Kindness in motion
Gloucester County nonprofits help the community thrive
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
Evidenced by its multitude of nonprofits and volunteer opportunities, these words of Mahatma Gandhi reverberate throughout Gloucester County. From help for the homeless to assistance for the homebound, dedicated volunteers work hard every day to make life better for the county’s residents.
These volunteers don’t have to do what they’re doing.
They want to do it.
Following is a glimpse into just a few of these worthy Gloucester County nonprofits. These groups build affordable housing, grant children’s wishes, provide therapy animals and, all in all, work to create a brighter future for the entire county.
Volunteer Center of South Jersey
“Our core is to connect volunteers with opportunities to serve,” Volunteer Center Executive Director Michele Epifani said. “Our tagline is connecting volunteers, empowering nonprofits and building communities. And that’s exactly what we do.”
The Volunteer Center of South Jersey is celebrating its 20th anniversary, having started as the Volunteer Center of Gloucester County in 1996 with funding backed by the freeholders. In 2013, the organization expanded to include more counties, many of which did not have any type of central volunteer center.
Epifani says there is a volunteer opportunity for everyone, and thanks to the web-based portal she instituted after coming on as director in January 2015, those opportunities are now easily accessible.
“It’s like the Match.com of volunteers,” Epifani said with a laugh. “It’s a tool where nonprofits can manage their volunteers…Volunteers can go in and build their profiles and track their hours…I’m trying to get people to realize what a great resource it is.”
In addition to linking individuals with volunteerism, the Volunteer Center of South Jersey also works with its 55 nonprofit members to make them stronger in their volunteer management. In theory, Epifani said, this will make for better volunteer experiences that will keep people coming back for more.
“I think if people give volunteering a chance,” Epifani said, “you can really see what’s going on in the world. You can see what’s going on in your community. You can see the impact of one person. One person can make a difference.”
On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Volunteer Center will be part of National Family Volunteer Day. Nonprofits will be holding special events around South Jersey, and a large event will be held at the Volunteer Center on the Rowan College at Gloucester County campus. There will be no-sew blankets being made for children’s hospitals, card making for troops serving overseas and more. Nonprofits on campus will be set up with booths and activities.
“It’s just a way to get families involved and really impress those values,” Epifani said. “That’s where kids learn what to do.”
The Volunteer Center of South Jersey is located on the Rowan College at Gloucester County campus, 1400 Tanyard Road, Sewell. Learn more by calling (856) 415–9084 or at www.sjvolunteers.org.
Family Promise of Gloucester County
Family Promise of Gloucester County wants to build a better future for families in need.
Founded in 2002, the nonprofit aims to use resources with local congregations and community members to provide homeless families an opportunity to achieve stability. The group works to provide shelter, food, case management and hospitality to these families.
Executive Director Victoria Peters said homelessness can happen to anyone.
“Some people don’t have the love and support of other people and family members to help them. That’s where we come in,” Peters said. “They move in with us. They set goals. They have a plan of action that’s put in place, and we work with them to get them back on their feet and back into society.”
Family Promise can house four families at a time in its short-term program — which lasts from three to six months — in addition to the family staying at its transitional house in Clarksboro. The other four families stay at a church on a weekly rotation, sleeping on air mattresses provided by Family Promise and eating meals and enjoying fellowship with the congregation’s volunteers.
Families can use the Family Promise Family Day Center during the daytime, giving them access to showers, laundry facilities and computer stations. This is also the place from which families leave for school, work or daycare. Congregation volunteers drive families to and from the Family Day Center.
Recently named the Nonprofit of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce, the aid Family Promise provides is not temporary. With self-sufficiency the ultimate goal, family case managers work with the families to help set goals and develop a plan to get there.
The nonprofit operates mainly on donations and has its biggest fundraiser of the year coming up on Nov. 14. Taste of South Jersey will be held at Adelphia in Deptford. It usually sells out, Peters said, and tickets are available from Family Promise and on its website.
Volunteers are always in need, from helping at the day center to assisting with monthly birthday parties and more. Those who want to help with families staying at the churches can be put in touch with the participating congregations. In the coming months, Family Promise is looking for volunteers who would like to “adopt” their families for the holiday season.
