Party Hearty at the Volunteer Center!

Several Volunteer Center programs enjoyed recent festivities, with volunteers and sponsors making merry in myriad ways.

A luncheon honored 35 volunteers with our Chore Service for their dedication and hard work. This amazing crew does home repairs that keep the elderly and people with disabilities safe in their homes.

More than 100 Mentors and kids in our Volunteers in Protective Services (VIPS) program had a great time rocking around the Christmas tree with DJ Scott Reddin and enjoying goodies from Inserra Supermarkets. Gifts for kids were donated by Quest Diagnostics, Benjamin Moore & Co. and Hunter Douglas, a volunteers from Bergen Community College, Fairleigh Dickinson U. and NYU assisted with a multitude of tasks. VIPS mentors help kids who have experienced abuse or neglect see and take steps to achieve a brighter future.

Mentors, moms and their families associated with our Mentoring Moms program -- more than 200 people! -- enjoyed a delightful breakfast with Santa. Numerous groups dished out delicacies, coordinated crafts projects, and provided every child and mom with a gift: Capitol One, Eisai, Inc Information Technology Department, 'energy', Church of the Atonement, Holy Trinity Church, Quest Diagnostics, Mocha Moms, Costco, Christ Lutheran Church, TD Bank, UPS, Bethel Ministries, Consolidated Dairies and Whitney H. Roddy Inc. Tara Perino, of KPMG, was our fabulous DJ and many other individuals helped with the party. Mentoring Moms volunteers help overwhelmed mothers who seek guidance in parenting and life skills and in moving from welfare to work.

The Alumni of Bergen LEADS toasted the season at the Hilton Hasbrouck Heights, where they also collected toys, gifts and gift cards for families in need. Recruitment for the 2011 Bergen LEADS class begins just after the New Year.

The elves staffing our All Wrapped Up Holiday Giving Program continues to work fiendishly, matching donors from the community with individuals and families who need help this holiday season. We need more donors! Contact Debbie Emery at 201-489-9454, ext 118, or email demery@bergenvolunteers.org if you want to help!

The Cartel comes to Bergen County

Bergen LEADS is the County’s premier leadership program for adults. Led by former County Executive William “Pat Schuber,” LEADers meet monthly to dissect and debate issues that affect local residents and businesses.

This month, Bergen LEADS will tackle the topic of Education. On December 15, the seminar day will begin with a screening of the highly acclaimed documentary The Cartel. This thought provoking and controversial film, directed by Bob Bowdon - a New Jersey-based television producer, reporter, news anchor, and commentator - takes a hard look at the public education system using New Jersey as a backdrop. According to the filmmaker:

"The Cartel shows us our New Jersey educational system like we've never seen it
before. Behind every dropout factory, we discover, lurks a powerful, entrenched,
and self-serving establishment. And in almost every way, that establishment
fights any attempt at reform with a level of passion and vigilance that it
simply never applies to fixing chronically failing schools.

But The Cartel doesn't just describe the problem. Balancing local NJ storylines against interviews with national education experts such as Clint Bolick (former president of Alliance for School Choice), Gerard Robinson (president of Black Alliance for Educational Options), and Chester Finn (president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute), The Cartel explores what dedicated parents, committed teachers, clear-eyed officials, and tireless reformers are doing to make our schools better for our kids.

Putting a human face on the harm done by the educational monopolies, The Cartel takes us beyond the statistics, generalizations, and abstractions that typically frame our debates about education—and draws an unequivocal bottom line: If we care about our children's futures, we must insist upon far-reaching and immediate reform. And we must do it now."

Bergen LEADS seminars are normally closed to all but class members, but the Class of 2010 would like to invite interested individuals to attend this FREE screening on December 15 at 8:15 am, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker. The screening will be held at Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus, in Classroom TEC 128. Tickets are free, but you MUST pre-register to attend by leaving your name and contact information with Amanda Missey at 201-489-9454 x119 or amissey@bergenvolunteers.org

For more information on The Cartel visit their website here.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at the Volunteer Center.

If you’re looking for a holiday project this year,

check out our All Wrapped Up, Holiday Giving Program.

Give the Gift of “Good” for the Holidays

Holiday shopping does not have to be stressful or extravagant! The Volunteer Center of Bergen County has a great idea to simplify shopping and answer the question “what do you give a person who has everything?”

Through our "All Wrapped Up" Holiday Giving Program, you can make a donation in another’s name, and your will be used to directly help Bergen and Passaic County residents in need -- low income children and families, troubled youth, lonely seniors and disabled adults -- who have been identified and verified by local nonprofit agencies. Without the help of generous donors, these individuals and families might be passed over this holiday season. Your donation will be used to purchase gifts and gift cards for those in need.

Plus, giving a donation in another’s name is a great way to honor a deserving individual, such as an outstanding parent, teacher, boss, family member or friend.

Donations can be made on-line. Each donation will be acknowledged with an elegant, customized card sent to the person being honored, along with a description of how the donation will be put to good use. Gift donations purchased on-line by Noon on Monday, December 21st will be delivered by December 24th.

So -- Do Good. Feel Good. Give Good!

Visit www.bergenvolunteers.org, or call 201-489-9454 Ext. 125 for more information.

Help for the Holidays

We've received a flood of calls recently of people eager to help the less fortunate this holiday season, and we've had the hard task of telling them that opportunities to volunteer on Thanksgiving are somewhat scarce. That’s not to say there are none. Many faith-based organizations have holiday activities that engage their congregations, and many other organizations run activities and post information in community newspapers and websites. One such organization is Jersey Cares - you can check them out at http://www.jerseycares.org/.

The Volunteer Center reaches out to area organizations to find out if they need additional assistance on such holidays as Thanksgiving. This year we had "zero" requests for additional volunteers. Many organizations have recruited their own pools of volunteers and do not at this time need additional assistance.

However, you can still help! There are 364 other days of the year, and we'll be glad to help you find a volunteer position or project that is just right for you. Visit our website or give us a call at 201-489-9454.

TD Bank Helps Keep Seniors Safe

The Chore Service, which is sponsored by the Volunteer Center of Bergen County, has a new van on the road, thanks to a $25,000 donation from TD Bank.

The Chore Service provides crews of dedicated volunteers who perform minor household repairs that keep seniors and people with disabilities safe in their own homes, thereby avoiding costly and often unwanted institutionalization. Chore has had two vans on the road for several years; the third van, purchased and outfitted with tools courtesy of TD Bank, allows the program to serve more seniors.

Thanks, TD Bank!

For more information on Chore check out our website.

Weather can't stop the BVC

The weather was dreadful the night that the Business Volunteer Council (BVC) of Northern New Jersey held its annual Night at the Races at the Meadowlands Racetrack. The bright spot was the last minute decision to move the party indoors, and the result was 200+ happy party-goers.

Guests enjoyed plenty of good food and drink as they picked their ponies and perused a silent auction, which featured such great prizes as local restaurant gift cards, Devil’s hockey tickets, and an “Adult Sleepover” package which included a bottle of wine and hotel room at the Woodcliff Lake Hilton.

When the night ended, the event chalked up more than $15,000 to support the BVC’s initiative that help low income children and families. Guests were asked to bring disposable diapers and wipes, which were donated to the Baby Basic Program at Children’s Aid and Family Services in Paramus. More than $1,100 worth of baby supplies were donated!

The night was a lot of fun and a great success.