Tri-County Scholarship Fund featured on Univision.

Parsippany, NJ – October 1, 2017 – The Board of the Trustees of the Tri-County Scholarship Fund has appointed Prudence Pigott to the position of President.  Pigott previously served as a trustee for Tri-County, since 2015. “Prudence has brought a lot of energy and new ideas to our organization as a trustee.  We know she will bring that same level of commitment and passion to the job of President,” said Tim Duffy, Chair of Tri-County Scholarship Fund, and Founding Partner of the law firm of Coughlin Duffy in Morristown.  “Our board is enthusiastic about what Tri-County will be able to accomplish with Prudence’s leadership, as we work toward helping even more financially disadvantaged students.” “I am honored to be working with an outstanding board of trustees and generous supporters,” said Pigott.  “We all care about making a difference in the lives of the neediest young people in New Jersey, many of them living in the inner-city.  We do this by giving these students the opportunity to attend quality, values-based schools.  I embrace the goal to increase the number of scholarships we can award each year; to help more students off our waiting list and into quality schools.” Pigott has 20 years of experience in philanthropic fundraising, with a particular emphasis in causes benefiting children, Catholic education, and healthcare.  Her most recent efforts have been in support of St. Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, and for Morristown Medical Center for which she co-chaired the 2014 Mansion In May at Blairsden, raising $2 million for a new pediatric intensive care unit and new Autism Center.  Pigott’s volunteer experience includes fundraising for Oak Knoll School in Summit, Delbarton School in Morristown, and for Princeton University. Pigott is a graduate of Stanford University, and holds an MBA from the University of California Los Angeles.  Pigott completed a certificate in college guidance counseling from UCLA and  practiced as an independent college guidance counselor, working with high school students.  She began her professional career in advertising, and later worked on Wall Street.  A resident of Far Hills, New Jersey, she and her husband, Terry, have four grown children. The mission of Tri-County Scholarship Fund is to award needs-based scholarships to K-12th grade students from low-income families residing in Northern New Jersey, enabling them to attend high-quality, values-based private schools of their choice.  This past year almost 400 deserving, hard-working students received scholarships.  Tri-County was founded in 1981.  Currently 100% of Tri-County seniors graduate, and 98% of graduates go on to college.  Many are first in their families to attend college.

Parsippany, NJ  – September 28, 2017 –   Tri-County Scholarship Fund will celebrate 36 years of helping financially needy students in Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties at its annual Gala Awards Dinner on November 6, 2017 at the Hanover Marriott in Whippany.  This year’s gala will honor Paul J. Krump, Executive Vice President of Chubb Group and President, North America Commercial and Personal Insurance, and Dr. Bonita Stanton, Founding Dean of Seton Hall / Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.  The annual Making A Difference Award will be presented to Justin Marcucci, Chief Digital officer of Endava, the international digital marketing firm with local headquarters in Mendham, New Jersey. The mission of Tri-County Scholarship Fund is to provide financial support for deserving students to obtain a quality, values-based education to accredited private elementary and secondary schools.  Each year Tri-County awards Kindergarten – 12th grade scholarships to 400 students at over 50 different schools.  Over the past 35+ years, $26 million have been raised by the organization and more than 31,000 scholarships awarded to needy children.  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, Colgate, UCLA, Cornell, and Penn State, to name just a few. “Tri-County is currently able to fund scholarships for 400 students each year, but we have another 2,000 students on the waiting list,” said Tim Duffy, Tri-County Chairman and Managing Partner of Coughlin Duffy in Morristown.  “I call this ‘the cause of all causes’ because I can think of nothing more meaningful than helping needy children to get an education and a better life.  By helping one child at a time, the ripple effect is enormous – touching the family, the community, and improving the lives of generations to come.” Those interested in supporting Tri-County’s mission are invited to attend the November 6 Gala Awards Dinner, proceeds from which go directly to funding future scholarships.  Ads for the dinner tribute journal are being accepted through October 16.  Gala event and ad journal information, as well as tickets available for purchase, can be found at www.tcsfund.org or by calling the Tri-County offices at: 973-984-9600.

In 2012, Tri-County Scholarship Fund began the Freedom Scholars Program.  The name flows from Tri-County’s tag line of “Freedom Through Education.”  This program is for the top 10% of scholarship applicants to Tri-County.  They are graduating 8th graders with a “B” or better average.  Most have an “A” average.  Beyond academics, however, spirit, deportment, engagement, commitment and teacher recommendations determine who becomes a Freedom Scholar. Freedom Scholars are awarded a $5,000 annual scholarship which is matched by 8 participating high schools. In 2013 the first Women of Achievement luncheon was held.  The following year, the Lawyers for Tri-County dinner began.  These two events have become highlights of Tri-County’s calendar and a major source of funding for the Freedom Scholars program.  At the May, 2017 Lawyers for Tri-County dinner, John Dughi of Dughi, Hewit and Domalewski announced that his firm was offering a $50,000 challenge grant in order to support the Freedom Scholars program. 2017 Women of Achievement honorees were Mary Campbell of Suez; Michellene Davis of RWJ Barnabas Health; Theresa de Leon of PNC Wealth Management and Evelyn Padin, Esq. 2017 Lawyers honorees were Paulette Brown of Locke Lord; Thomas Moriarty of CVS Health Corporation; the Honorable Michael Shipp, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the law firm of McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney and Carpenter. Top Tri-County scholars in recent years have received scholarships to Cornell, Colgate, Drew, Georgetown, Rutgers, Villanova, Columbia and Notre Dame, among others. Please help us raise $50,000 to match the challenge grant by donating here!

