FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 2018 MEDIA CONTACT For Tri-County Scholarship Fund: Ashley W. Kearney Director of Publicity ashley@ashleykearney.com Ph: 713-899-6021 PARSIPPANY, NJ – Four successful women will be honored at the 6th Annual Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon benefiting Tri-County Scholarship Fund’s (Tri-County) Freedom Scholars program. The New Jersey non-profit – which annually provides 400+ scholarships for many of the state’s most financially disadvantaged children, enabling them to attend accredited K-12 values-based private and parochial schools – will host the fundraiser on Thursday, April 12 at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, NJ. The 6th Annual Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon will begin at 11:00 a.m. with a reception, followed by lunch and a program from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Co-chaired by Ann Marie Manahan and Joseph Gonnella, the event directly benefits Tri-County’s Freedom Scholars program – which is a partnership between Tri-County, schools, and families and assists financially disadvantaged high school students afford values-centered, high-performing private schools and also helps them from their Freshman through their Senior year with mentoring, tutoring, college prep courses and more. Being honored at the 2018 luncheon are the following: Rosemary Mercedes, Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of Univision Communications, Inc.; Rebecca Levy, Esq., General Counsel for Summit Medical Group, PA and Chief Legal Officer of Summit Health Management, LLC.; Reema Puri, Vice President of Human Resources for Nevakar, Inc.; and Denise Flanagan, Broker and Sales Consultant with Coldwell Banker. “We couldn’t be more pleased to honor these four amazing women, all of whom are passionate about the Tri-County Scholarship Fund mission and support us in so many different ways,” explained Prudence Pigott, President of Tri-County Scholarship Fund. “Their work and efforts are inspiring to all who encounter them – especially our students – and we thank them for all they have accomplished.” Rosemary Mercedes is the first Chief Communications Officer for Univision Communications, Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America and the rising diverse, American mainstream. She defines Univision’s overall communication strategy and she has played an integral role in building and executing some of Univision’s most successful communications and awareness campaigns in the past 10 years. Her impact has been recognized by the industry a number of times throughout her career; most recently Mercedes was named the 2017 Pioneer of the Year by the Hispanic Public Relations Association. She was named to The Holmes Report’s 2016 List of Rising Communications Leaders in North America, among the Top Women in PR by PR News, and as one of the Top 40 Under 40 PR Professionals in the U.S. by PR Week magazine. Rebecca Levy, Esq. has served as Summit Medical Group, P.A.’s General Counsel since 2011. In 2014, she was also named the Chief Legal Officer of Summit Health Management, LLC, an entity that offers a population health-focused model of management services to healthcare organizations in New Jersey, Arizona and Oregon. Levy is responsible for oversight of all legal and compliance matters and she is also responsible for oversight of the Human Resources Department, the Risk Management and Patient Safety Department, the Coding Compliance Department and the Summit Medical Group Foundation. Levy also serves as the Vice President of the Summit Medical Group Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. She was named a New Jersey SuperLawyers “Rising Star” in 2010 and 2011, was listed among NJ Biz magazine’s 40 Under 40 in 2014 and was a finalist in NJBiz magazine’s General Counsel of the Year awards in 2015. Reema Puri serves as the Vice President of Human Resources at Nevakar, Inc., a company that she helped found and grow along with her husband, Navneet.  Nevakar is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative products in the injectable and ophthalmic space. With more than 15 years of combined experience within the Pharma industry, Puri has had tremendous success in Research & Development and Human Resources. Puri has parlayed her expertise in helping young women in New Jersey by mentoring and serving as an Advisory Board member at the New Jersey Women in STEM Entrepreneurship & Innovation Challenge. In fact, she is recently the recipient of the 2018 AWISN New Jersey Women in STEM Mentoring Award. In addition, the Puri Family supports educational endowments for graduate students at Rutgers University and Reema is on the board of Vedic Samaj, where she is the President and also serves as a Board of Trustees member. Denise Flanagan is a very successful real estate professional, in addition to being a trusted colleague, friend, mentor, and community volunteer. Her many accomplishments include being a certified Real Estate Broker, a Manager/Broker of Record, a member of the New Jersey Real Estate Commission, and a Certified Tax Assessor. She has consistently been a recipient of many awards and honors including the Million Dollar Sales Club from 1984-1991 with Schlott Realtors and from 1992-1994 with Coldwell Banker. While with Coldwell Banker, Flanagan received the North Central Jersey Association of Realtors Circle of Excellence Gold Level in 2005 and from 2007-2012 as well as the Silver Level in 2006. She has been in the President’s Elite Top 1% Worldwide and in the New Jersey Association of Realtors Distinguished Sales Club. Since 1979, a span of thirty-four years, Denise has sold over 1,000 homes, an average of 25-30 homes a year. Those wishing to attend the 6th Annual Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon can purchase tickets for $95 each at www.tcsfund.org/events. Various scholarship sponsorships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, for a full year’s tuition, are also available. To inquire about sponsorships or table sales, contact Minnie Simon at Tri-County Scholarship Fund at 973-984-9600. ### ABOUT TRI-COUNTY SCHOLARSHIP FUND Combining their talents, Bishop Frank Joseph Rodimer of Paterson and New Jersey businessman Ed Hennessy created Tri-County Scholarship Fund (Tri-County) in 1981. Since then, Tri-County has provided over $25 million in partial financial scholarships to financially disadvantaged children in Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties, enabling them to attend accredited K-12 private and parochial schools. Tri-County provides scholarship assistance to students based on financial need, with students reflecting the diversity of their communities. To date, Tri-County has given more than 31,000 scholarships to many of New Jersey’s inner-city children, providing them access to the superior and safer option of values-based private schools. For more information, log on to www.tcsfund.org.

