Haddon Heights Top 10 Scholarship Fund Announces First Recipients

By CFSJ

July 21, 2017

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Haddon Heights Top Ten Scholarship Fund 2017 Winners (l-r): Matthew Krogstad, Mary Gianna Hill, Zsalina Allen, Eric Rosenheim, Meagan Irish, Ashley Reynolds, Jacob Barr, Molly Muha, Anne Moore and Evan Pender

Haddon Heights Top 10 Scholarship Fund awarded its first round of scholarships to the graduating seniors with the 10 highest GPAs. Each student received $500 to be put toward non-tuition college expenses like technology fees, books, or room and board. The Fund, started by 1981 Haddon Heights graduate Dr. Mary McShane Vaughn, was established to give back to the community by rewarding the high school’s top scholars.

The 2017 recipients, in order of class rank and the colleges they’ll be attending, are:

Gianna Hill (Rowan University),
Jacob Barr (Franklin and Marshall College),
Evan Pender (University of Maryland),
Anne Moore (University of Delaware),
Meagan Irish (Stevens Institute of Technology),
Eric Rosenheim (Brandeis University),
Molly Muha (The College of New Jersey),
Ashley Reynolds (Elizabethtown College),
Zsalina Allen (University of Arizona)
Matthew Krogstad (Franklin and Marshall College)

The students earned their high scholastic ranking while also taking active part in extra curricular activities. Third-ranked Evan Pender also played soccer, tennis and golf. Fourth-ranked Anne Moore was involved in student government, Teen PEP – the school’s peer run sexual health program, and served as co-captain of the varsity girl’s soccer team. Sixth-ranked Eric Rosenheim was senior class Vice President, a member of Teen Pep and STEAM – which stands for Students Against Destructive Decisions. In his senior year, he was also named to the Colonial Conference First Team All-Conference for Track and Cross Country. Eighth-ranked Ashley Reynolds holds the girls’ basketball scoring record with 1,716 points and more than 1,200 rebounds.

Dr. McShane Vaughn is grateful for the education she received at Haddon Heights. “Mr. Tischler’s chemistry class, and the calculus and physics classes I took with Dr. DeSimone really gave me a leg up when I went to engineering school.” McShane Vaughn was delighted to witness the scholarship move from concept to reality so quickly with support of the community.

The Haddon Heights Top 10 Scholarship was established in 2016 and raises money to support the top students in the Haddon Heights School District, also known as “Garnet Country.” The scholarship fund is managed by The Community Foundation of South Jersey, which works with individuals, families, companies and communities to harness the power of their giving.

To donate to the Haddon Heights Top 10 Scholarship Fund, click here.

Raymond Batten, Alisa Cooper and Mark Hodges Join CFSJ Board

By CFSJ

May 22, 2017

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Community Foundation of South Jersey Announces the Appointment of Three New Board Members

Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) has announced the addition of three new Board members. The Honorable Raymond A. Batten, Commissioner Alisa Cooper and Mark S. Hodges were unanimously voted onto the Governing Board at the April 2017 Board meeting.

Raymond A. Batten is Of Counsel for Archer Laws’ Business Litigation Department where he concentrates on Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation. Prior to joining Archer, Judge Batten was appointed to the New Jersey Superior Court by Governor Jim Florio in 1992 and was reappointed for tenure in 1999 by Christie Todd Whitman. Judge Batten served on the Criminal Division of the Cape May County Court from 2002 to 2013 and as the Presiding Judge of the General Equity Division for Vicinage 1 in 2013. Prior to his judgeship, Judge Batten was a former Assemblyman from New Jersey’s 1st district and a former municipal prosecutor. He lives with his wife Mary Frances in Cape May, New Jersey.

Alisa Cooper, a native of Atlantic City, was appointed to the New Jersey Casino Control Commission in 2012 by Governor Chris Christie, and reappointed to a full, five-year term in 2014. Commissioner Cooper is responsible for licensing New Jersey’s casinos and its key employees as well as handling appeals and decisions imposed by the NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement. Cooper also had a long career in the music and entertainment industry & owned and operated “Alisa Cooper Orchestras” for several decades. Cooper was also an Atlantic County Freeholder-at-large and in 2014, was inducted into the Atlantic County Women’s “Hall of Fame” for her years of dedication to public service and government. Cooper lives in Linwood, NJ with her husband Doug Little and their son, David Cooper Little.

Mark S. Hodges is Principal of Blueprint Strategic Consulting, a management consulting firm that provides strategic planning, organizational development and quality management services. Prior to launching Blueprint, Hodges served as the Chief Quality Officer for Bayada Home Health Care and the Founding Executive Director of the Joseph Fund in Camden, NJ. Hodges also held the titles Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations for Hovnanian Enterprises as well as Vice President of Marketing and Sales, and Director Quality Management for Scarborough Corporation. Mark and his wife Susan live in Haddonfield. NJ.

CFSJ Board President John C. Connell says the addition of these three Board members ensures that the organization’s leadership represents the broad geographic region it covers. “In keeping with our priority to serve the entire eight-county South Jersey region, these outstanding individuals with deep ties in their local communities will help CFSJ further its work to increase the philanthropic dollars available to address South Jersey’s unique and varied needs.”

Community Foundation of South Jersey is a non-profit organization that sets up charitable giving funds for individuals, families, companies and communities. CFSJ has over $21 million in managed assets, and in partnership with our fund-holders, has given out nearly $7 million in grants and scholarships since launching in 2009. For more information, visit communityfoundationsj.org.

Legacy of Giving Dinner Ends with $100k Donation from Baiada Fund

By CFSJ

November 1, 2016

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On Thursday, October 27th, Mark and Ann Baiada were honored with the Community Foundation of South Jersey Legacy of Giving award. More than 150 people celebrated the selfless generosity of the Baiadas at the Moorestown Community House.

The evening ended with a $100,000 donation to LUCY Outreach, a Camden non-profit that boasts 100-percent high school graduation rate and 97-percent college admissions. This is a major accomplishment in a city where the dropout rate is 48 percent.

“What you give is who you are,” Ann Baiada said as she accepted the award with her husband who laid out an easy way for others to follow in their footsteps. Mark suggested starting a fund so that each year families can sit down and discuss together what organization or cause they’ll support. The Baiadas accepted the honor as a way to inspire others in our area to give more, do more and be more.

The Legacy of Giving dinner raised over $70,000 for the Community Foundation’s Impact Partners Fund. In addition to the Baiada’s donation, CFSJ donated $2,500 — a portion of the proceeds — to LUCY Outreach. And, as part of the event each year, a drawing to award a $1,000 unrestricted grant to an organization chosen by one of the guest was held. The winner was Kelli Marans and the organization she chose was Calcutta House, which provides housing and other highly supportive services for people living with AIDS in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley region.