Cliffside Park Resident Receives Women's Leadership Award

The Community Chest announces Nicole Matsanov of Cliffside Park, New Jersey received the first place Women's Leadership scholarship award. Matsanov, a senior attending the Finance Academy in Englewood, New Jersey, was awarded a $2,000 scholarship. The award was presented at the organization's first Women's Leadership Luncheon.

"We were very impressed with the caliber of the applicants, who applied for this scholarship. Each demonstrated exceptional talents and a commitment to social causes. We were very excited to select Nicole Matsanov as the first place recipient and look forward to continuing this new tradition of awarding a women’s leadership scholarship in the name of Elizabeth Cutter Morrow and other esteemed women," said Dr. Shelly Wimpfheimer, Executive Director, The Community Chest.

Matsanov was honored for her leadership skills and abilities. This young leader brought about major changes in school policies and practices and was lauded for her boundless energy, enthusiasm and courage to champion causes that others were reluctant to address. Matsanov, who could not attend the event in person because of a previous commitment to take an Advanced Placement test, provided a self-produced video to accept the award. In the fall, she intends to attend Occidental University in Los Angeles, California and apply the scholarship award towards her education.

Earlier this year, The Community Chest announced the availability of a women’s leadership scholarship for graduating high school seniors from eastern Bergen County schools. Applicants needed to show strong leadership qualities in activities undertaken during their high school years. Nineteen young women submitted applications for this honor and two were selected to receive scholarship awards.

Founded in 1933, The Community Chest, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization based in Englewood, New Jersey, has supported local not-for-profit agencies for 85 years. The Chest leads initiatives and supports nonprofits that make our communities stronger and benefit people in need in eastern Bergen County. Each year, The 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.