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President's Message Dear Friends of Tri-County Scholarship Fund, This week our 58 Tri-County partner schools are welcoming students back for the start of the 2022-23 school year. Thanks to your generosity Tri-County has provided scholarships this year for 800 financially disadvantaged students in grades K-12 to attend one of our safe, quality, values-based partner schools. Thank you for caring - for giving these students a chance. The circumstances of poverty are always changing, and unique to the individual family. Over the past two years the COVID pandemic caused many inner-city families to lose their jobs and small businesses. With the help of Tri-County scholarships, these families are struggling back. Your support has made all the difference for their children. Thank you. This year Tri-County has been able to answer a NEW need: providing emergency scholarships for Ukrainian refugee children who found themselves in New Jersey, having escaped from their war-torn country. We are proud to partner with St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School in Passaic who embraced these refugee children, offering them a nurturing environment and quality education at this most vulnerable time in their lives. Tri-County looks forward to recognizing this wonderful school with the Making a Difference Award at our 41stAnnual Awards Dinner on November 1. Please join us at the Annual Awards Dinner, or at one of our other upcoming events! We will be honoring some outstanding individuals at the Awards Dinner on November 1 and also at the Lawyers for Tri-County Dinner on September 28. We look forward to seeing you and thank you for all you do for our grateful scholarship children. Prudence

L-R: Father Stephen Prisk, Women of Achievement honorees: Sister Marie Antonelli, MPF-Principal of Holy Spirit School in Pequannock and Sister Jo-Ann Pompa, MPF - Principal of St. Gerard Majella School in Paterson, Father Rijo Johnson, SDV and Bishop Kevin Sweeney Read Story on Pages 4 and 9 of The Beacon Paper May 12, 2022 edition http://www.evergreeneditions.com/publication/?m=32257&i=747398&p=4&ver=html5

A Cuban-born business owner who has several restaurants in Essex and Hudson counties is also deeply involved in her community. Click to Read: 2022 Women of Achievement honoree with Tri-County scholarship recipient students https://patch.com/new-jersey/newarknj/woman-achievement-owns-9-mcdonald-s-new-jersey?utm_source=shared-email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share

2022 Women of Achievement Honoree, Karen Young of PwC (right) receiving the Tri-County Scholarship Fund award from the event co-chair and past Women of Achievement honoree, Fran O'Brien of Chubb. Read story: https://www.newjerseyhills.com/observer-tribune/news/karen-young-of-chester-to-be-honored-by-tri-county-scholarship-fund/article_cfb1ccaf-f554-5b98-9596-ad7372fcaa64.html

President's Message Dear Friends of Tri-County, As another challenging new school year begins in the shadow of COVID, Tri-County celebrates the tenacity of our partner schools and scholarship students. We are grateful for the generosity of all of you who supported this great mission, coming through for the children at their time of greatest need. And the need continues. We must continue to be there for these children - to give their lives some sense of continuity and community, and the hope that is made possible through a safe, quality education. For this school year, Tri-County has awarded scholarships for 750 financially needy children in Kindergarten through 12th grade. That’s a record number of scholarships, including the renewal of emergency scholarships for the 200 children whose families were particularly hard hit by the economic impact of the pandemic. Know that there are an additional, equally needy, 1900 children on our scholarship waiting list. Join us in this important mission. We invite you to view and support the live-streaming 40th Annual Awards Celebration on October 25th. Please consider a scholarship donation. We ask you to do whatever you can, and know that you will be giving a life-changing opportunity to a grateful child. Thank you for making this difference in their lives. God bless you. With great appreciation, Prudence Pigott Read the Back to School Newsletter

