Bring the Joy of Reading to a Young Child!

Studies show that reading to a child, especially early learners, is the single most important thing a parent can do to help the child acquire language, develop a love of learning and prepare for school - leading to  greater academic success. Often, children in low-income families lack access to books.  These families are struggling to pay for rent, utilities and food, so books are far down on the list of must-have items.

 

To address this need in Bergen County, Business Volunteer Connect, a program of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County, has kicked off its annual Books in a Bag campaign.  The goal of the program is to collect 5,000 NEW books by February 12th. Anyone can easily order books here. The books will be distributed to 1,000 children enrolled in programs in early learning centers throughout the county, and culminate on Read Across America Day on March 3, “Dr. Seuss” March birthday.  On that day, the collected books will be delivered to the children by dozens of corporate volunteers, who will also stay to read to the children. Sponsoring companies include Pearson Education, Community Bank of Bergen County, Jack Daniels Motors, Rockland Electric, Spectra Labs, and United Water.

REALSOURCE supports the Volunteer Center of Bergen County

REALSOURCE Association of Realtors Community Relations Committee has awarded $1500 to the Volunteer Center of Bergen County, during a holiday breakfast at the Association’s Waldwick headquarters.  Barbara Ostroth, a former volunteer with the Volunteer Center’s Mentoring Moms program, was the nominator.  The funds will be used to support Mentoring Moms and other programs of the Volunteer Center.

Visions Federal Credit Union supports Volunteer Center of Bergen County

 

Visions Federal Credit Union, serving its Bergen County members  with branches in Saddle Brook, Englewood Cliffs, Dumont, Westwood, Mahwah and Oakland, recently donated $2,500 to the Volunteer Center of Bergen County to be used for youth programming.  The Volunteer Center works with schools, youth groups and individual youth to connect student with community service opportunities and develop young leaders.

Join us tonight at the Kick off to the Super Bowl!!

Tired fo being cooped up on this snowday, then head out to the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Super Community Spirit Showcase!  This kick off to the Super Bowl will combine a celebration of the upcoming “Big Game” with a showcase of 100 area non-profits displaying their accomplishments and needs for the future.  Attendees will vote for their favorite charity and the winner will receive 100% of the net proceeds from the evening.  Please come and vote for the Volunteer Center – look for the red heart!

Pro football players will be present for autographs and photos, as well as offer advice for the young and old on how to "give back" to their community and make the world a better place. Auction, prizes, yummy game-day food and more! Cash bar. Wednesday, January 22 from 5:30 – 8:00 pm at the Sheraton Mahwah Hotel in Mahwah.

Register online here or call 201-529-5566.  Tickets are $25 for adults ($30 at door), $10 for students. 

See you there, just look for a dancing red heart!

Bergen County Volunteer Arranges a Welcome Surprise

Kathy  Hlavaty of River Vale, is a volunteer with the Mentoring Moms program of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County, which matches women with mothers who are facing extreme challenges in raising children and navigating their lives.

Kathy spends time with Jackie M., her mentee, and Jackie’s five children.  They shop, run errands and often have coffee at Jackie’s house—a 100+ year old Victorian that is much in need of repairs.  The kitchen in particular, has cabinets that over the course of several years, have become unusable—the drawers don’t work, the countertop is so uneven that dishes have slid off of it, and Jackie was forced to use an old baseball bat to prop up the center to keep the entire piece from collapsing altogether.  As a single mom who has been laid off, Jackie’s first priority is to clothe and feed her children, so she had to wait to take care of the cabinets.

Kathy told her cousin Angelo Del Russo, who owns Del-Sano Construction  company in Union County, about this situation, and he in turn reached out to his associate John Earl, owner of Merit Kitchen Cabinets and the two men arranged to have Jackie’s old, damaged cabinets replaced.

Jackie was so grateful for the wonderful gift.  “It will be great not to worry about dishes or glasses falling on the floor and shattering around my children, and to have a place to store our kitchen items safely.”

This is just one example of how the volunteers in the Mentoring Moms program support mothers who are overwhelmed with the difficulties that life has presented them.  Raising children is one of the toughest and most important job parents face.  Mothers in the Mentoring Moms program have financial worries and few family members to depend upon nearby.  They, or a member of their family, may be facing emotional, behavioral or physical challenges. 

