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Community Foundation of South Jersey

CFSJ Confers Emeritus Status To Three of Its Founding Board Members

By CFSJ
September 29, 2020
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The Community Foundation of South Jersey is pleased to announce that three former Governing Board members Melinda K. Holman, Jack Tarditi, and Rob Kugler, have been named Emeritus* members of the Board. The trio helped establish CFSJ in 2007. 

“The Emeritus distinction is the highest honor the Community Foundation Board can bestow upon former members,” said CFSJ Board Chairman, Joseph P. Tredinnick. “All three of these individuals have demonstrated long-term dedication and support for the Foundation and its mission. They have inspired others to take action, referred partners and fundholders, and demonstrated  an aspirational level of service and engagement.” 

Mindy Holman joined the Holman Enterprises team in 1986, working in the retail operations department, serving in roles from General Manager to President and Chief Operating Officer of Holman Automotive. Holman has served as the Holman Enterprises Board Chairperson since 2015. She is a member of United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey’s Board, as well as Chair of the Urban Promise International Board.

Jack Tarditi has more than  40 years of experience in the Insurance industry, currently serving as the Managing Director of Conner Strong & Buckelew. Prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President with management responsibilities for the Employee Benefits Division. He was also a Commissioner and former Chairman of the Camden County Municipal Joint Insurance Fund and the New Jersey Municipal Excess Liability Fund.  Tarditi has served the community as a member of several other boards and commissions including the Cooper Foundation Board, Helen Fuld School of Nursing Board, Salvation Army Board, Camden Kroc Community Center Board, Symphony In C Board, and the Haddonfield Educational Trust.  

In addition, Mr. Tarditi has served in many Public Sector capacities including Mayor, Director of Public Safety, and Commissioner for the Borough of Haddonfield.  He is the former President of the Camden County Mayor’s Association and the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, former Chairman of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities School Funding Task Force, and the South Jersey Tourism Corporation, and as a member of the Haddonfield Cultural Event Commission, the New Jersey State Council on Local Mandates, and the Camden Public School Educational Foundation.

Rob Kugler is a retired attorney formerly of Archer Law, where he specialized in complex real estate lending transactions, community and condominium associations, health care financing, and continuing care retirement community development. Mr. Kugler was a member of many professional organizations including the American Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Camden County Bar Association, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, the Risk Management Associates South Jersey Chapter, the Community Associations Institute, and the Dartmouth Lawyers’ Association.  He also served the community as a member of the American Cancer Society Board, Symphony In C Society Board, Dartmouth Alumni Council, Haddonfield United Methodist Church Board, the Historical Society of Haddonfield Board and Partnership for Haddonfield. Kugler was also the first recipient of CFSJ’s Legacy of Giving Award in 2013.

“It is gratifying to see the Foundation scale since its inception and to serve donors, make impactful grants, and exercise leadership in South Jersey,” Mindy Holman said. “Being a small part of so much good work that the Foundation has been able to achieve inspires me every day.  I am honored to receive the Emeritus status..”

“The Community Foundation of South Jersey was established to make a positive difference in people’s lives, and I am very proud of what has been accomplished throughout the region over the past 13 years,” Jack Tarditi said. “I am extremely humbled at the Emeritus designation by the Governing Board, and I look forward to utilizing the wisdom I have learned to help the Foundation continue to be successful.”“Receiving the Emeritus title is something I did not expect,” said Rob Kugler. “I am so proud of Mindy, Jack, our other founding members Dr. Stella Horton and Dr. Kim Ayres, and the many Board members and staff who have worked over the years. Thanks to the vision and tenacity of so many fine individuals, the Foundation has become a remarkable catalyst for change and empowerment throughout the Southern New Jersey region.”

*Emeritus members are invited to any meeting of the Governing Board,  as non-voting participants, and may also serve on select Board committees.

PSEG Foundation $100,000 Grant Supports CFSJ’s Transform South Jersey Initiative

By CFSJ
September 9, 2020
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The Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) is pleased to announce that it has received a $100,000 grant from the PSEG Foundation to support Transform South Jersey. The initiative is designed to help small cities and towns in the eight southern New Jersey counties increase social cohesion and build community capital using the Orton Family Foundation’s resident-driven community planning and development process.