Tri-County grad, Ximena Cespedes, will enter law school in the fall of 2021 Ximena Cespedes grew up in Paterson, New Jersey. Ximena received scholarships from Tri-County Scholarship Fund to attend better safer schools, beginning with Pope John Elementary School and then onto Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon for middle school and high school. Ximena Cespedes’ mother used every ounce of her strength and determination to keep her family afloat. Every single day throughout each year, including weekends and holidays, she’d wake up at 2:00am to deliver newspapers to over 800 homes before she’d start her second, full-time job. Said Ximena, “she fought tooth and nail to try to provide the best possible education for us.” Yet, despite all her mother’s efforts, it didn’t generate enough income to pay the cost of her two daughters’ tuitions to their independent schools. The Tri-County Scholarship Fund saw her efforts and helped pay Ximena’s and her older sister Mayra’s tuition from elementary school until they graduated from Mary Help of Christian’s Academy. Mayra received the Letterman Award and Ximena was Valedictorian of her class. Ximena attended Georgetown University on full scholarship while her sister attended UCLA. Four years later Ximena graduated with a Bachelor of Science in International Political Economy and Mayra received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. After gaining experience during a summer internship at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a year later Ximena was hired full time as an Analyst there, where she regulates some of the biggest banks on Wall Street. After 2 years working at the Federal Reserve, Ximena felt it was time to achieve another one of her goals. “My life experiences combined with what I learned at Georgetown,” she said, “have nurtured in me a desire to help address some of the inequities that persist within our society through the study of the law. I’m pursuing a lifelong dream – to become the first lawyer in our family. I applied to law school this past fall and was accepted by several law schools including Georgetown, Penn, Columbia and Harvard.” She was accepted as an SEO Law Fellow, and is spending this summer at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, one of the top law firms in the country, before she begins attending Harvard Law School September 2021. “I am in an incredible place in my career and my journey,” said Ximena. “I have so much more that I want to accomplish, but for now I’m grateful for how far I’ve come. None of my successes – past, present or future – would be possible without the trustees and donors of the Tri-County Scholarship Fund. An education is truly the single greatest gift a child can receive. Thank you for choosing to invest in mine. It has made all the difference. I can’t wait to one day be in your seat so that I can change the lives of many students in the way you have changed mine.”

Tri-County Scholarship Fund raised a record-breaking $2.25 million in scholarship funds through its 40th Annual Awards Celebration on October 25, a virtual event, live streamed to over 900 guests, friends and supporters. Fulfilling the mission of Tri-County, the scholarships will go to financially disadvantaged Kindergarten -12th grade students in Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties so they can obtain quality, values-based educations at accredited independent elementary and secondary schools. This year was a milestone 40th anniversary for the nonprofit, celebrating the 34,000 life-changing scholarships awarded since 1981. The giant cake created and donated by Carlo’s Bakery. This year's virtual gala honored three distinguished members of the New Jersey community. The Hall of Fame Award was presented to Navneet and Reema Puri, of the New Jersey based pharmaceutical firm, Nevakar. Navneet is Nevakar Founder and CEO. Reema is Senior VP of Human Resources. The Puri’s were recognized for their continuing contributions to educational opportunity for financially needy students in high school and beyond. They were introduced by Dr. Brian L. Strom, Chancellor of the Rutgers School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, and Dean of the Rutgers University School of Public Health. The Hall of Fame Award was also presented to longtime Tri-County Scholarship supporter and board member, Mr. Steven J. Goulart, Executive VP and Chief Investment Officer of MetLife and President of MetLife Investments, who was introduced by Mr. Thomas J. Healey, Tri-County Trustee Emeritus and former Hall of Fame honoree himself, currently Partner of Healey Development, retired partner Goldman Sachs, and former assistant Secretary for Domestic Finance of the US Treasury. The Making A Difference Award was presented to the Margaret A. Darrin Charitable Trust, represented by co-trustee, Michael Hanifin. The award, recognizing significant contributions to the Tri-County mission, was introduced by Tri-County Chairman, Joseph W. Spada, Private Wealth Advisor, Summit Financial. The 2021 Tri-County Awards Recipients: Tri-County Making a Difference Award recipient, The Margaret A. Darrin Charitable Trust, accepted by Co-trustee, Michael T. Hanifin, Steven J. Goulart, of MetLife, Inc. received the Tri-County Hall of Fame Award, Navneet and Reema Puri, of Nevakar, Inc. received the Tri-County Hall of Fame Award “We were thrilled to recognize three such distinguished honorees for Tri-County’s 40th Anniversary Celebration,” said Prudence Pigott, President of Tri-County Scholarship Fund. “All three honorees have been important supporters of the Tri-County cause. Because of their leadership and generosity the event was hugely successful, raising the funds for 800 scholarship children to attend safe quality schools next school year.“ The featured student speaker was Tri-County scholarship recipient Zorya Morgan, Paterson resident, and Senior Class President at Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon. After her moving speech, Zorya was presented with the Bishop Sweeney Student Speaker Scholarship, an additional $500, on top of the Tri-County scholarship that she already receives. The Puri’s reflected on the reasons they support Tri-County,“The parents want to instill in their children the same values of hard work and social responsibility that our parents instilled in us. A quality education is the foundation of a purposeful life.” The online event began with a special “Red Carpet Pre-Show” featuring current Tri-County Scholarship recipients. Buddy Valastro of Carlo’s Bakery and Cake Boss fame, made an appearance, congratulating Tri-County and the students, and presented a special Tri-County 40th Birthday cake that was enjoyed by the students at St. Gerard’s school in Paterson. Dozens of other Tri-County scholarship recipients from Academy of St James in Totowa and Holy Spirit school in Pequannock were also featured. A student choir from DePaul Catholic performed the song “Firework.” Numerous Tri-County alumni presented their thanks and stories of success in college and careers. The event also celebrated the 53 Tri-County partner schools that all remained opened during the pandemic, practicing health protocols, and enabling their students to stay on track with their studies. Special guest, Buddy Valastro of Carlo’s Bakery. Remarked honoree Steve Goulart, “The work of Tri-County Scholarship Fund is meaningful, impactful and consequential. Supporting educational opportunity addresses the societal problem of poverty while cultivating the leaders of tomorrow. I am proud to support this great cause.” ABOUT TRI-COUNTY For the current 2021-22 school year Tri-County Scholarship Fund has awarded 750 scholarships for financially disadvantaged Kindergarten – 12th grade students to attend 53 different partner schools. This included extending emergency scholarships for 200 students whose families continue to be hard hit by the pandemic. Over the past 40 years, $35 million have been raised by the organization to fund more than 34,000 scholarships for needy children in our area. Scholarship recipients have gone on to the top colleges in New Jersey and throughout the country with Tri-County graduates currently attending Georgetown, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Seton Hall University, Montclair State, Colgate, Cornell, and Penn State, to name just a few. Those interested in watching a replay of the event or supporting Tri-County's mission are invited to go to www.tcsfund.org or call the Tri-County offices at: 973-984-9600. Zorya Morgan, Senior Class President at Mary Help of Christians Academy was presented with the additional Bishop Kevin Sweeney Tri-County Scholarship award by Prudence Pigott, President of Tri-County. Steve Goulart with Tri-County scholarship recipients from Paramus Catholic High School.

