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2010 - 2011 Board Of Trustees
John Schmidt, President
Paul Zoidis, First Vice President
John Ripperger, Second Vice President
Kevin Fitzpatrick, Treasurer
Wendy Cozzi, Secretary
 
Lynn Adams Bernadette Houston
Jeffrey Becker Frank Isoldi
Kim Benou   Jennifer Jarulzelski
Scott Bond Linda Kaplan
Scott Cassie   Rick Malacrea
Susan Cook James McCabe
Steve Cordes Colleen McDonald Maz
Gwyneth Cote Jason McLane
Tom Cusimano Jeff Pinkin
Jill Dispenza Rick Ragoza
Colleen Echausse John Reynolds
Carolyn Fleder Richard Rippe
David Foltz John Taylor
Matt Forstenhausler Darielle Walsh
Jane Francz Charlie Weidman
   
Hon. Andrew Skibitsky, Mayor
Linda Maggio, Executive Director
Staff
Linda Maggio > Read Linda's Bio
Nancy Vickers
Susan Di Iorio
A Message From The Director
Westfield United Way
Volunteering Spirit Is The Heart of The Westfield United Fund
The spirit of volunteering is the heart of the Westfield United Fund. This message is being written during National Volunteer Week, a week when America makes a special effort to recognize the contribution of hundreds of thousands of volunteers.
At the Westfield United Fund, we don't need a special week because volunteers are at the heart of the Westfield United Fund every day. When the Westfield United Fund reaches out, volunteers help do the stretching. The volunteers and non-profit agencies of the Westfield United Fund work hard to make your generosity felt through our entire community.
So, to our volunteers, we say thank you for every person you have touched. Thank you for your time, your talents, and your treasures. People often say, Westfield is different. One of the primary ways in which we are different is the level of caring and the involvement of our fellow Westfielders.
So, a thousand times, thank you!
Linda B. Maggio
Executive Director
Westfield United Fund
Your gift goes far but not far away
Our History
The Westfield United Fund has been caring for the community since 1937. During this time, we have remained true to our mission to increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another by taking an active role in building a stronger community.
We are proud to be a locally focused grassroots agency. We are Westfielders helping Westfielders and always have been. This local focus supports the human care agencies that have demonstrated service to Westfield residents.
Interesting Points of Westfield United Fund History
  • 1937 - Originated as the United Campaign of the Westfield Social Agencies.
  • 1937 through 2009 - Seventy two years of continued support of critical care agencies that serve our community.
  • 1957 - Incorporated as the United Fund of Westfield after a townwide survey was conducted by then Mayor H. Emerson Thomas.
  • 1973 - Moved in to our current Westfield train station office location from the Municipal Building.
  • 1975 - Formally affiliated with United Way of America.
  • 1975 - Linda Maggio became our Executive Director.
  • 1975 - Established thermometer outside our offices to provide visual notice of campaign progress.
  • 1975 - Initiated Commuter Kick-off to increase awareness of Westfield caring community needs amongst commuters.
  • 1977 - WUF held “Up With People” concerts emphasizing our people helping people pins.
  • 1978 - Kicked off the annual Campaign with music and entertainment on every downtown Westfield corner.
  • 1979 - Had a special jazz band concert downtown.
  • 1980’s - Took part in annual Memorial Day Parades with youth participants representing each Agency in a roller-skating presentation.
  • 1982 - Initiated program to address cutting edge environmental concerns by encouraging Westfielders to recycle newspapers in return for donations to the Westfield United Fund from the Recycling Center.
  • 1987 - Launched campaign with special train excursion on NJ Transit
  • 1991 - Established long term lease with Town of Westfield on Westfield Train Station office – 25 year lease with 25 year option by then Mayor Rich Bagger.
  • 1994 - Celebrated the Westfield Bicentennial by highlighting the 1794 gift of $100 given to those in need in our community – a precursor of community caring to come from the Westfield United Way.
  • 1998 - Worked with AT&T researchers in developing a community calendar of events for Westfield.
  • 1999 - Initiated a survey to identify the needs of town residents which resulted in development of the Westfield Organizations Resource Directory, (WORD). WORD can be found in print and online and it provides valuable information about the human care resources that are available to all Westfield residents
  • 1999 - Worked with one of our member agencies to establish two key programs for seniors: (1) a daily senior transportation van and (2) a handyman service for senior citizens
  • 2000 - Helped settle refugee families from Kosovo into Westfield by working with the Westfield Caring Community Council.
  • 2001 - Established September 11th Committee to provide many levels of support for the families affected by the devastation of September 11th, and we continue to do so today.
  • 2001 - Raised an additional $350,000 for our September 11th Fund over and above our Annual Fund goal, and distributed over $1 million from the NJ Family Advocate Program.
  • 2004 - Secured laptop computers for special needs children through Pfizer Corporation.
  • 2005 - Worked in partnership with students from Westfield High School to raise funds to aid families who were victims of Katrina.
  • 2005 - Initiated an annual mini-golf tournament, sponsored by local businesses and run by local high school students and Westfield United Fund Trustees.
  • 2009 - Ended our affiliation with The United Way of America and returned to our roots as the Westfield United Fund.
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301 North Avenue West, Westfield, NJ 07090
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