Happy 10th Anniversary, CCNJ!

Happy Anniversary Caring Connections of New Jersey and Pennsylvania!

We cannot believe it’s been 10 years since Caring Connections of New Jersey and Pennsylvania was born! No one could not have imagined the growth that this organization would have had in 2011 when it began. We started with having professional meetings through the years in Monmouth, Mercer, Burlington, Somerset, Ocean, Middlesex and Union Counties in NJ and in Bucks and Montgomery Counties in PA and being resources to our members. We have connected countless healthcare professionals with employment opportunities, with connections to future partners and promoted events. We became a non-profit charity in 2018 and increased our member base as well as gained sponsors and have since been able to further educate our professional partners through CEU presentations, as well as create campaigns to educate seniors and their families such as “Grey Market Risks”.

No one would have been able to be prepared what 2020 would look like for all of us. Our organization’s service had come to a complete stop. Our last networking meeting was in February and when March arrived, we had to make a decision. Hearing about the virus at the end of February, our Executive Board decided to postpone our Monmouth meeting on March 5th to see if the virus scare would blow over. We then canceled our Mercer meeting the following week and announced that all networking events would be postponed until further notice. Covid-19 began effecting each and every facility and member in different ways and boy did our lives change. We started reaching out to our members to see what they needed most. Some just needed to talk. Some were furloughed from their job. Some needed PPE. Some were very overwhelmed. Some had to now work from home. Everyone changed the way they do business and all of us were grieving. We are grateful that some community organizations donated over 1500 donations of surgical masks and gloves and we rallied for local seamstresses who donated over 2000 masks to our organizations that we were able to bring to our members in need.

We had our 2020 Harvest Bash and were able to gather safely with masks, music and a food truck to thank our members for all of their hard work. Our virtual holiday party was also a success! We had holiday music and movie trivia and a holiday toast! The word that comes to mind when thinking of our members, our sponsors and our organization in 2020 is “resilient”. That is why we extended all of our memberships and sponsorships through 2021. We wanted to thank you for all of your support through the year when we could not bring you networking meetings and sponsorship opportunities due to Covid. You are all as resilient as they come and we are so happy you are a part of our CCNJ family.

We are grateful for all of our members and sponsors and look forward to celebrating our 10th Anniversary with you! Please register here by January 11th to be a part of our 10th Anniversary Virtual Celebration sponsored by Brandywine Senior Living. All registered participants will be entered in a raffle for a $150 Hand and Stone Gift Card sponsored by Clover Meadows!

In Gratitude,

The CCNJ Executive Board
(Sheli Monacchio, Linda Mundie, Dana Goldfarb and Cris Brown)