Josh Ford determined early in life he was going to excel. His parents had long been excellent role models for him. Said Josh, “they are both hard-working, and helped me pursue my goals.” A very important step for him was to receive an excellent education. The Tri-County Scholarship Fund provided all-important tuition help. It enabled him to attend Paterson Catholic High School for two years, where he helped them win 2 state championships, and after it closed, to attend DePaul Catholic High School. Josh excelled academically and athletically in both schools. He maintained a 3.89 grade point average, was in the National Honor Society, and was named to the 2012 Robeson Classic East-West All-Star Game as cornerback. Josh decided to attend Colgate University, where he once again excelled academically and athletically. He played Colgate football as a defensive back. Said Josh, “Colgate football has an excellent mentoring system that pairs each incoming football player with an alumnus. I was paired with John Kafaf, who was a great person to talk to throughout my college days and afterwards. He remains a close friend today.” John and another Colgate alumnus mentored Josh about the business of insurance wholesaling as Josh was getting close to graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in History. “A lot of skills required of history majors are relevant to wholesaling, such as having to thoroughly research prospects and construct strong product cases around prospects’ needs,” said Josh. After graduating Josh went to work for Lincoln Financial Group as an Internal Wholesaler, where he learned how to present and sell long-term care policies to financial advisors and wealth managers with affluent clients. He achieved early success, and after four years moved on to Nationwide, where he works today as a Regional CareMatters Wholesaler. He has obtained his Series 6 & Series 63 licenses, life and health licenses, and the Certified Long-Term Care designation. He intends to also earn an MBA in the near future. “I absolutely appreciate what Tri-County donors did for me,” states Josh. “Looking back, their help was tremendous for students like myself and my peers. I don’t know if there is any way to thank them properly, but I want to acknowledge that what they are doing is a great thing. It’s something I aspire to do once I’m in a similar position. They are giving people opportunities they definitely would not otherwise have; they just don’t have the financials. I appreciate everything donors are doing!"

