of knowledge, coupled with his enthusiasm for all facets of Bergen County -- its history, government, economy and systems of healthcare and education, to say nothing of its politics and increasing diversity – is a key asset of this dynamic and engaging program.  Mr. Schuber served as Bergen County Executive for 12 years and left office respected by residents across the political spectrum. He has also served 9 years as a member of the New Jersey State Assembly, 4 years as Mayor of the Borough of Bogota, and currently serves as a Commissioner of the Port Authority.

The Heart of Gold Gala is “black tie optional” and will feature cocktails, dinner, dancing and entertainment by Beatle Magic – The Ultimate Beatles Experience, in keeping with a sub-theme of the gala “With a Little Help from Our Friends.”

Tickets are $175 per person or $1,750 for a table of 10.  To purchase sponsorships, on-line journal ads or tickets, visit www.heartofgoldgala.org.    For more information, contact Jane He at (201) 489-9454, Ext. 125.

Major sponsors of the Heart of Gold Gala to date are: BD, United Water, TD Bank, Reader’s Digest, PSE&G, and Lakeland Bank.

Oh, What a Night It Was

Who knew a party at IKEA could be such fun!  But that’s what it was when nearly 150 friends and members of the Business Volunteer Council of Northern New Jersey poured into the IKEA store in Paramus last Friday (October 28) “Fun & Games with the BVC,” presented by Hudson City Savings Bank.

Guest-contestants took part in The Price is Right, Scavenger Hunt, the Hudson City Money Machine, and Wheel of Fortune, with stand-up comedian Mark Malkoff as our exceptional game-show-host.  Our silent auction was another success, with bidders winning fabulous prizes.

The biggest success of the night was that guests filled four huge shopping carts with donations to the Center for Food Action’s Weekend Snack Pack Program, which provides snacks for kids.

Funds raised support the BVC’s initiatives that benefit low-income children and their families.

View Photos from the event here. 

Thank you again to our 2011 Fun & Games sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor: Hudson City Savings Bank

Host: IKEA - Paramus

BD

Rockland Electric

TD Bank

Hunter Douglas

State Farm Insurance

United Water

Heart of Gold

Celebration is the order of the day when the Volunteer Center of Bergen County celebrates its 45th anniversary with a Heart of Gold Gala on Saturday, December 3, 2011, at the Dolce Palisades Hotel in Palisades, NY.

Awards will be presented to one individual  -- William “Pat” Schuber -- and three companies – BD, United Water and TD Bank – whose support of the have Volunteer Center and the Bergen County community is exemplary. 

The Gala will be “black tie optional,” with cocktails at 7 pm followed by dinner and performance by Beatle Magic – The Ultimate Beatles Experience, that will recreate the aura, look and sound of the Fab Four through numerous phases of the Beatles’ legendary career. After the show, there will be dancing until midnight.

Tickets are $175 per person or $1,750 for a table of 10.  To purchase sponsorships, on-line journal ads or tickets, visit www.heartofgoldgala.org.    For more information, contact Jane He at (201) 489-9454, Ext. 125.

Major sponsors of the Heart of Gold Gala to date are: BD, United Water, TD Bank, Reader’s Digest, PSE&G, and Lakeland Bank.

It's All Wrapped Up Time Again!

The Volunteer Center of Bergen County's "All Wrapped Up" holiday giving program is in full swing!  We've received requests from nonprofit agencies to help 3,500 people in need, and we are now matching them with donors -- like you! - who want to help.  Requests are for such basic items as winter coats, warm sweaters, slippers, or books and toys for children. Gift cards for supermarkets and discount department stores are on everyone's list, too.

To help, sign up online. We'll match you with an individual or family and email their profile back to you within 48 hours.

Individuals, families, civic groups, corporations and business associations are encouraged to "adopt" an individual or a family in need. Call us at 201-489-9454, ext. 118 (Debbie Emery) if you need more information.

Times are tough, so please do whatever you can to help our neighbors right here in Bergen County!