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Community Corner

Cornerstone Family Programs Honors Mark Reffner and Audrey Went, Donna McNamara and Nestlé Nutrition at "April in Paris" Spring Ball

Two hundred thirty friends and supporters of Cornerstone Family Programs in Morristown donned their finest attire and danced the night away at its “April in Paris” Annual Spring Ball held at the Governor Morris Westin. Together, they raised over $150,000 to build better lives and stronger communities and to support programs at Cornerstone and its subsidiary the Morristown Neighborhood House. This year marked the first presentation of “Cornerstone of the Community Awards” to honor exceptional leadership in helping to provide outstanding social service programs through Cornerstone.

CEO Patrice Picard presented the first award to husband and wife Mark Reffner and Audrey Went of Maplewood, both longtime passionate supporters of Cornerstone, with Mark retiring after 20 years on the Board of Directors and serving as Treasurer. “Mark and Audrey helped and supported the organization through several periods of extreme change and interesting challenges . . . . We honor the work you have done over the years with us,” remarked Patrice.

Donna McNamara of Morristown, an independent management consultant, was also awarded for her contributions as a Board member and Chair of the Bicentennial Committee to celebrate Cornerstone’s 200th birthday. “You joined our Board full of ideas and enthusiasm and most recently lead the successful Bicentennial Celebration and Campaign. Your tireless leadership and dedication were the keys to success this past year,” noted Patrice.

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The final award went to Nestlé Nutrition for its strong corporate partnership.  Nestlé Nutrition is a world leader in nutrition, health and wellness and they support Cornerstone’s core mission and effective programs through sponsorships that provide nutrition education and help feed healthful meals to thousands of children, families and seniors. In addition, Nestlé Nutrition employees have donated over 1,000 hours of pro-bono support and professional expertise to Cornerstone’s campaign for rebranding and renaming the organization, which was formerly known as Family Service of Morris County. Accepting the award was Cornerstone Board Member and Nestle Marketing Head of Infant Nutrition Rick Klauser.

This fabulously fun event was organized by dedicated Cornerstone Gala Committee volunteers Marci Kaputkin, Doreen Levine, Judy Martinez, Laurie Georgen, Lisa Welsh and Arlene Ward, chaired by Kim Pistner and Kathy Heher.

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To learn more about our programs and see photos of the Ball, please go to www.cornerstonefamilyprograms.org or visit us on Facebook.

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