More than 80 family, friends and Tri-County Scholarship Fund Board of Trustees members attended a surprise birthday Mass and brunch on Tuesday, May 22 at Christ the King Church in Morristown to honor TCSF co-founder and extraordinary businessman Mr. Edward Hennessy. The Mass was presided over by the Most Reverend Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. Hennessy was recognized by TCSF for his devotion to our mission, which he co-founded in 1981 with then Bishop of Paterson, Frank Joseph Rodimer. In its 37 years, TCSF has provided over $25 million in partial financial scholarships to financially disadvantaged children in Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties, enabling them to attend accredited K-12 private and parochial schools. Pictured in the photo (left to right) are the following: Fr. Brian Sullivan, pastor of Christ the King Church in New Vernon, seated is the Most Reverend Bishop Frank Rodimer, retired Bishop of the Diocese of Paterson, and Co-Founder of Tri-County Scholarship Fund who is next to Edward Hennessy, Co-Founder of Tri-County Scholarship Fund and standing is the Most Reverend Arthur Serratelli, Bishop of the Diocese of Paterson.

Photos by:  www.gilliandeakphotography.com

More than $100,000 Raised for Freedom Scholars Program PARSIPPANY, NJ – More than $100,000 was raised as four successful women were honored yesterday at the 6th Annual Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon benefiting Tri-County Scholarship Fund’s Freedom Scholars Program. The New Jersey non-profit – which annually provides 400+ scholarships for many of the state’s most financially disadvantaged children, enabling them to attend accredited K-12 values-based private and parochial schools – hosted the fundraiser on Thursday, April 12 at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, NJ. The 6th Annual Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon began at 11:00 a.m. and was co-chaired by Ann Marie Manahan and Joseph Gonnella, the Chief Development Officer for the Boy Scouts of America Patriots’ Path Council. More than 250 attended the event, which directly benefits Tri-County’s Freedom Scholars program –a partnership between Tri-County, schools, and families which assists financially disadvantaged high school students so they are able to afford values-centered, high-performing private schools and also helps them from their Freshman through their Senior year with mentoring, tutoring, college prep courses and more. Honored at the 2018 luncheon are the following: Rosemary Mercedes (Union City, Hudson County), Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of Univision Communications, Inc.; Rebecca Levy, Esq. (Woodcliff Lake, Bergen County), General Counsel for Summit Medical Group, PA and Chief Legal Officer of Summit Health Management, LLC.; Reema Puri (Hunterdon County), Vice President of Human Resources for Nevakar, Inc.; and Denise Flanagan (Harding Township, Morris County), Broker and Sales Consultant with Coldwell Banker. “We couldn’t be more pleased to honor these four amazing women, all of whom are passionate about the Tri-County Scholarship Fund mission and support us in so many different ways,” explained Prudence Pigott, President of Tri-County Scholarship Fund. “Their work and efforts are inspiring to all who encounter them – especially our students – and we thank them for all they have accomplished.” Rosemary Mercedes is the first Chief Communications Officer for Univision Communications, Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic America and the rising diverse, American mainstream. She defines Univision’s overall communication strategy and she has played an integral role in building and executing some of Univision’s most successful communications and awareness campaigns