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(Paramus, NJ) - October 1, 2010 þu Children's Aid and Family Services recently hosted its eighth annual Building Futures Awards. The awards recognize individuals, groups, and corporations that contribute to building futures for children, families, and communities in northern New Jersey. This year, the agency honored the following individuals, businesses and community organizations:
Sheila Oliver, Assembly Speaker -- Government Leadership
Sheila Oliver was elected to the state assembly in 2003 and in January 2010 became New Jersey's 169 Assembly Speaker. Speaker Oliver is the first African-American woman to lead a legislative house in New Jersey. Some of her legislative accomplishments include the co-sponsoring of the law creating the Department of Children and Families; sponsoring legislation creating paid family leave, amending the state's wrongful death law, providing specialized social services and medical treatment for persons in the criminal justice system with mental health issues, and providing low-cost auto insurance for individuals with low incomes. Speaker Oliver also served as executive director of The Leaguers, a non-profit organization in Newark.
TD Bank -- Business and Labor Leadership
TD Bank, formed in 2008 after the merger of Banknorth and Commerce Bank, is an active supporter of the communities in which it does business. In 2009, TD Bank and the TD Charitable Foundation contributed nearly $20 million in support of local organizations, including Center for Family Services, Inc.; Community Loan Fund of New Jersey, Inc.; Housing and Neighborhood Development Services, Inc.; Interfaith Neighbors, Inc.;and Children's Aid and Family Services, to name a few.
Thomasville Home Furnishings of New Jersey -- Corporate Leadership
Thomasville Home Furnishings of New Jersey is owned and operated by the Massood family. It has supported the Anti-Defamation League, Make A Wish Foundation and the New Jersey Affordable Housing Management Association, as well as Children's Aid and Family Services. Thomasville Home Furnishings of New Jersey recently donated a truckload of new furniture to several of the agency's group homes for foster children.
The Melting Pot of Westwood -- Small Business Leadership
Will and Carol Layfield are the owners of The Melting Pot restaurant and support many local non-profit organizations, including the American Cancer Society, Care Plus Foundation, Children's Aid and Family Services and Community Hospice of Bergen through benefit dinners, where a portion of the evening's sales are donated to the charity in return for them bringing guests to dine. They also offer annual high school scholarships to students who have shown a commitment to helping the "special needs" community.
National Council of Jewish Women, Bergen County -- Community Leadership
The National Council of Jewish Women is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. It has 1,000 members and is celebrating its 88th year. It supports a tremendous number of organizations within the community, including The Adler Aphasia Center, Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative, The Center for Food Action, Children's Court Care Center and Israel Granting Program. The organization helped create Children's Aid and Family Services' Turrell Child Care & Early Learning Center, which provides subsidized tuition to 45 percent of the families whose children attend.
West Bergen Mental Healthcare -- Non-Profit Leadership
West Bergen Mental Healthcare provides comprehensive mental health services in over a dozen outpatient specialties. It is also a high level provider of residential and partial care services. Serving over 3,000 children, adults and seniors annually, the organization offers its services on a sliding fee scale to eligible consumers, as well as presents free workshops to the community.
Michael Azzara -- Lifetime in Leadership
Mr. Azzara is the former president & CEO of Valley Health Systems, Inc. and has a long career in healthcare management. He is currently associated with Foley Proctor Yoskowitz, a healthcare consulting firm. He is a director of Hudson City Savings Bank, and a member of the Advisory Board to the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University.He also serves as the Vice Chair of the Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative, which has opened a free primary care center in Hackensack to serve low-income working people without health insurance living in Bergen County. He and his family have created endowed scholarships at their alma maters – Rutgers University, Cornell University and Ramapo College.
Darryl "DMC" McDaniels -- Individual Leadership
Darryl "DMC" McDaniels was a member of the legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC and serves as a celebrity spokesperson for Children's Aid and Family Services. Mr. McDaniels discovered that he was adopted in 2000 and he has since been a strong advocate for adopted children. Along with Sheila Jaffe, the casting director of "The Sopranos" and "Entourage," Mr. McDaniels started The Felix Organization/ Adoptees for Children in 2006. The Foundation was founded to provide opportunities and new experiences that enrich the lives of children who are growing up without their birth parents.
Elsie B. Schlivek "Help Realize a Dream" Award -- Jerry Horowitz
Created by the late Louis (Bud) Schlivek and his sister, Isabelle Feher, in memory of their mother Elsie, this award recognizes an individual 55-years-of-age or older who is engaged in the attainment of a dream, either life-long or more recent.
Mr. Horowitz received the award posthumously. His life had been one of giving back to the community. He was a 4-H leader and led the project to save the Garretson House in Fair Lawn, which is now on the National Registry of Historic places and open as a public museum. After he retired, Mr. Horowitz wrote "The Western Union Story," a history of the company. He donated all profits from the book to the Tele Medical Foundation, which he started to help children with serious medical problems throughout the world. He was working on an historical display at the Western Union building located in New York City at the time of his death.
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Children's Aid and Family Services is one of the leading nonprofit human services organizations serving northern New Jersey. The agency is fully accredited and has served the community for 110 years. Its mission is to preserve, protect and, when needed, provide families. Motivated by compassion for vulnerable children, young adults, frail elderly and their families, it provides high-quality and innovative services that meet their social, educational and emotional needs. For more information, call 201.261.2800 or visit http://www.cafsnj.org | 