By the time Tri-County alumnus Reggie Cameron graduated Hudson Catholic High School in 2013 he was considered by sports professionals as one of the best basketball players in New Jersey and ranked No.68 prospect in the country by ESPN. A four-year letter winner, he finished his high school career with more than 1,700 points and was named First Team All-County three times and First Team All-State honoree. After being pursued by several leading universities, he attended Georgetown University on full scholarship for 4 years, acquiring a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 2017. During each of his 4 years at Georgetown he was a standout basketball player, playing in over 100 games, leading his team to 2 postseason tournaments, including making it to the Third round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament, and was named team captain his senior year. He went on to play for the Orlando Magic's NBA Summer League squad in 2017 before continuing his career overseas as a professional. His first year he played in Germany with the Dusseldorf Giant, and the second year in Portugal for Esgueira Oli. Reggie was heavily involved in the community at Georgetown as he volunteered with So Others Might Eat and Lead By Example Foundation. Serving as a counselor for both Washington, DC non-profits, he participated in programs designed to help community members in need find pathways out of poverty, taught youth the importance of physical and health education practices and encouraged making positive changes to everyday life. In 2019 Reggie accepted the position of Graduate Manager for Saint Joseph University’s men’s basketball with Head Coach Billy Lange, who had followed Reggie’s career since high school. “This is a rite of passage position,” Reggie says, “for many coaches just starting their college or NBA coaching careers.” He earned a master’s degree is in Organizational Development Leadership with a focus on Adult Learning at SJU in 2021. “My Hudson Catholic High School experience trained me well for the rigors of college and beyond. I not only had to do well in my studies but spend a significant amount of time most weeks each year training, conditioning, practicing and playing my sport. I learned how much work I would have to put in to be successful. Thank you so much to Tri-County and all the donors. I don’t know if I would be here now if you didn’t help me when I was starting high school. My education opened doors for me that wouldn’t have opened if I had attended another school. I am eternally grateful to everyone at Tri-County for helping me get to the position I am in today.”

In 2014, when Alexa Giuliano’s basketball coach at Columbia University, Stephanie Glance, was asked about Alexa’s future, she knowingly said, “Whatever profession Alexa chooses, she’ll be great at it and one of the best. She puts her whole heart and soul into whatever she does.” Coach Glance’s predictions were accurate! Alexa, a Tri-County alumna who graduated in 2014 from Morris Catholic High School, is now a Lead Marketing Data Analyst for Crossix Solutions at Veeva Systems, a leader in cloud-based software for the global life sciences industry. Her work focuses on providing pharmaceutical clients with analytical insights to help make strategic business decisions on how to maximize the performance of their marketing campaigns. While Alexa admits the work is challenging, she feels her education along with her training as a student athlete well prepared her. Alexa was an outstanding basketball player at Morris Catholic High School, where she led her team to three Morris County Basketball Tournament titles, three conference and sectional championships, and made 793 points as a senior, the fourth most in New Jersey.Numerous college programs reached out to her, but Alexa chose Columbia University because of the academics and because it gave her the opportunity to play at the highest level both academically and athletically. She graduated Columbia with an economics degree and then pursued a Masters in Business Analytics at Fordham University while playing basketball. “I kept a rigorous schedule for 12 months,” shared Alexa. “I was required to work out every day from 10:00am to 2:00pm with the basketball team, then travel from Fordham’s Bronx campus to their Manhattan campus to take courses from 3:30pm to 10:00pm, then travel back to the Bronx.” In addition to graduating with her Masters, Alexa helped her Fordham team win the Atlantic 10 basketball tournament and played in the women’s NCAA tournament against Syracuse, a national powerhouse. Thanks to her preparation at Morris Catholic, Alexa was able to make the transition to college and achieve her goals. “Without Tri-County’s help that wouldn’t have been possible,” says Alexa, “I want to say thank you to the donors. You as a donor are very important. You open a lot of doors for young people like me so we can have opportunities. You helped pave the way for my future. Your efforts will definitely help other students like me. I’m very, very appreciative of your help! I hope one day I can become a part of it.” We do too.

It was his class in anatomy and physiology in 2012, senior year at DePaul Catholic High School, that first peaked Joshua’s interest in medicine. Thanks to that experience, he decided to major in Biology as a pre-med student at the University of Scranton. After graduating in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree, he was determined to become a physician. While he prepared for the MCATs (Medical College Admission Test), he took a full-time job as a nurse’s aide in the intensive care unit of a Wilkes-Barre, PA hospital. During this time, he also served as a Spanish translator for many patients. He became increasingly enamored of primary care as he worked closely with every member of the medical team. “Many patients were from immigrant families,” said Joshua, “and I learned a great deal about their lives. They reminded me of my own family’s Peruvian roots and what they had to overcome. It was impressive.” In 2017, he moved back to New Jersey to become a medical scribe for an orthopedic surgeon for a year, another assignment he totally enjoyed. Each new job served to further his determination to obtain his medical degree. Hoping to increase his chances to be accepted at medical school, he attended Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences 2018-2020 and earned a master’s in biology. That summer he did a summer internship at Pfizer as a Medical Affairs Associate. Determined to succeed the third time he took the MCATs, he achieved the scores he wanted and was accepted by Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway. Five months into his freshman year, Joshua now feels he has a handle on medical school and is looking forward to completing his medical degree. He intends to specialize in primary care or sports medicine. Said Joshua, ““Tri-County allowed me to receive a well-rounded education at DePaul, which sparked my interest in medicine and enabled me to be successful at the University of Scranton. I want to say thank you to the Tri-County donors, who gave me an invaluable opportunity. The Tri-County Scholarship Fund also has given my sister Izabella, now a senior at DePaul, the same opportunity. Our family truly appreciates everything you have done for us.”