in the past 10 years. Her impact has been recognized by the industry a number of times throughout her career; most recently Mercedes was named the 2017 Pioneer of the Year by the Hispanic Public Relations Association. She was named to The Holmes Report’s 2016 List of Rising Communications Leaders in North America, among the Top Women in PR by PR News, and as one of the Top 40 Under 40 PR Professionals in the U.S. by PR Week magazine. Rebecca Levy, Esq. has served as Summit Medical Group, P.A.’s General Counsel since 2011. In 2014, she was also named the Chief Legal Officer of Summit Health Management, LLC, an entity that offers a population health-focused model of management services to healthcare organizations in New Jersey, Arizona and Oregon. Levy is responsible for oversight of all legal and compliance matters and she is also responsible for oversight of the Human Resources Department, the Risk Management and Patient Safety Department, the Coding Compliance Department and the Summit Medical Group Foundation. Levy also serves as the Vice President of the Summit Medical Group Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. She was named a New Jersey SuperLawyers “Rising Star” in 2010 and 2011, was listed among NJ Biz magazine’s 40 Under 40 in 2014 and was a finalist in NJBiz magazine’s General Counsel of the Year awards in 2015. Reema Puri serves as the Vice President of Human Resources at Nevakar, Inc., a company that she helped found and grow along with her husband, Navneet.  Nevakar is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative products in the injectable and ophthalmic space. With more than 15 years of combined experience within the Pharma industry, Puri has had tremendous success in Research & Development and Human Resources. Puri has parlayed her expertise in helping young women in New Jersey by mentoring and serving as an Advisory Board member at the New Jersey Women in STEM Entrepreneurship & Innovation Challenge. In fact, she is recently the recipient of the 2018 AWISN New Jersey Women in STEM Mentoring Award. In addition, the Puri Family supports educational endowments for graduate students at Rutgers University and Reema is on the board of Vedic Samaj, where she is the President and also serves as a Board of Trustees member. Denise Flanagan is a very successful real estate professional, in addition to being a trusted colleague, friend, mentor, and community volunteer. Her many accomplishments include being a certified Real Estate Broker, a Manager/Broker of Record, a member of the New Jersey Real Estate Commission, and a Certified Tax Assessor. She has consistently been a recipient of many awards and honors including the Million Dollar Sales Club from 1984-1991 with Schlott Realtors and from 1992-1994 with Coldwell Banker. While with Coldwell Banker, Flanagan received the North Central Jersey Association of Realtors Circle of Excellence Gold Level in 2005 and from 2007-2012 as well as the Silver Level in 2006. She has been in the President’s Elite Top 1% Worldwide and in the New Jersey Association of Realtors Distinguished Sales Club. Since 1979, a span of thirty-four years, Denise has sold over 1,000 homes, an average of 25-30 homes a year. The annual Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon is just one fundraiser hosted to benefit Tri-County Scholarship Fund. The organization will host its 5th Annual Lawyers for Tri-County Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 10 at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, NJ. Following, Tri-County will host the 26th Annual Tri-County Golf Invitational at Morris County Golf Club in Morristown, NJ on Monday, June 4. Details regarding these events can be found at http://www.tcsfund.org/news-events/ or by calling 973-984-9600.

