New Jersey Violinist Receives The Community Chest Of Eastern Bergen County's Highest Leadership Award For Exceptional Young Women

The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County has announced violinist Chloey Cho, a music major at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey, received the organization's Young Women's Senior Leadership Award certificate and a $5,000 award.

The award was presented at The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County's eighth annual High School Young Women's Leadership Program's Award Ceremony on May 19 at the historic Elizabeth Cady Stanton House in Tenafly, New Jersey. During the ceremony, guest speaker Christina Wanas, Vice President and Branch Manager at Provident Bank's Englewood branch, discussed her experiences growing up and the career path she followed to her current position, as Vice President and Branch Manager of the Provident Bank Branch in Englewood.

This fall, Cho, a resident of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, plans to attend the University of California-Los Angeles to major in musicology. As the founder of Solis and Luna Arts, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mental health awareness through music therapy, her goal is to integrate music therapy into more Medicaid programs. She wants to help patients receive music therapy, as well as create more opportunities for music therapists to work and earn a living. Ultimately, Cho seeks to enhance access to music therapy and explore further the scientific research that supports its benefits.

As a musician, Cho has performed with a range of organizations and received awards in several competitions. She has held the positions of first violinist with the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music Program, second violin principal at Camerata Youth Orchestra, assistant concertmaster with the New Jersey All State Orchestra, and assistant concertmaster of the Northern Jersey Regionals High School Orchestra. In addition, Cho was awarded first place at the Vivo International Competition, the Prima Volta Music Competition, the Great Composers Competition, the PTC Piano Plus! Competition, the Global Genius Music Competition, and the International Muse Competition, and was also a finalist in the Grand Maestro International Music Competition.

In addition to her musical achievements, Cho held an internship at Yale AZA Lab and contributed to its Music Mindfulness Study. With the goal of promoting opportunities for patients with disabilities, she worked as the Policy Director for the National High School Disability Caucus and drafted legislation advocating for equal opportunities for teenagers with disabilities. She researched the therapeutic potential of music and mindfulness. Her efforts were recognized with the Diana Award from the British Royal Family for Exceptional Community Service.

The Community Chest's Young Women's Leadership 2025 award recipients demonstrated leadership, compassion, innovation and the courage of their convictions in the community. "This year, The Community Chest received an outstanding range of applications for these leadership awards. Each applicant demonstrated exceptional talents and a commitment to social justice causes. During this time of great change, leaders need to be creative and flexible and able to manage people well,” said Dr. Shelly Wimpfheimer, Executive Director, The Community Chest.                     

A team of readers, representing different fields in the community, reviewed each application. These ConnectOne Bank readers participated and reviewed the applications:  Majda Ahmed, Veronica Alonzo, Allison Barrett-Bader, Michele Bell, Jennifer Braga, Gabriela Cabreja, Danielle Flaherty,  Zoe Kaloedas, Biljana Matevska, Kirsten Micco, Vanessa Nesheiwat, Sally Pettit, Brooke Rutkowski, Rori Sagal, Olivia Salazar-Picinich, and Kim Sayther.

Several members from the community also volunteered to review the applications. They included Fran Eiss, Vered Feiwus, Lisa Levinthal, Jacqueline McLeod, Rita Rodin, Karen Schaefer, Audrey Winter Kahn, and Melanie Zingler. They were joined by these volunteers from The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County's Board of Managers: Amie AbuRustum, Marsha Campbell-Young, Vicki Sidrow, Ellen Skowronski, and Dekyi Tsotsong.

The awards program celebrated the leadership the three "Elizabeths" from Bergen County demonstrated throughout their lives. Elizabeth Cutter Morrow of Englewood became the founding board chair and president of The Community Chest during the Great Depression 92 years ago. Elisabeth Morrow Morgan, daughter of Elizabeth Cutter Morrow and the founder of the Elisabeth Morrow School, grew up in Englewood. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a Tenafly resident for several years, became an internationally recognized leader in the suffragette movement. 

New Jersey Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE LITTLE MERMAID (HOWELL PAL THEATRE COMPANY)

3.2% of votes

2. GREASE (Plays-in-the-Park)

2.9% of votes

3. SCHOOL OF ROCK (Playhouse 22)

2.8% of votes

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