Blood Center Awarded Foundation’s Grant at Critical Time

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation announces the award of a $2,000 grant from The Andrea Tilbian Halejian Memorial Fund to Vitalant, a national blood center. Vitalant is one of the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit transfusion medicine organizations. The grant award also comes at a critical time for the center’s collection of blood.

Andrea Tilbian Halejian

The fund remembers Wyckoff, New Jersey resident Andrea Tilbian Halejian and contributes to qualified charitable organizations she supported. The grant award also remembers the annual blood drive she organized in memory of her son, who died in infancy.  In addition, previous grant recipients include the Center for Peace, Justice & Reconciliation (PJR) at Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey; the Center for Food Action in Englewood, New Jersey; and the Fund for Armenian Relief and the Armenian General Benevolent Union in New York City.

Andrea Tilbian Halejian held an annual blood drive in memory of her son.

Andrea Tilbian Halejian undertook an annual blood drive in memory of her son.

Founded in 1943, Vitalant comprises a network of nearly a dozen community blood centers nationwide. “The grant comes at an especially good time,” said Michael Davenport, Regional Director for Vitalant’s Montvale, New Jersey location. “We have an opportunity to replace a number of the donor beds that we use on our mobile units, as well as to utilize the grant money to publicize the need for blood donations during the upcoming critical blood collection timeframe from mid-December to mid-January,” added Davenport. “On behalf of our entire staff and the patients and hospitals we serve, we appreciate the generosity of the NNJCF’s Andrea Tilbian Halejian Memorial Fund.”

Philanthropic Services

For 21 years, the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation has served northern New Jersey.  Every day, the foundation asks: What can we do together that we can’t do alone?. The NNJCF concentrates on the focus areas of education, public health, civic engagement, the arts, philanthropy, and the environment.  The Foundation also provides a comprehensive menu of philanthropic opportunities, including donor-advised funds, tax-saving annuities, and trust options.  These give donors flexible, efficient, and tax-effective ways to ensure their charitable giving has maximum impact.

“The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation helps donors connect with issues they care about.  Our donor services program also offers flexible, easy ways for to anyone to contribute to the community. Committed, civic-minded donors investing in their charitable interests at all levels are vital to the region.  Furthermore, they are essential to our communities’ health and well-being,” said Danielle De Laurentis, Associate Director, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.

For further information about the NNJCF’s donor-advised funds, grants, awards, and other services, contact 201-568-5608 or nnjcf@nnjcf.org.

 

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