NonProfitConnect recognizes one individual and two organizations at its annual Impact Awards on Wednesday, November 2. The event takes place the Mercer Oaks Golf Course in West Windsor at 5:30 p.m. The evening includes networking and serves as a fundraiser for the organization that partners with local nonprofits to provide training, connections with new board members, and resources for effective leadership.
Tickets are $125. For more information, visit the organization’s website at nonprofitconnect.org.
This year’s award recipients, recognized for their commitment to community service, are Liz Erickson Impact Award honoree Calvin B. Thomas, Jr., Community Award honoree New Jersey Center for Nonprofits, and Corporate Award honoree Bryn Mawr Trust, a WSFS Company.
“As an organization committed to building nonprofit capacity, we continue to recognize and honor individuals and organizations in our community who are engaging fellow community members and giving of themselves,” said Allison Howe, NonProfitConnect’s executive director.
Calvin Thomas Jr. is being recognized with the Liz Erickson Impact Award. The award is named for the late Elizabeth Erickson, a champion for Princeton-area community service. Thomas is retiring this year after making an impact in several nonprofit spaces throughout Mercer County. In particular, Thomas is the face and founding leader of TAS (Trenton Area Stakeholders), an extended and diverse support network with hundreds of community and organizational leaders, working together to create new and innovative solutions to complex challenges. The strength of these efforts positively impacts youth and families of Greater Trenton in seven critical categories: Health; Education; Safety; Recreation & Arts; Job Training & Employment; Transitional & Permanent Housing; and Economic Development.
Thomas is the principal and managing partner of Renewing the Mind, LLC. As a father and son partnership, Renewing the Mind, LLC conducts a youth leadership development program titled “Healthy Relationships, Healthy Choices” in partnership with The Father Center of New Jersey. The program is designed to train and develop the leadership skills of high school male students to overcome obstacles that hinder success.
Thomas has also served on multiple boards including Isles, the Princeton Area Community Foundation, Trenton Circus Squad and the Millhill Child & Family Development Center.
The Community Award, which recognizes a nonprofit that is making a significant impact, will go to the New Jersey Center for Nonprofits. Since 1982, the Center has been a resource and advocate for nonprofits throughout New Jersey. Under Executive Director Linda Czipo’s leadership, their advocacy efforts have resulted in creating a more nonprofit friendly political environment in New Jersey. This unique nonprofit collects, analyzes and shares statistics on nonprofit board and employee demographics, providing a resource for the nonprofit sector to understand what direction to go next.
Bryn Mawr Trust, a WSFS Company, will be awarded the Corporate Award for ongoing commitment to collaborating with nonprofits. Throughout the pandemic, Elizabeth B. Wagner, senior vice president and director, institutional wealth management, and Cynthia Ricker, vice president, private banking, facilitated online networking and conversations for nonprofit leaders to connect and problem solve together. When it was finally time to reconnect in person with COVID waning, Bryn Mawr Trust hosted a reception to bring together nonprofit leaders, with a backdrop of paintings from the Arts Council of Princeton and the YWCA Princeton’s Breast Cancer Resource Center.
