Presidential Scholarship Gala 2022

Among Sister’s exceptional achievements at Caldwell is her leadership effort to establish the art department in 1964. As the driving force initiating the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program, she helped Caldwell College for Women to become the first New Jersey college or university to grant the BFA. She received the Veritas Award, the University’s highest honor, for Excellence in Art, in 1988 and was awarded an honorary PhD in Art.

Sister Gerardine earned both a Master of Arts (MA) and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in art studies from Notre Dame University, as well as certificates from the New Jersey State Department of Education, the Durham Glass Studios, Fordham University and the Cummings Glass Studio.  She spent extensive time in Mexico studying pottery, archaeology and Pre-Columbian art history. Her work is featured in collections across the globe.

Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr., has changed the face of Essex County both fiscally and physically in the past 19 years. 

Running Essex in the most efficient manner, he has turned the County into a model for good government. He raised the bond ratings from junk level to AAA, eliminated unnecessary contracts, cut expenses, reduced the workforce size and increased revenue. The Hospital Center, Correctional Facility and Juvenile Detention Facility have been widely recognized, allowing us to create recurring revenue streams through shared services agreements with Federal, State and other county governments.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the County Executive initiated free testing in March 2020. Essex County was the first county in New Jersey to open county-run vaccination centers and hosted weekly food distribution events to combat food insecurity. In addition, several grant programs were initiated to help small businesses pay for expenses and lease obligations, homeowners pay for mortgages, residents to pay rent and utilities and support non-profit organizations’ programs to help those in need.

DiVincenzo developed the Essex County South Mountain Recreational Complex by building the Treetop Adventure Course, McLoone’s Boathouse Restaurant, miniGOLF Safari, Park-N-Ride, Regatta Playground, Clipper Pavilion and paddle boats on the Reservoir, modernizing the Codey Ice Arena and vastly improving Turtle Back Zoo. It has become a premiere family destination, welcoming visitors from throughout the tri-state area.

DiVincenzo guided the restoration of the Historic Courthouse, and completely overhauled the Government Complex, including the creation of Veterans Memorial Park, the construction of a 1,000-car parking garage and the installation of landscaped plazas and statues of people important in Essex County history. Totally new jury quarters plus the LeRoy Smith Public Safety Building, converted from an old jail into a revenue-producing office building, complete the government complex. A Correctional Facility in Newark, a new psychiatric Hospital Center in Cedar Grove and a state-of-the-art Public Works Garage in Cedar Grove also have been completed.

The Essex County Parks System has been improved for the public’s benefit. Rubberized playground surfaces, upgraded basketball and tennis courts, and synthetic grass surfaces and rubberized running tracks were installed. Six new parks were added to the historic Parks System, and more than 5,000 new cherry blossom trees were planted to replenish the glorious orchards in Essex County Branch Brook Park.

According to Joe D, (as everyone calls him) he and the 3,500 County employees are part of a team and working together they continue Putting Essex County First.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey was established in 1996 when Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC) was sold to the Saint Barnabas Corporation. NBIMC was founded in 1901 by the Jewish community to provide Jewish physicians, then denied access to practice medicine in other hospitals, an institution in which to practice and receive medical care.

Since its inception, NBIMC, which provides patients of all races and religious beliefs with compassionate, patient-centered care, has grown to become a leader among New Jersey hospitals. In 1996, when NBIMC was sold to the Saint Barnabas Corporation, the proceeds went to establish The Newark Beth Israel Foundation, Inc, which later was named The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey (HFNJ). Like NBIMC, the HFNJ is guided by the Jewish values of tzedakah (charity and social justice) and tikkun olam (repairing the world).

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey supports and fosters the provision of healthcare services, healthcare education and, when reasonable and appropriate, medical and scientific research. HFNJ responds to the medical, custodial, and other health-related needs in both the Greater Metrowest Jewish population as well as the underserved population in Newark and its surrounding areas. HFNJ also promotes “humanism in medicine” in order to better impact patient care and the health and well-being of doctors, nurses and other supportive medical individuals.

For more information on The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, please visit www.hfnj.org or call 973-921-1210.