Otober 29, 2020 - Tri-County Scholarship Fund raised a record-breaking $2 million in scholarship funds through its 39th Annual Awards Celebration on October 26, the organization’s first virtual event, livestreamed to over 1,200 guests, friends and supporters. Fulfilling the mission of Tri-County, the scholarships will go to financially disadvantaged Kindergarten - 12th grade students in Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties so they can obtain quality, values-based educations at accredited private elementary and secondary schools. This year's virtual gala honored three distinguished members of the New Jersey community. The Hall of Fame Award was presented to Mr. John Howard, Chairman and CEO of Truist Insurance Holdings who was introduced by Mr. Paul Krump, Vice Chair of Chubb Group, Global Underwriting and Claims. The Leadership Award was presented to Trish O’Keefe, President of Morristown Medical Center, who was introduced by Mr. Brian Gragnolati , CEO of Atlantic Heath System. The annual Making A Difference Award was presented to Bob and Sue Sameth, multi-decade supporters of Tri-County Scholarship Fund, who were introduced by Fr. Brian Sullivan, Pastor of the Church of Christ the King in New Vernon where the Sameths have been parishioners for 45 years. The Most Reverend Kevin Sweeney, Bishop of Paterson, offered the evening’s invocation, and introduced the featured student speaker, Tri-County Scholarship recipient and Paterson resident, Guadalupe Aguilar, Mary Help of Christians Academy high school senior, and Senior Class President. After her moving speech, Guadalupe was presented with the new “Bishop Kevin Sweeney Tri-County Scholarship.” Dozens of Tri-County students and their families tuned in to view the event celebrating the 56 Tri-County partner schools that all opened for the school year with safe social distancing and COVID health precautions. Celebrity athlete appearances were made by past Tri-County Scholarship recipient, Tim Thomas, Paterson Catholic graduate, Villanova basketball star, and NBA star, by NY Jets Quarterback Sam Darnold, and by Jared Stroud, current # 8 midfielder on the NY Red Bulls soccer team. “A highlight of the evening was the $100,000 challenge donation from an anonymous donor that was matched by donors texting their support from home, via their cell phones,” said Prudence Pigott, President of Tri-County Scholarship Fund. “The need for scholarships is particularly great this year, as the COVID pandemic has caused many inner-city families to lose their jobs and small businesses. We are thrilled and grateful to our outstanding event honorees and to our generous supporters who answered this need with their exceptional donations.” Remarked honoree John Howard, “My wife Fran and I have been pleased to support this great cause and to witness the accomplishments of the Tri-County scholarship students as they go to college and careers.” John and Fran Howard, as well as 2020 honorees Bob and Sue Sameth, are Knights and Dames of the Order of Malta, a 900 year old Catholic lay religious order dedicated to helping the poor and the sick. Honoree, Trish O’Keefe is a graduate of DePaul Catholic High School. O’Keefe and Morristown Medical Center have a long history of supporting Tri-County Scholarship Fund and introducing scholarship students to career opportunities in the healthcare field. For the current school year Tri-County Scholarship Fund has awarded over 720 scholarships for financially disadvantaged Kindergarten – 12th grade students to attend 56 different partner schools. This includes $500,000 in Emergency scholarships for families hard hit by the COVID crisis. Over the past 39 years, $32 million has been raised by the organization to fund more than 33,000 scholarships awarded to needy children. Scholarship recipients have gone on to the top colleges in New Jersey and throughout the country. "While Tri-County was able to fund scholarships for 720 students this school year, we have another 2,000 students still on the waiting list,” said Tri-County trustee and event Co-chair Marc Adee, CEO of Crum and Forster. “By helping one child at a time, we can create an enormous ripple effect, touching the family, the community, and improving the lives of generations to come."