Nearly 100 communities nationwide have used the Heart & Soul model to engage residents in shaping their community’s future. This includes six South Jersey towns that were selected to become the first Heart & Soul Communities in New Jersey as a part of Transform South Jersey. After undergoing a rigorous application and review process the Town of Hammonton (Atlantic County), Willingboro Township (Burlington County), Winslow Township (Camden County), Downe Township (Cumberland County), Woodbury City (Gloucester County), and Salem City (Salem County), were selected from a potential pool of over 190 eligible cities and towns with a population of 50,000 or less.

A collaboration between CFSJ and other local and national funding partners including the PSEG Foundation, Transform South Jersey consists of three program elements: implementation of the Heart & Soul model in each individual community, the establishment of their own endowed community fund, and the creation of a regional community of practice, the Transform South Jersey Network, where all six communities will come together to explore opportunities and address issues unique to South Jersey. 

“Community Heart & Soul is a local engagement process that reconnects people with what they love most about their town and translates those personal and emotional connections into a blueprint that serves as the foundation for future community decisions,” said Andy Fraizer, CFSJ Executive Director. “It is an approach to community engagement, planning, and development designed to increase participation in local decision-making and empower residents to shape the future of their communities in a way that upholds the unique character of each location.”

“We are grateful the PSEG Foundation supported this work and joined our funder collaborative,” Fraizer continued. “We believe that the strength of every community lies in the hands and the hearts of the people who live there and is the common cause that they will rally around.”

“PSEG has worked tirelessly to develop and maintain extraordinary relationships with the communities we serve and giving back to these locations where we live and work is a fundamental part of the company’s culture and mission,” said Rick Thigpen, PSEG’s Senior Vice President for Corporate Citizenship and Chair of the PSEG Foundation. “The Foundation is pleased to work with CFSJ by bringing our resources to the table to help the Transform South Jersey communities strengthen their social, cultural and economic vibrancy, and define their individual futures based on what matters most to them.”

Our Women’s Collective Giving Group Impact100 SJ Starts Membership Info Sessions

By CFSJ
September 2, 2020
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Impact100 South Jersey Announces Fall Membership Drive and the first wave of virtual fall Info Sessions.

Impact100 South Jersey, a women’s collective giving group, is holding virtual information sessions now through November to build its membership and grant-making pool for 2021.  The group is made up of volunteers who contribute equally to a fund that is used to make transformative grants to small and mid-sized nonprofits that serve Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Cumberland Counties.  The goal is to recruit 200 members which would allow for $200,000 in grant awards in the spring.

Since launching in 2017, Impact100 South Jersey has awarded more than $424,000 in grants to nine nonprofits.  The grants support the growth of organizations that are addressing various needs throughout our community.  Each member is required to make a $1,000 contribution – 100% of which is used to fund grants.  (An additional $150 is required to help cover the operating expenses.)

Previous Impact100 South Jersey grantees include LUCY Outreach in Camden, which empowers low-income young people (ages 7-25) to form healthy relationships, make good choices and develop into compassionate, socially responsible adults.  LUCY will use the $100,000 grant they were awarded in June to become a trauma-informed agency through extensive training that will integrate trauma-informed principles and practices into the entire organizational culture.  

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem Counties, which received a $100,000 grant in June of 2019 has used it to purchase new technology that makes it possible for “Bigs” to mentor “Littles” virtually – cutting down on travel time and increasing opportunities for meaningful engagement.  Their new Mentor 2.0 program became even more critical this year when the pandemic made it impossible for “Bigs” and “Littles” to meet in person.   

In addition, Alice Paul Institute in Mt. Laurel and Family Promise of Southwestern NJ in Glassboro were each awarded $43,000 general operating grants in 2020.  Impact100 SJ also awarded $7,500 to Cathedral Kitchen and $1,860 to the South Jersey COVID-19 Response Fund this year.  Other 2019 grantees include Hispanic Family Center of Southern NJ and Ronald McDonald House in Camden.  Each received $27,500 general operating grants.  The very first Impact100 SJ grant for $74,000 was awarded in 2018 to Hopeworks ‘N Camden to support the organization’s transition to a new, larger office space where they now help more young people gain marketable tech skills.

Impact100 South Jersey is proof that you don’t have to be extremely wealthy to engage in meaningful philanthropy.  Theirs is a very empowering initiative that generates new funding for South Jersey-focused nonprofits and allows their members to give back beyond what they could do by themselves.

Impact100 will hold virtual membership information sessions throughout November.  The schedule for sessions is available at impact100sj.org. The deadline for 2021 membership is December 1st. 

For more information, email info@impact100sj.org or call membership co-chair Angela Venti at 856-685-6728.  

Nonprofits seeking information about funding should visit Impact100sj.org.