The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation honored five exemplary North Jersey heroes at the Community Changemaker Night. The 2025 North Jersey heroes were New Jersey Assemblyman Clinton Calabrese, Fairleigh Dickinson University Professor and Biology Department Chair Dr. Marion McClary, Gina Wilson and Lisa De Dominicis, Fund Advisors for the Andrea Tilbian Halejian Memorial Fund, and South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum. The celebration took place on Thursday, June 5, 2025 at a cocktail reception held at Forte Ristorante in Hackensack, New Jersey. The NNJCF is a not-for-profit, 501 c (3) organization headquartered in Hackensack that serves North Jersey.
The festivities were emceed by Bergen Record columnist and humorist Bill Ervolino. Ryan Huban of Howdy Stranger also provided an interactive game-show awards ceremony. Guests networked with other leaders and advocates dedicated to making North Jersey a better place to live, work and be.
“Throughout the evening, we celebrated the contributions of these North Jersey heroes in their communities. We highlighted the importance of community and connection. The festivities were not only inspirational, but they also invigorated our commitment to enrich Northern New Jersey communities for everyone. We invite individuals, groups, and organizations to join us in our mission and to partner with the Foundation to develop impactful change across the region,” said Leonardo Vazquez, Executive Director of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.
North Jersey Heroes
The 2025 North Jersey heroes broke ground excelling in the Foundation’s focus areas – green and healthy places, creative communities, and belonging and opportunity, as well as overall community leadership. The NNJCF honored these North Jersey heroes, who made their communities better places to live, work and be.
Creative Communities Award
The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation honored North Jersey heroes at Community Changemaker Night. Shown from left to right: Mayor Sheena Collum, Dr. Marion McClary, Gina Wilson, Lisa De Dominicis, and Assemblyman Calabrese. Photo credit: Josh Passaretti of JMP Media
- New Jersey Assemblyman (District 36) Clinton Calabrese. Assemblyman Calabrese received the Creative Communities Award for helping communities through the arts, supporting artists, and enhancing cultural ecosystems. A dedicated advocate for the arts, Assemblyman Calabrese also fostered cultural initiatives in his hometown, Cliffside Park. He co-founded the Cliffside Park Arts Association, bringing together artists and also community members to create ‘The Hub’. This space hosts poetry nights, and art exhibits, as well as live music in the borough. As an advocate of the arts as a vital contributor to New Jersey’s economy, he co-sponsored legislation allocating $70 million in federal funds to the Economic Development Authority to support arts and culture organizations adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visionary Leadership Award
- South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum. This North Jersey hero received the Visionary Leadership Award for significant contributions made to the betterment of a North Jersey community. As the first woman to hold office as mayor in South Orange, Collum demonstrated a commitment to civic engagement, volunteerism, and the modernization of municipal operations in the village. Under her stewardship, South Orange secured over $500 million in commercial and mixed-use investments, with a strong emphasis on inclusionary affordable housing and groundbreaking community benefits agreements. A bold advocate for equitable growth, she spearheaded the creation of a downtown business incubator and artist hub, fostering economic opportunity, while enhancing the cultural fabric of the community. She also led a sweeping overhaul of the town’s outdated master plan, engaging a diverse coalition of volunteers and thousands of residents to reimagine the future of South Orange.
Green and Healthy Places Leadership Award
- Fairleigh Dickinson University Professor and Biology Department Chair Marion McClary. Dr. McClary received the Green and Healthy Places Leadership Award for protecting the environment. As a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, Dr. McClary received grants to study the effects of pollutants on detritus on which animals in the Hackensack Meadowlands feed. In addition, he studied the effectiveness of sediment caps in isolating pollutants from the water of Kearny Marsh. Dr. McClary serves on several committees and boards of directors working to enhance the environment.These include the Hackensack River Nation Council and Steering Committee and the NNJCF’s Hackensack Environmental Justice Alliance. Furthermore, he sits on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Endangered and Nongame Species Advisory Committee, as well as the NY/NJ Harbor & Estuary Program Science and Technical Advisory Committee.
Belonging and Opportunity Award
- Fund Advisors for the Andrea Tilbian Halejian Memorial Fund, Gina Wilson and Lisa De Dominicis. These North Jersey heroes received the Belonging and Opportunity Award for supporting inclusive communities in their work with the Fund. The Fund memorializes the late Andrea Tilbian Halejian of Wyckoff and also contributes to qualified charitable organizations she supported. Since the Fund’s founding, several organizations received grants to support various causes, including the Fund for Armenian Relief and the Center for Peace, as well as the Justice & Reconciliation (PJR) at Bergen Community College. Furthermore, this NNJCF fund awarded grants to the Center for Food Action, Vitalant, Eva’s Village, Armenian Relief Society of Eastern USA, and Careers Through Culinary Arts Program. Other grants were awarded to the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Healing the Children Northeast, and also the United Way of Bergen County.
Sponsors
Sponsors of this fun event honoring North Jersey heroes were Champion Sponsor Anonymous. The Catalyst Sponsors included Fairleigh Dickinson University, Nishuane Group, Seton Hall University, and also Anonymous. A range of donors contributed items to the night’s silent auction. Dublin Pub, Hackensack Performing Arts Center, Iconic Coffee, and Jersey City Theater provided items for the auction. Other donors included Just Jersey Goods, Kate & Abby’s Bakery, Madame Restaurant, and Mayo Performing Arts Center. These supporters also contributed to the auction: Medusa the Greek Street Food, Miti Miti Latin Street Food, Nimbus Dance Works. Furthermore, South Orange Performing Arts Center, Sprout Farms & Garden, The Barrymore Film Center, and Two River Gourmet Mushrooms donated products. Funds raised from the sponsorships and the silent auction will be used to build alliances, support programs that protect the environment and produce public art.
People and organizations unable to attend the festivities celebrating North Jersey heroes can still support the NNJCF. Make a donation online or send a check made out to The Northern NJ Community Foundation (NNJCF). Mail the check to 1 University Plaza Drive, Suite 102, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601.
What Can We Do Together?
The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation embraces the motto, ‘What can we do together, that we can’t do alone?”. The Foundation helps communities become better places to live, work, and enjoy. People come together to address pressing issues. These issues include public health, environmental protection, and civil society, as well as education. The NNJCF works to enhance quality of life in the eight northern counties of New Jersey. These counties cover Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and also Morris. The remaining counties include Passaic, Sussex, Warren and Union counties. Founded in 1998, the NNJCF awarded over $1 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to local residents. In addition, the NNJCF developed diverse alliances to tackle critical quality of life issues. The organization connected people to valuable resources and also produced catalytic public art and environmental projects to benefit all residents.
To get involved in the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation’s work, call 201-568-5608 or send an e-mail to nnjcf@nnjcf.org.