Speaking with DeAndre Tomlinson revealed a young man who is extremely intelligent and well-spoken yet humble. A Sophmore at Notre Dame, on track to graduate in 2020, DeAndre recently declared his major, Scientific Computing, described as “an indispensable part of almost all scientific investigation and technological development.” His course of study will be combined with the rigors of a pre-med track. And if that’s not enough of a challenge, DeAndre double majors in Spanish. Desiring to learn about Global Health in a Spanish-speaking environment, DeAndre applied for and received a generous grant from the Kellogg Institute. This past summer, he worked in a state-run hospital in Quito, Ecuador where he researched the differences between the Ecuadorian and American health systems. From an early age, DeAndre was highly motivated to succeed. He maintained a 4.0 GPA all through his years at Paramus Catholic and participated in Model Congress as well as attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. He credits his mom, Carolene with motivating him, giving him a “good sense of morals and keeping me focused,” he says. Coming from a hard-working family of Jamaican immigrants living in Paterson, DeAndre says, “Being lazy is not an option…I saw people doing these great things and I wanted to emulate that.” DeAndre struggled to find balance and success during his first semester at University of Notre Dame. Having decided to take 21 credits as well as participate in marching band, he found the intensity of course work and activities difficult to manage. “First semester was a real transition. Something had to give and sometimes it was a homework assignment,” admits DeAndre. He knew he needed assistance. Dr. Thomas Anderson, Chairman of Romance Languages at Notre Dame became DeAndre’s trusted mentor. DeAndre wanted advice and listened well. Anderson advised him on how “to juggle requirements and time commitments,” how to feel less overwhelmed and even counseled him on some basics many Freshman can overlook, like advice “to sleep enough, eat well, and get exercise, and I think he took it to heart,” says Anderson. Calling his attitude, “refreshing,” Anderson says of DeAndre, “He’s made it very far already and he’s going to succeed in many ways.” DeAndre certainly values Dr. Anderson’s guidance. “I learned so much from him and now I know what know the limits of what I can and cannot do in one day,” says DeAndre. In addition, he credits his achievements to Tri-County’s support. “Tri-County came into my life and I connected with people who knew the way to success…Tri-County has played a significant role in my life. It’s what led me to Notre Dame,” says DeAndre. And for that, he is very grateful.

Highlights of the 2017 Annual Awards Dinner

Even as a young child Natalia Guzman always knew that she wanted to help others. At the age of 3, she saw her mom, Teresa, successfully battle leukemia. Afterwards, Natalia became aware of several close family members in El Salvador who had passed away due to diabetes. These events provided inspiration for Natalia to want to study Medicine and become a Pediatrician as well as a Physician Nutrition Specialist. The Tri-County Scholarship Fund played an important role in her life, providing partial scholarships that enabled her to attend Mary Help of Christian’s Academy for several years. “I want to help prevent illnesses before people get sick,” says Natalia.  Her participation as a high school student intern at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson provided an inspirational and educational experience. Currently a Rutgers Nutritional Sciences major, Natalia is on track to graduate in 2020 and plans to go on to medical school. According to Dr. Thomas Haring, Mary Help Director of Student Services, “Natalia ranked in the top 5 graduates of the 2016 senior class, maintaining a 97.78% grade average during her high school years, all while challenging herself with a varied course load. Taking nothing for granted, Natalia says, “I took it seriously right from my freshman year.  I knew I had to work hard.  That opened doors to a lot of opportunities.” Natalia also volunteered as a senior citizen aide and served as an Ambassador, promoting her school to prospective students.  She did all of this while managing school volleyball and softball teams and dance cheering for Don Bosco’s baseball team. Natalia was inspired by the values and work ethic demonstrated by her parents. Her mother is a teacher’s assistant in a day care, and her father, a night-shift textile worker. They work extremely hard and are grateful and ecstatic about all 3 of their children’s successes. “They remind us how hard they worked so we can be successful and not have to struggle as much as they did,” says Natalia. The constant support she receives serves to “motivate and inspire me to keep going.”  Dr. Haring attests to Natalia’s “modest and natural personality,” causing her to be “highly respected by faculty and her peers.” Natalia said her relationships with Tri-County donors greatly inspired her to do well. “They were so nice and willing to get to know me on a personal level. Hearing the speakers and students talk at Tri-County events made me glad to have the opportunity from Tri-County to attend a private school. I hope that one day I can give back as they did,” says Natalia.

Tri-County Scholarship Fund featured on Univision.