Partners for Health Foundation honors local service providers

Photo Courtesy of Neil Grabowsky
Partners for Health Foundation honors Dr. Mario Szuchman, who works at the Zufall Health Center in West Orange, at its 10-year anniversary Community Impact Awards event. From left are CBS NEWs senior national correspondent and event emcee Jim Axelrod; Szuchman; Partners for Health Foundation Executive Director Pam Scott; and PHF board Chairman Chris Petermann.

MONTCLAIR, NJ — To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Partners for Health Foundation awarded 10 Community Impact Awards and grants totaling $100,000 to recognize nonprofit organizations and individuals making a significant difference in the health and well-being of local communities. The awardees were selected from 65 nominations that cited contributions in areas such as hunger, homelessness, chronic disease prevention, oral health and mental health.

“Each of the awardees has an amazing story to tell about what inspired them, what they have been able to accomplish, and what they aspire to achieve. We are honored to partner with them to accomplish even more,” Partners for Health Foundation Executive Director Pam Scott said. “Their collective stories portray dedicated advocates, volunteers, caregivers, unsung heroes and leaders, along with the tens of thousands of lives they touch.”

The Partners for Health Foundation 2018 Community Impact awardees are: Dr. Mario Szuchman, of Zufall Health in West Orange, for access to health; KinderSmile Foundation in Bloomfield for oral health; Wally Weikert, of the Family Service League in Montclair, for mental health; Mary Rossettini, of the Clifton Homeless Task Force, for homelessness prevention; Connections at Home of Verona for aging in place; Carolyn Lack of Aging in Montclair, Ann Lippel of the Montclair Senior Citizens Advisory Committee and Katie York of Lifelong Montclair for aging in place; the YMCA of Montclair for chronic disease prevention through healthy eating and active living; the Human Needs Food Pantry in Montclair and Anne Mernin from Toni’s Kitchen in Montclair for hunger prevention; City Green for chronic disease prevention through healthy eating and active living; and Adele Katz, of Sister to Sister in Montclair, for youth resiliency.

The Board of Trustees of Partners for Health Foundation also presented its 10-year anniversary Founder’s Award to longtime board member Paul A. Lisovicz of Glen Ridge, who served as a trustee from 2005 to 2015 and board chairman from 2009 to 2013. The Founder’s Award recognizes an individual whose efforts significantly shaped the foundation through commitment, innovation, professional expertise, philanthropy and overall leadership.