JCC Thurnauer School of Music Honored at The Community Chest's Gala

The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County toasted and honored five leaders’ contributions to the community at its annual spring gala, Connecting Neighbors, on April 11, 2024 at  Edgewood Country Club in River Vale, New Jersey.  Producer and director Harry Martin, an Emmy Award-winning TV journalist and an anchor of newscasts at three leading television stations in New York City, returned to The Community Chest as emcee. The program featured an inspirational musical performance by the Young People’s Chorus at Thurnauer.

Honorees        

This year, The Community Chest recognized these leaders’ contributions and their extensive involvement in the community:

Outstanding Volunteers Award.  Emily and Roger Chang.  This dynamic couple, who reside in the historic Elizabeth Cady Stanton House in Tenafly, where women’s rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton once lived, was recognized for their active involvement in the community.  Emily serves on several board of directors, including The Community Chest’s Board of Managers, as First Vice President/Board Secretary, and Co-Chair of The Chest’s Young Women’s Leadership Program, which has grown significantly under her leadership; the Tenafly Nature Center Board of Trustees, the Tenafly Historic Commission, and the Tenafly Public Schools Diversity Equity and Inclusion Commission.  She is a graduate of the Bergen LEADS 2022 class.  Her husband, Roger, was recognized for supporting The Community Chest by developing and implementing with a friend the fundraiser golf challenge – The Summer Solstice Golf-a-thon, which raised over $11,000. 

Community Leadership Award.  JCC Thurnauer School of Music.  The school was lauded for its work in the Englewood Public Schools introducing many low-income children to music and encouraging them to pursue music.  Inspired by the late artist and author Faith Ringgold’s children’s book, ‘We Came to America: Every Color, Race and Religion, From Every Country in the World’, the school was recognized for its commission of artist Rob Kapilow to create an innovative, collaborative music work about the history and experience of immigrating to the United States.  According to its creators, “the project integrates community outreach, explores and celebrates diversity and strives to promote inclusive and equitable educational opportunities through the transformative power of music.”

Corporate Philanthropy Award.  Max Mara.  As an international fashion company, with a location in Bergen County’s Riverside Mall, Max Mara reached out to The Community Chest to connect with local organizations supporting programs for women and girls.  The Community Chest recognized this business leader for its active participation in the nonprofit’s activities, attending its galas and women’s program activities, holding fundraising events at their store, and being a consistent supporter of The Community Chest’s Young Women’s Leadership Program.

Outstanding Young Adult Leader Award.  Gia Shin.  While working as an intern at The Community Chest in 2022 and 2023, Shen took her passion as the creator of the website, URNotAlone, and partnered with The Community Chest’s Connections initiative to help communicate with teens suffering from loneliness.  From this partnership, new materials were created by and for teens and a wider audience developed for the Connections project.  She presented her work at The Community Chest’s 2024 Summit on Loneliness.  Shen, a freshman at Boston University, lives with her family in Tenafly.