Since 1995, Mentoring Moms volunteers have supported these mothers, by helping them to find resources, becoming friends and confidants and sharing coping strategies that allow the mothers to parent effectively, even under stress.

For more information about becoming a mentor in the Mentoring Moms program, call 201-489-9454 or visit www.bergenvolunters.org.  There is an especially great need for bi-lingual Spanish speaking women to become mentors.

Show your Spirit for the Volunteer Center!

Kick off the Super Bowl AND show your support for the Volunteer Center at the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Super Community Spirit Showcase!  This Super Bowl-sanctioned event will combine a celebration of the upcoming “Big Game” with a showcase of 100 area non-profits displaying their accomplishments and needs for the future.  Attendees will vote for their favorite charity and the winner will receive 100% of the net proceeds from the evening.  Please come and vote for the Volunteer Center – look for the red heart!

Pro football players will be present for autographs and photos, as well as offer advice for the young and old on how to "give back" to their community and make the world a better place. Auction, prizes, yummy game-day food and more! Cash bar. Wednesday, January 22 from 5:30 – 8:00 pm at the Sheraton Mahwah Hotel in Mahwah. Register online here (http://www.mahwah.com/event.cfm?page=3387&month=12&year=2013) or call 201-529-5566.  Tickets are $25 for adults ($30 at door), $10 for students.  See you there!

Doantions Needed for Homeless Veterans

The Volunteer Center will be partnering with the Bergen County Division of Veterans Services in assisting homeless veterans in the area.  According to Richard Daul, director of Veterans Service, about one third of the adult homeless population are veterans.   Although perfect counts are impossible to come by—the transient nature of homeless populations presents a major difficulty—it is estimated that over 100 veterans are homeless on any given night in Bergen County, and over the course of a year, approximately twice that many can experience homelessness.  In addition to the complex set of factors influencing all homelessness—extreme shortage of affordable housing, livable income and access to health care—a large number of displaced and at-risk veterans live with lingering effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, which are compounded by a lack of family and social support networks.

 

Donations of backpacks, toiletry kits (toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, soap, comb/brush, razor, shaving cream, small bag to hold items and a set of towels), sweatshirts  sizes large and extra large, and gift cards to Walmart, Shop Rite, McDonald’s, Subway,  and Pizza Hut are needed.  Donors can drop off these items at the Volunteer Center’s offices, 64 Passaic Street in Hackensack, during the week of January 13 to 17, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, with evening hours till 7:00 pm on Thursday January 16; and from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon on Saturday, January 18. 

 

Call 201-489-9454 for more information.  Monetary donations that will be used to obtain needed items for the homeless veterans can be made by visiting www.bergenvolunteers.org and clicking on MLK Day of Service.

Bergen LEADS Fifth Friday to Focus on the Future of Higher Education in America

The first Bergen LEADS Fifth Friday luncheon of 2014 will be held on January 31, 2014 from 11:30 am to 2 pm at the Stony Hill Inn, 231 Polifly Road in Hackensack.  Additional luncheons are scheduled for May 30 and October 31.  Tickets are $40.00 and must be purchased in advance by registering online at www.bergenleads.org or by calling 201-489-9454 Ext. 112.

Often referred to as the best networking event in Bergen County, Fifth Friday is hosted by Bergen LEADS, a civic leadership program for adults offered by the Volunteer Center of Bergen County. 

Dr. Peter Mercer, president of Ramapo College, will speak on January 31 about “The Future of Higher Education in America.”  The US has almost 4,500 degree-granting institutions and 20.3 million students enrolled.  We spend more on higher education than almost any other nation, but when you measure how many people actually end up graduating, we’re more inefficient than almost every other developed country.  Dr. Mercer will compare our current situation with that of other countries and examine whether traditional expectations of higher education in America continue to be valid.

PNC Wealth Management has returned as the presenting sponsor for the 2014 Fifth Friday series. “PNC Wealth Management is proud to once again sponsor the Bergen Leads Fifth Friday series that has become such a popular staple in Bergen County,” said Theresa de Leon, Senior Vice President and Director, Wealth Management.  “Nowhere else can you find the combination of terrific speakers, great networking opportunities and continued commitment to the development of local leadership that comes with this series.  It is a pleasure for PNC Wealth Management to demonstrate its commitment to the community and the values we share, by supporting the continuation of this wonderful program.”Bergen LEADS Fifth Friday is also sponsored by TD Bank, Archer & Greiner,  Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce, Synetek Solutions, (201) Magazine and The Record.

