The Greater Westfield Area of Commerce (GWACC) made its first Wish List Program “match” on March 1st. This new program pairs a member business and a nonprofit organization with the purpose of fulfilling a wish requested by the nonprofitIn March, Community Access Unlimited (CAU), a nonprofit based in Elizabeth, received their wish–a laptop donated by Mario G. Cesario of Cesar-Kai Academy/The Max Challenge in Cranford.
Community Access Unlimited provides comprehensive support services to approximately 8,000 New Jersey residents with developmental disabilities, youth aging out of foster care, and people with affordable housing needs. Their mission is to give the people they work with (referred to as ‘members’) the opportunity to live independently and to lead normal and productive lives as citizens integrated into the community. Supported housing units are located in four of the five towns served by the GWACC. CAU requested a laptop to provide technical assistance to staff members working in the community alongside the people they support. The new laptop will allow the staff to immediately access each member’s information, connect members to community resources, thus providing the most comprehensive care.
Mario Cesario said, “I remember starting my first business six years ago. If it wasn’t for an extremely supportive community, my journey could have been very different. Having the opportunity to support a local nonprofit organization that does great work is just the right thing to do, and I’m honored to pay it forward and make doing their job easier. We should all support local businesses and nonprofit organizations on a regular basis.”
Stephanie Branna, Chairwoman of the GWACC Nonprofit Committee said, “This new initiative was developed to bring awareness to all of our members. We are looking for the next business to step up and grant the wish for our second nonprofit organization, Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County.”
For more information about the Wish List program, please contact Stephanie Branna at stephanie@brannaagency.com.
The GWACC serves five communities in Union County: Westfield, Garwood, Mountainside, Scotch Plains and Fanwood.
(above l-r) Chris Devine, GWACC Board; Stephanie Branna, Chairman of Non-Profit Committee; Cara Pavia, Community Access Unlimited; Mario Cesario, Cesar-Kai Academy; Gene Jannotti, GWACC Executive Director.
