NJSLA Raises over $14K for Operation Healing Forces
NJSLA is proud to report it presented a check for $14,542.43 to Operation Healing Forces, our charity of choice for our 2019 Oktoberfest Charity Event held in October 2019 at Zepellin Hall in Jersey City.
Operation Healing Forces was founded by Gary Makel in 2011 when he wanted to donate his yacht to veterans and their wives for a healing retreat. Today the mission of Operation Healing Forces (OHF) is to serve the needs of our activeduty and recent-veteran wounded, ill, and injured Special Operations Forces (SOF) and their spouses by starting or continuing the process of mentally, physically and emotionally healing in preparation to return to the fight or transition successfully into civilian life.
All attendees had fun dancing to the music by Luke & the Trouble Makers, taking photos in our photo booth, playing corn hole in the great weather outside, and networking with other Surplus Lines insurance professionals. All attendees also received a commemorative mug featuring the event and sponsors. NJSLA gave out 12 door prizes to the following attendees: William Houghton of Century Surety, Steve Powell of FTP, Claudia Galvin of Atlantic Casualty, Berj Khatchadourian of Admiral, Sue O’Connor of RPS, Dennis Lee of Tapco, Maya Cruz of RPS, Nestor Munoz of Markel Assurance, Hank Bejour of Century Surety, Len Emmanual of Crum & Forster, Yolanda Zhang of Western World, and Ben Goff of Century Surety. Mark Alessi of Seneca was our 50/50 raffle winner of the night and gave back a large portion of his winnings to our charity. NJSLA’s champs of the Corn Hole Tournament were Tom McGuire and Liam Sole of Bass Underwriting winning the first place prize of $500. Second place winners were Bill Hart of Hart Engineering and Steve Powell of FTP Inc. who donated their $250 prize back to OHF.
A special thank you to the companies that sponsored of our event and helped make it a very special night for all. Raphael & Associates Bass Underwriters Markel Assurance RSUI Northfield Century Surety Nationwide E&S FTP Inc. MUSIC Gremesco of NJ Seneca General Star CRC
NJSLA Awards 2 Scholarships-College Tuition & WSIA Program
The Surplus Lines Association of New Jersey (NJSLA) proudly awarded two scholarships this past quarter.
NJSLA chose Meghan Donohue, daughter of Kim Donohue of FTP Inc., as our College Student Scholarship Winner. She was awarded $2500 from NJSLA for her tuition to The College of New Jersey. The Association received many well-written essays for this contest and would like to thank each of the students for their submission.
Cody Ferenz of FTP Inc. is this year’s recipient of the Scholarship to the WSIA Excess & Surplus Lines Education Program held in St. Louis, MO during June 2-5, 2019.
On behalf of the NJSLA and the Education and Scholarship Committee, we would like to congratulate Cody and Meghan for their scholarship awards!
NJSLA Continues to Help our Fellow New Jersians
The Surplus Lines Association of New Jersey (NJSLA) donated $2500 to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) that will directly help with COVID-19 Relief. Thanks to Bank of America, all gifts of up to $150,000 were doubled which included NJSLA’s gift. Therefore, NJSLA’s $2500 gift turned into a $5,000 donation. The NJSLA board of directors voted to make this donation in lieu of the WSIA scholarships that the organization had planned to award during 2020.
On April 8, 2020, The CFBNJ’s Blog posted a letter from Chef Paul Kapner, Director of the Community Kitchen at CFBNJ which said, “As you focus on protecting yourself and your family during this unprecedented time, I know that you’re also deeply concerned about the most vulnerable among us — seniors isolated in their homes for fear of COVID-19. They are highly susceptible to the virus and at great risk of hunger, especially those who were already living with limited resources before the pandemic. At CFBNJ, every class of Food Service Training Academy students leave having given back to the community and with the culinary and life skills needed for job success. However, this current cohort’s unconventional experience in the program has them going above and beyond the call of duty. Together, the students and the FoodBank’s Community Kitchen staff are cooking and packaging prepared meals to help struggling seniors live without fear of illness and hunger while the world works to thwart the spread of COVID-19.
CFBNJ will provide 4,000 nutritious meals to seniors in need each week, working with community partners to have them delivered.” Chef Paul and his team have produced thousands of low-sodium packaged meals for delivery to seniors in need. These meal kits contain a menu of five ready-to-eat meals to help them stay healthy throughout this crisis. NJSLA is proud to have helped support Chef Paul and the Community FoodBank of New Jersey with their efforts to assist those in need.