Bergen LEADS is currently accepting applications for its next class, which begins in September 2014. The online application form for the Class of 2015 can be accessed at www.bergenleads.org  and is due by April 11.  Each candidate must complete a simple individual profile form and provide essay answers to specific questions. Tuition for Bergen LEADS is $2,000 per person; scholarship assistance is available for those with financial need.

Sponsorships for the January 31 event are available. For more information about the Fifth Friday events, or about Bergen LEADS, call 201-489-9454 Ext. 119.

Amanda Missey to Speak at Mahwah Regional Chamber Luncheon

The Volunteer Center’s Amanda Missey, Senior Director of Civic and Community Engagement, will be the featured speaker at the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce’s upcoming luncheon.  Join us on Monday, January 13 from 12:00 – 2:00 at Ramapo College of NJ’s Trustees Pavillion for lunch and a fascinating look at some little known Bergen County factoids, as well as an overview of Bergen LEADS, Bergen County’s premier civic leadership program offered by the Volunteer Center. 

 

Register online at http://www.mahwah.com/event.cfm?page=3562&month=12&year=2013 or call 201-529-5566.  $35 for MRCC members, $50 for non-members.

 

Volunteers Needed to Mentor Mothers and their Families

Make a difference in a family’s life!  Mentoring Moms, a program of the Volunteer Center of Bergen County, trains volunteers to work with mothers, who are overwhelmed by the responsibilities of children and life.  Winter training begins January 27.   When a parent is supported by a mentor, the entire family is helped, because mentors become important role models for the children, as well.

 

“It is so great to have a friend, someone I can really talk to!”  “I have learned so much about raising my son.”  “I feel better as a parent and a person since meeting my mentor.”  So say mothers working with volunteers from  Mentoring Moms.  The volunteer mentors are caring women who understand how hard it is to raise children and want to make life easier for other moms, who are often referred through community or child service agencies.    The mentors listen, share ideas and offer support as mothers deal with daily challenges or raising children.

 

Registration is now open for Mentoring Moms Winter training, which begins Monday, January 27  from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Volunteer Center of Bergen County. Call (201) 489-9454, ext. 123 to learn how to become a Mentoring Moms volunteer.

“Mentors provide the needed support and resources that help strengthen a family”, says Cindy Andrake, program director of Mentoring Moms.  “We know that parents with a social network of emotionally supportive people in their lives find it easier to care for their children and themselves.  Most parents need someone they can call on when they need a sympathetic listener, some advice or ongoing support—our mentors fill that role.

 

There is an especially great need for bi-lingual Spanish speaking women to become mentors.

 

Volunteers are provided with a free four-session, 10-hour training program and ongoing support from program staff. During this time, the volunteers take workshops on developing listening skills, communication and problem solving. Guest speakers such as current mentors, mothers who have participated in the program, and social services case workers share their experiences so that new mentors have the background and knowledge to help support moms who may be single parents, or struggling with a child’s illness, or who are simply overwhelmed. Through weekly contact, mentors offer emotional and practical support to the mothers.  While each situation is different, one mother aptly described her mentor as “Someone I can talk to besides family, who understands and cares. She makes me think about my life and encourages me.”

Warm Your Heart at Winter Blast!

Join us at Winter Blast, a three-day “Pre-Game before the Big Game” celebration at Buchmuller Park in Secaucus from Thursday, January 30 through Saturday, February 1.  Presented by Exposure, a service of North Jersey Media in partnership with the Town of Secaucus, the action-packed winter attraction will take place approximately three miles from MetLife Stadium, site of Super Bowl XLVIII.  The Volunteer Center of Bergen County will host a warming station at the event that will warm your body and your heart!  Visit the Volunteer Center warming station throughout the three-day event to participate in simple, yet meaningful hands-on volunteer activities to benefit people in need.  Winter Blast highlights include the Food Truck Mash-Up - 30 award-winning food trucks selling a variety of delicious foods every day of the event, plus a Beer Garden, ice rink with hockey games featuring local teams, sled hockey, shopping, games, giveaways prizes and more.  Find out more here.

Happy New Year

 

 

Wishing you a happy and healthy new year!

 

-Volunteer Center of Bergen County