JUMPSTART JERSEY
Stories of Success from Across the State
“The best things have always come from Jersey. The best ideas I've helped bring to Washington and to my work in Congress, to solve the toughest of problems, have always come from my discussions across the state with mayors and other elected officials, small business owners, labor, nonprofit and faith leaders, first responders and veterans, and folks in a diner.
It doesn't matter what small town or city you're from, if you live in the north or south, like pork roll or Taylor Ham, it's that you're from Jersey. You're a fighter for what's right — and we share our Jersey Values.
When Jersey works together, we're unstoppable.”
Josh Gottheimer
“The best ideas I’ve brought to Congress come from our Jersey communities.”
Stories
John Vaccaro, President, Bettaway Supply Chain Services: Providing Long-term Career Opportunities for Adults with Autism
Through a partnership with We Make – Autism at Work, Bettaway Supply Chain Services is entering its third year of providing job training and opportunities for meaningful, sustainable careers to more than150 families in the autism and intellectual developmental disability communities.
Zeem Solutions: Creating Jobs and Cleaner Air Around New Jersey
Zeem Solutions is creating good-paying jobs for the community and helping reduce air pollution with their electric vehicle charging hub.
Teri Capparelli, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County: Helping Veterans with Home Updates
Teri Capparelli leads Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County (Habitat Bergen) in its efforts to address housing insecurity in the region through building and rehabilitating houses with donated supplies and volunteer labor and selling them to hardworking families at no profit and financed by affordable, no-interest loans.
Lisa Pitz, Director, Hunger Free New Jersey: Expanding School Meal Access to New Jersey Families
Lisa Pitz, Director of Hunger Free New Jersey, helped push for important changes that have made 60,000 additional New Jersey students eligible for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch at school and continues to work for free meals for all students.
Mara Tippett, Executive Director, Raritan Headwaters: Thousands of Volunteers Join Forces to Protect New Jersey’s Waterways
Mara Tippett, Executive Director of Raritan Headwaters is leveraging the help of thousands of New Jersey volunteers to help keep local streams, rivers and drinking water clean and safe.
Jeff Trout, Supervisor, Technology Learning Center, Cape May County Library: Empowering Seniors through Technology Savvy
Jeff Trout, Supervisor of the Technology Learning Center at the Cape May County Library, helps ensure that seniors are not left behind when it comes to technology. Jeff built innovative, free programs that empower seniors to use available technology in their everyday lives. These skills are helping seniors avoid financial scams, connect with family and friends, access benefits, and help cut down on unnecessary trips by doing more online.
Jennifer Chauhan, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Project Write Now: Transforming Individuals, Organizations, and Communities Through Writing
Jennifer Chauhan launched Project Write Now to give people of all ages and backgrounds supportive spaces to explore their authentic selves through writing and sharing their stories. She is leveraging decades of education and professional writing experience to help people discover the power and joy of writing.
Sandy Henley, Mayor, Westampton Township: Saving Taxpayers Money through Shared Services
Westampton Township Mayor Sandy Henley is driving smart collaboration and building relationships across communities through shared government services to save local taxpayers money. Under his leadership, Westampton cut tax collector expenses in half by partnering with Evesham Township.
Katherine Bassett, CEO, New Jersey Tutoring Corps: Training the Next Generation of Educators
Katherine Bassett is a lifelong educator, innovator, and advocate who leads New Jersey Tutoring Corps, a nonprofit that, to date, has provided tutoring for more than 11,000 students across 19 counties in New Jersey, but at the same time, helps its 400 paid tutors, site coordinators, and instructional coaches build career pathways in education.
Bernie Flynn, CEO, Mercer Street Friends: Helping Young Students Read at Grade Level
To tackle the unprecedented reading achievement crisis caused by the pandemic, Bernie Flynn, a volunteer who leads the community nonprofit Mercer Street Friends, launched a reading enrichment program at Gregory Elementary in Trenton.
Veterans 101 CEO Gladys Krasicki: Turning a Vacant Motel into Housing for Homeless Veterans
Veteran Gladys Krasicki is continuing a lifetime of service in her community as CEO of Veterans 101, a nonprofit she formed to help create housing for veterans in need. Gladys purchased a vacant motel near Atlantic City with personal funds and community donations, and is transforming the building into a housing village for homeless veterans.
Dr. Maria Sophocles, Founder & Medical Director, Women’s Healthcare of Princeton: Expanding Birth Control Access in New Jersey
Dr. Maria Sophocles, a practicing ob-gyn and founder of Women’s Healthcare of Princeton, was a critical advocate for a recently-passed NJ law that eliminates barriers by allowing pharmacists to provide birth control without a prescription.
Kenneth Morris (St. Joseph’s Health), and Bob Guarasci (New Jersey Community Development Corporation): Partnering to Support Vulnerable Families with Housing and Health Services
Two extraordinary leaders, Bob Guarasci, founder and CEO of the New Jersey Community Development Corporation and Kenneth Morris, Vice President of External Affairs at St. Joseph’s Hospital, helped create New Jersey’s first hospital-based supportive housing in Paterson.
Ralph and Michael Maguire-Losanno: Fighting for LGBTQ+ Fertility Treatment Insurance Coverage
Loving parents and dedicated LGBTQ+ advocates Ralph and Michael Maguire-Losanno fought to ensure all couples have the opportunity to raise a child in New Jersey. The Morris Plains couple worked to pass legislation that expands health insurance coverage for LGBTQ+ individuals for infertility treatments.
Red Bank Deputy Mayor Kate Triggiano: Pairing Police with Mental Health Experts
● Red Bank Deputy Mayor Kate Triggiano, who has also served her town as a Councilwoman and a volunteer firefighter, has led efforts to build a partnership between police and social workers to improve and de-escalate responses to mental health emergencies.
Larry Abrams: Giving Underserved Kids Books to Support Academic Achievement
Larry Abrams is using his passion for reading to serve and empower thousands of kids and help them get on the right academic track. Larry started BookSmiles, a Pennsauken-based nonprofit that has given more than one million books away to help ensure families and children in underserved communities have access to high-quality reading material.
Angela Logan: Saving Her Home by Selling Apple Cakes
Angela Logan captures the true creative problem-solving spirit of New Jersey. Using her passion for cooking, she avoided foreclosure on her home by starting a small business, “Mortgage Apple Cakes,” in the heart of the mortgage crisis.
State Senator Nellie Pou: A Comprehensive Approach to Combating Addiction in New Jersey
A leader who knows how to get things done, State Senator Nellie Pou has been dogged in her work to help New Jersey residents fight and overcome addiction and support families affected by the grief and trauma it can bring. Senator Pou sponsored legislation allocating resources from the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund to the New Jersey Department of Human Services to bolster addiction recovery programs statewide.