Golfers Swung for Mental Health at Community Chest's Golf Outing

The rain could not stop them! The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County’s fifth annual Golf Outing attracted 112 hearty golfers on May 5 at Edgewood Country Club in River Vale, New Jersey. For nearly a century, The Community Chest, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Englewood, has strengthened the community through leadership and philanthropy by spearheading initiatives and supporting nonprofits that help people in need in eastern Bergen County, New Jersey.

This May, golfers organized and came together to support Mental Health Awareness Month and helped The Community Chest ‘Turn Awareness into Action’. Through their participation in the golf outing, these dedicated philanthropists promoted mental well-being one hole at a time. The funds raised at the event will be allocated for grant awards to nonprofit agencies providing essential services to children, adolescents, and adults facing mental health challenges in eastern Bergen County.

Participants enjoyed a day filled with activities, including golfing, on course games, and the LandRover Englewood Hole-in-One challenge. They sampled Tito’s Vodka, networked over cocktails and tasted a delicious dinner of Mexican foods with a taco bar and margaritas to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. A special feature of this year’s golf outing was a putting contest and the opportunity for golfers to win cash prizes. The evening culminated in an awards ceremony, a silent auction, and a raffle to support The Community Chest’s work.

“The golfers were a fun, hardy, generous group of supporters! They had a good time despite the inclement weather and raised money for mental health services in our community,” said Vicki Sidrow, Associate Executive Director, The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County.

Volunteers

Volunteers played a critical role in the golf outing’s success. The Golf Committee was vital to the development and implementation of the golf outing, led by Co-Chairs John Wilkens, Principal of Robert Wilkens Insurance Agency, a World Insurance Company, and Matthew Bert Libien, Managing Director at Wells Fargo Advisors. The Golf Committee’s dedicated volunteers also included Martin Huguley, Jan Hurewitz, David Jiang, Nick Makhoul, Lee Michelson, Alvin Ross, Anton Schermer, Vicki Sidrow, Amy Sokal, Franci Steinberg, Shelly Wimpfheimer, and Amie AbuRustum. These dedicated volunteers sat in the rain on the golf course and observed the hole-in-one tee: Frank Frazer, Beverly and Sean Quinlan, Nancy Kahn and Kathy Shapiro.

Sponsorship

The Community Chest thanked these sponsors of the golf outing for their generous support: Robert Wilkens Insurance Agency A World Insurance Company, Wells Fargo Advisors, Visions Federal Credit Union, Golub Capital, LKU Group, Provident Bank and Signature Kitchens. Land Rover Englewood and BMW of Tenafly sponsored the Hole-in-One opportunities.

Leading Community Efforts

With the motto "Neighbors Helping Neighbors", The Community Chest leads initiatives and supports nonprofits that make communities stronger and benefit people in need in eastern Bergen County. The organization's service area covers these 15 municipalities: Alpine, Bergenfield, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Harrington Park, Haworth, Northvale, Norwood, Old Tappan, Rockleigh and Tenafly.

For 92 years, The Community Chest has provided funding to local agencies and nonprofits. The organization also develops collaborative action plans with community partners and identifies and provides solutions for community issues with local influencers. The organization leads critical issues by:

• Funding agencies and nonprofits to assist with providing vital services;
• Fostering collaborations between nonprofit agencies, government, corporations, and other community partners;
• Assisting agencies with expansion of services for key issues; and
• Strengthening agencies by offering professional development, teaching best practices, mentoring leaders, and providing issue-specific training.

Founded in 1933, The Community Chest, has supported local not-for-profit agencies for 92 years. The organization leads initiatives and supports nonprofits that make our communities stronger and benefit people in need in eastern Bergen County. Each year, The Community Chest raises funds and allocates them to agencies demonstrating the capacity to provide services to local citizens. The organization also provides coordinating and planning services in its communities, serving as a bridge between agencies and organizations and investing in the stability and quality of the service network.

The Community Chest's Board of Managers is comprised of community leaders dedicated to improving the lives of neighbors in need. People interested in volunteering with the organization may contact Executive Director Dr. Shelly Wimpfheimer at (201) 568-7474. For further information about The Community Chest, contact (201) 568-7474.