Peters said there is an opportunity for anyone who wants to volunteer, and she said the experience is worth it.
“These families come in and they are struggling and you are seeing them in hardship. And at the end of their stay with us, the best feeling in the world is to see them come into my office with keys and a lease in their hands and a smile on their face, saying, ‘I did it,’” Peters said. “Without all of our volunteers and the dedication they give us and their support, these families would never be able to walk into my office with keys and a lease in hand. That’s why it’s the best thing in the world to give back. You never know when you’re going to need help.”
Family Promise of Gloucester County is located at 206 Ellis St. in Glassboro. To learn more, call (856) 243–5971 or visit www.familypromisegc.org.
FURever As Friends
Sometimes it’s not always people helping people.
Sometimes, it’s pets helping people.
Such is the case with FURever As Friends, a Gloucester County nonprofit that brings the benefits of pet therapy to people in need. The nonprofit, founded in September 2013, offers the unconditional love and support of certified therapy pets in a variety of settings, from schools and libraries to nursing homes and hospitals, and the group largely focuses on alleviating stress, anxiety and depression in children and adults.
“What inspires me is the love that I see coming out of people of all ages when they see or touch one of my animals,” FAF co-founder Sharon Bednar said. “The joy it brings them, the happiness, the smile on their face…It’s therapeutic for me, too.”
Bednar started FAF with her husband John and friend Dr. Laurie Appel after running a New Jersey chapter of an out-of-state pet therapy program for many years.
The nonprofit has three programs it uses when visiting libraries and schools — SMILE, Tiny SMILEs and Calming SMILES. Silent Mentors In Literacy Education improves, encourages and nurtures literacy skills in children, giving them the opportunity to build their confidence reading aloud to a pet instead of a person. Tiny SMILEs works solely with children in pre-k and kindergarten. Calming Students & Mentors In Lowering Exam Stress helps student de-stress during exams and finals in the company of a therapy pet.
“SMILE is a huge literacy program. We’re in 11 libraries. We visit 30 classrooms for children with special needs,” Bednar said. “And it’s a huge success.”
FAF therapy animals include dogs, cats and even rabbits, but the nonprofit is always in need of more volunteer teams to join its pack. With a waiting list to visit local schools, there is a special need for daytime volunteers.
A great therapy pet, according to the group, is a dog or cat that is at least 9 months old, in good health and is calm and well-socialized. The animal should also love people, enjoy being petted and be well trained.
In addition to its pet therapy work, FAF volunteers love to support other nonprofits, whether it’s through making blankets for babies at DuPont Hospital for Children or participating in an awareness walk.
“It’s not all about us. We love helping other organizations out,” Bednar said. “It just makes us more well-rounded.”
FAF’s next fundraiser is Seasonal Wine Glass Painting at Salem Oak Vineyards, 60 N. Railroad Ave., Pedricktown, from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4. The cost of $40 includes a glass of wine, generous food, two wine glasses to paint, all supplies and an instructor’s guidance.
To learn more about volunteering or the upcoming fundraiser, contact FURever As Friends by calling (856) 975–6710 or visiting www.fureverasfriends.org.
Habitat for Humanity of Gloucester County
Thirty years. Forty homes. Immeasurable gratitude.
Founded in 1986, Habitat for Humanity of Gloucester County works to provide safe, affordable houses to low- to moderate-income families through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials.
Executive Director Anthony Isabella said a common misconception with Habitat is the organization gives away its homes. They actually sell them, he said.
“Our families go through a rigorous selection process,” Isabella explained. “We try to vet our people as best we can to assess their ability to succeed.”
The program is about 18 months and includes financial counseling and 350 hours of “sweat equity,” meaning partner families help work on their homes or other Habitat projects. These 350 hours are considered their down payment.
“These people are invested — blood, sweat and tears. You’re working shoulder-to-shoulder with these people. They’re swinging hammers, they’re learning stuff. It’s actually a very enjoyable experience for them,” Isabella said, “but it’s a difficult program.”
