The Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) is pleased to announce the addition of Valeria Galarza and Ann Marie Liotta to the CFSJ Governing Board.

Valeria Galarza founded ALTA Impact Partners, LLC in January 2020 to address social and community change, and community-driven strategies grounded on equity, policy, systems, and environmental change. Before starting ALTA, Galarza had served as Senior Project Manager at Cooper’s Ferry Partnership and Vice President of Strategic Expansion for  YMCA of Burlington & Camden Counties. She brings over 15 years of program design and development, policy and advocacy, strategic planning, fundraising, grant writing, and community engagement knowledge to the Governing Board.

Ann Marie Liotta, CPA, AEP®, has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry.  She currently works as the US Wealth Strategist of Cohn Financial Group and holds a Certified Public Accountant’s license in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Her 20-plus years of financial experience in numerous states will bring a wealth of financial knowledge to the Governing Board.   

“I am excited to join the CFSJ Governing Board and to help develop innovative and collaborative solutions to critical issues impacting the communities the Foundation serves,” said Valeria Galarza. “I am grateful for the opportunity to work with my fellow board members and  to enhance the Foundation’s efforts to help marginalized communities thrive.”

“Becoming a member of the CFSJ Governing Board is truly an honor and I am excited to get to work,” said Ann Marie Liotta. “The Foundation does critical work in South Jersey and I look forward to being a part of their efforts to build stronger, more prosperous communities throughout the region.”  

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome Valeria and Ann Marie to the Community Foundation of South Jersey’s Governing Board,” said CFSJ Executive Director Andy Fraizer. “They both bring a wealth of expertise and a shared understanding of how local giving can impact the needs of the South Jersey region.”

Other members of the Governing Board include Chair Joseph Tredinnick (Market President, Republic Bank), Vice Chair Kyle Ruffin (President, K Ruffin & Associates), Treasurer Justin Van Fleet (Partner, Friedman LLC), Secretary T. Christian Rollins (Chief Development Officer, Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice), Joseph C. Atkinson (Principal, PwC LLP), Hon. Raymond A. Batten (Retired) (Of Counsel, Archer), John Connell, Esq. (Partner, Archer), Hon. Alisa Cooper (Commissioner, NJ Casino Control Commission),  Lois Greco (Independent Philanthropy Professional), Rev. Douglas C. Halvorsen (President/CEO, The Evergreens), Wanda Hardy (Managing Principal of WP Hardy Consulting), Mark S. Hodges (Strategic Planning, Quality Management & Organizational Development Consultant), Joseph E. Murphy, Esq. (Certified Ethics and Compliance Professional), and Richelle Todd-Yamoah (Vice President of Programs and Operations, Sykes Foundation).

Ronald McDonald House of Southern NJ (RMHSNJ) has been able to provide food, personal protective equipment (PPE), and entertainment for families they serve thanks in part to a $16,000 grant from the Community Foundation of South Jersey’s (CFSJ) COVID-19 Response Fund.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, medical care for many patients whose families relied on RMHSNJ had to continue while others had their care postponed, but they were unable to travel home and as a result. They were forced to isolate themselves in place. In response, the RMHSNJ staff worked tirelessly to purchase and provide food for these families as community chefs were not allowed access to the house, offer entertainment like bingo and trivia with other families through Zoom, and provide safety equipment such as masks and hand sanitizer. The CFSJ COVID-19 Response grant also helped RMHSNJ with the extra costs of sanitizing the house from top to bottom, providing personal trips from the hospital and back to help keep families safe, and holding a 4th of July socially distanced barbeque and lawn sprinkler fun for the kids.

“The grant from the Community Foundation of South Jersey allowed us to help families already in tough situations,” said RMHSNJ’s Teddy Thomas. “Children could not stop being ill or needing medical care. With this support, we were able to feed, keep safe, and entertain all our families while making sure patients could safely get to hospitals for their treatments. We are very grateful for the support the Community Foundation was able to give us along with other South Jersey non-profit organizations in need.”

“We appreciate what the Ronald McDonald House of Southern NJ does for local families, as well as, families from around the world, and we are proud to be able to help them during this unprecedented time,” said CFSJ Executive Director Andy Fraizer. “The work they have undertaken to ensure the health and safety of patients and to maintain high morale among their families is inspiring to see, and we are happy to play a small part in their success.”

The South Jersey COVID-19 Response Fund continues to assist local nonprofits that need support in order to serve communities impacted by the pandemic. To date, the Fund has raised $1 million, but this is not enough to meet the overwhelming need.   If you would like to support the only such Fund where donations stay in our South Jersey region, please visit southjerseyresponsefund.org.

The South Jersey COVID-19 Response Fund, which is managed by Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ), awarded $10,000 to Inspira Health in a new round of grant allocations. The grant allows Inspira Health to fund emergency assistance directed to the Human Resources Department in order to surge their hospital staff. 

Inspira Health worked diligently to properly prepare for the spike in COVID-19 cases by increasing the amount of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and beds; while also turning standard care patient areas into negative pressure rooms and erecting tents outside its emergency departments to enhance safety in the event ER volumes rose sharply. Inspira Health was able to pay for some of these preparations with the assistance of emergency funds.  

Most recently, the South Jersey Response Fund grant Inspira received was used to recruit additional hospital employees and contribute to hospital readiness.  This included recruiting an additional 62 staff members to care for the high volume of COVID-19 patients during the height of the pandemic such as nurse aides, lab assistants, and respiratory staff.

“We are very thankful to the Community Foundation of South Jersey for the grant they awarded our health network as part of the COVID-19 Response Fund,” said Nick Sena, Director of Development of Inspira Health Foundation. “The funding helped us make the necessary additions to our staff to keep our community safe as we responded to the effects of the virus.”

“We are so proud to provide Inspira Health with a grant from the COVID-19 Response Fund,” said Andy Fraizer, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of South Jersey. “The heroes at Inspira have done so much for our community, and this grant is only a small token of our appreciation for their dedication to defeating this virus.”

The Community Foundation of South Jersey COVID-19 Response Fund continues to assist local nonprofits that need support to serve communities impacted by the pandemic. To date, the Fund has raised over $1 million in donations, but this is not enough to meet the overwhelming need. If you would like to support the only such Fund where donations stay in our South Jersey region, please visit southjerseyresponsefund.org.