The Chest to Celebrate Community and Honorees at Virtual Gala

The Chest, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization serving eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, presents the gala on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

While drinking The Chest's signature cocktail, Feathertinis, from the comforts of their homes, patios, and other sites, guests will support the organization's work throughout the pandemic. The gala's net proceeds will provide grants to nonprofit agencies responding to an increased demand for services to help neighbors in eastern Bergen County.

Honorees

This year, The Chest presents the Corporate Philanthropy Award, the Community Leadership Award and a new award, the Young Philanthropist Award. The Chest will recognize these three leaders for their extensive involvement and contributions to the community:

• Corporate Philanthropy Award - Lakeland Bank. The corporation has been active in a number of The Chest's activities, including participating in the Partnership for Healthy Eating initiative's dinners cooking and serving nutritious foods for members of the Englewood community. Their contribution to the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Winter Dinner Project provided 650 meals to community members experiencing food insecurity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Community Leadership Award - Family Promise of Bergen County. This nonprofit organization has served Bergen County for more than 30 years, providing meals and lodging to homeless and hungry families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, José Andreas of World Central Kitchen joined them to feeding food insecure residents of Englewood. They recruited countless volunteers to serve thousands of meals during a four-month period. The Neighbors Helping Neighbors Winter Dinner Project, now known as the Dinner Project, provided more than 5,000 meal vouchers for Englewood neighbors and financial support for five local restaurants.

• Young Philanthropists Award - Ayla Uram. Fourteen-year-old Ayla used her newly found time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic to help her neighbors in need. She created her own business - a gluten free baking company - and contributed her earnings to neighbors suffering the consequences of COVID-19. During the fall and winter of 2020, she baked cookies, raised funds, and made additional contributions to help food insecure neighbors.

Program

Nina Pineda, an award-winning broadcast journalist with WABC-TV “7 On Your Side”, returns to The Chest as Emcee. Producer/Director Harry Martin, an Emmy Award-winning TV journalist, who anchored TV newscasts at three leading television stations in New York City, once again brings his expertise to produce the event. Guests will learn more about The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County's work in the community during the pandemic with a video highlighting its works.

An online silent auction will offer a range of products. Items to bid upon feature experiences, social and emotional enrichment grants for children's activities, wine and spirits, health and beauty products, travel and destination vacations, art, kitchen ware, flowers, technology, and fashion and accessories, among others.

Tickets and Sponsors

Although tickets to attend the virtual gala are free, guests are invited to make a donation and receive the following gifts: $50 two Feathertini glasses for The Chest's signature cocktail of the evening, $100 receive an Anne Frank quote on Canvas, and $250 receive two Feathertini glasses and cocktail ingredients. Other opportunities to support The Chest's work include bidding in the silent auction, making a contribution directly to the organization, sports memorabilia, and participating in a fund-a-need to support local charitable projects.

To date, the gala's 2021 sponsors are: Lakeland Bank, Kamson Corporation, Connect One Bank, Otterstedt Insurance, Englewood Health, Jaguar LandRover Englewood, BMW of Tenafly, Boyd Richards Parker and Colonelli, Valley Bank, DecoTech, Visions Federal Credit Union, and Wolfgang’s Auto Repair. Organizational sponsors are Alfiero & Lucia Palestroni Foundation, Family Promise of Bergen County, and Temple Emanu-el Sisterhood. Personal sponsors include Louise Schwartz, The Silvers Family - London, April and Alex Uram, Ira and Shelley Taub, Richard and Shawn Kennedy, Shelly and Justin Wimpfheimer, Jennifer and Loren Wimpfheimer, Barbara Strauss and Tom Manolio, Barbara and Paul Brensilber, Melanie and Barry Zingler, Judy and Joe Klyde, and Melanie Simon and Cindy Rudbart.

To register for the gala and for information about sponsorships, the purchase of journal ads, and the auction go to the event's website or text CHEST2021 to 41444.xt.

For further information about The Chest, visit the organization's website or contact (201) 568-7474. Stay updated about the organization’s activities on Facebook and Twitter.