Once the family is through the program and has their new home, Habitat sets them up with a mortgage at zero percent interest. With their partner family demographic being largely transient renters, having a Habitat home means these families are staying in the same neighborhood and their kids are going to the same school. They’re not throwing money away on a lease, Isabella said, and are instead paying a mortgage, building equity and improving their lives.
Work is underway on Habitat for Humanity of Gloucester County’s 39th and 40th homes, both in Deptford and is expected to be finished in the spring. Since Isabella came on board as director in 2012, Habitat has completed 16 homes.
“I’m hoping in our 35th year, we can say we’ve completed 60 homes,” Isabella said.
Habitat is responsible for all aspects of its home-building — site selection, family selection, family support, construction and mortgage servicing. And all of this, of course, takes plenty of money.
To help with this, Habitat’s Restore in Pitman sells donated furniture, building supplies and the like at deeply discounted prices. The money from this fully funds Habitat’s general and administrative expenses. This means 100 percent of donated funds go directly to the nonprofit’s mission, not to any overhead or salary expenses.
“It’s an awesome thing,” Isabella said.
The organization is always in need of volunteers, from people helping at building sites to others staffing the Restore.
“I look for volunteers to work on our job sites, to work in our Restore, to do fundraising, administrative duties, everything,” Isabella said. “Volunteers are our life blood.”
Habitat for Humanity of Gloucester County is located at 425 S. Broadway in Pitman. Learn more by calling (856) 256–9400 or visiting www.gc-habitat.org.
Bianca’s Kids
Bianca’s Kids founder Debbie Savigliano knows there is healing in helping others, but she had to learn this lesson in one of the hardest ways possible.
In August 2010, Savigliano’s 21-year-old niece Bianca Yodice was on her way to work at a day-care center when she was struck and killed by a car. The young woman had aspirations to continue her education and work with special needs children. She had a passion in helping kids with separation anxiety.
Two months after her passing, Savigliano channeled her grief into Bianca’s Kids, founding the nonprofit on Oct. 15, 2010.
“I decided to use the grief that I was carrying to create an organization to aid struggling children,” Savigliano said. “We grant wishes.”
Bianca’s Kids first helped children locally before expanding to the entire state, and then to the country. The nonprofit has now granted wishes in London and Australia, and, to date, Savigliano estimates it has made 13,000 wishes come true.
“If you can imagine, every child is different. Their wishes are different and their needs are different,” Savigliano said. “These wishes can be anything from providing an iPad to a non-verbal child, to bringing a high school football team grieving the loss of a teammate to a Philadelphia Eagles training camp.”
Bianca’s Kids has sent kids to Disney World and gifted American Girl dolls to little girls battling cancer. It has covered after-school fees for a struggling parent and carried out festive birthday parties for a child whose parents could not afford one.
“It can be the smallest of things,” Savigliano said, “to a custom wheelchair for kids that have cerebral palsy and the wheelchair doesn’t fall under their insurance.”
Another big part of Bianca’s Kids is aiding children in the foster care system, and this time of year, the nonprofit is busy shopping for holiday gifts for 1,000 to 1,200 foster kids in Gloucester and Camden counties.
“We and our supporters shop for those particular kids, ensuring each child finds something under the tree that they wished for all year round,” Savigliano said. “The distribution is coordinated through case managers, so donations need to be received by Thanksgiving. Children wish for items that average about $30. If someone wishes to “adopt” a child for Christmas, they will receive that child’s name, age, gender, clothing size and wish. There are various drop-off locations in South Jersey and Philadelphia, or items can be shipped directly to Bianca’s Kids. Monetary donations are also welcome and needed.
Funding comes 90 percent through private donations, and just this year Bianca’s Kids started receiving grants from corporate sponsors. The group is always in need of volunteers and has opportunities year-round.
“I’d really love for our community to get involved,” Savigliano said.
Bianca’s Kids is located at 621 S. Main St., Suite A, Williamstown. To learn more, visit www.biancaskids.org. To adopt a child for the holidays, email Savigliano at debbie@biancaskids.org.