Ashley had always planned on becoming a doctor. But in her senior year at Mary Help of Christians Academy, Dr. Tom Haring, Director of Student Services, counseled Ashley to try an accounting course. Initially resistant, Ashley quickly realized this course of study was a natural fit. After earning the highest grade in the course, asking her mom’s advice, and praying about it, Ashley decided to dedicate herself to becoming an accountant. Currently on track to graduate from Montclair State University in Spring 2019 with a B.S. in Accounting, Ashley won’t stop there. Her goals include earning a Master’s degree in Forensic Accounting, working for one of the “Big 4” accounting firms, and then on to the FBI. “I find investigation interesting – finding fraud,” she shared. Ashley recently began working as Audit Intern at KPMG. Growing up in Paterson and later moving to Haledon, Ashley shared that her mom, Silvana often worked two or three jobs to support her and her brother, Fabrizio. “That motivated me to try harder in school and help her out,” said Ashley. “She inspired me to succeed… and along with my school, gave me the values to become the person I am today.” A dedicated student and enthusiastic volunteer, Ashley’s drive and values are resulting in success both academically and outside the classroom. Graduating in the top 5 of her class at Mary Help, she is currently part of the Alpha Lambda Delta Society, an honor society at MSU, and has a 3.5 GPA. She is a member of the Accounting Society and is treasurer of CHOLO, a Peruvian non-profit  that plans to raise money to create scholarships for high school students and to benefit the homeless. Ashley is very grateful for her education and to the teachers and mentors who have helped her along the way. “Without Dr. Haring, I wouldn’t have been able to understand all about the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)…he helped me apply and now I’m helping Fabrizio to apply for it too.” Ashley also has a message for Tri-County donors. “I want to thank them for all the support that they have given me and others. If it weren’t for them I wouldn’t be where I am right now. Because of them I’ll reach my goals.” Dr. Haring agrees, saying, “Ashley is quite the talented and motivated student who will certainly continue to excel.”

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Tri-County Trustees Ken and Kris Donovan hosted the Trustees summer social at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Tuesday, June 27.  Ken is the President of Fiddler’s Elbow.  Trustees were thrilled to hear from two Tri-County alumni: Ximena Cespedes, a rising Junior at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service and Adam Rueda, a rising junior at Bucknell.

Tri-County Scholarship Fund Monday, June 5, 2017.  There were 32 foursomes lined up and eager to play in Tri-County’s 25th Annual Golf Outing at Morris County Golf Club.  The morning sky was slate grey; the forecast was for rain and thunderstorms.  However, Club leadership said: “We’re a ‘go.’”  With that, everyone headed on to the course and there was not a drop of rain during the entire round of play.  As always, the Club did a great job with food, drink and organizing the outing, and its new construction and landscaping were spectacular.  Over dinner, golfers enjoyed the day and were inspired to hear from scholarship recipient Brian Montecinos, a rising Junior at Paramus Catholic.  Brian told of how his parents, who emigrated here from Costa Rica and Colombia to pursue the American Dream, push their son to excel in his studies and extracurricular activities and to be a model for his young brother.  See photos below. The golf outing raised over $150,000, all of which goes to scholarships for the 400 students that Tri-County serves.

Only 400 Tickets To Be Sold Grand Prize of $20,000 (or 50% of sales) Tri-County Scholarship Fund will be holding a 50/50 cash raffle at our 25th Annual Golf Invitational on Monday, June 5, 2017.  Tickets are $100 each.  If not all 400 tickets are sold, the prize pool will equal 50% of total ticket sales. Raffle tickets can be requested by e-mailing Minnie Simon at msimon@tcsfund.org. The outing will be held at the Morris County Golf Club in Morristown, New Jersey. # of Tickets1 Ticket $100.00 USD2 Tickets $200.00 USD3 Tickets $300.00 USD4 Tickets $400.00 USD5 Tickets $500.00 USD6 Tickets $600.00 USD7 Tickets $700.00 USD8 Tickets $800.00 USD9 Tickets $900.00 USD10 Tickets $1,000.00 USDName to appear on Ticket

Academic life was not always smooth for Ronnie Vergara.  Now a successful Sophomore double-majoring in Finance and Economics at Monmouth University, Ronnie felt frustrated when she started at DePaul Catholic High. “I struggled with many things, certainly academics and sports,” says Ronnie. “I hit a point where I almost gave up.” Ronnie’s parents, Migdalia and Martin, married at age 18 and living in Paterson, worked extremely hard to instill positive values and a dedication to education into each of their 4 children. The two elder Vergara siblings have graduated from college. Ronnie is on track to graduate in 2019, and her younger sister Madison, also a Tri-County scholarship recipient, plans to attend college once she graduates from DePaul. Ronnie continues to play softball, having achieved varsity status all 4 years at DePaul and winning four county championships.  She remains committed to trying to “make the earth a better place”, having volunteered with the Environmental Club throughout High School. “She’s always determined to help others,” says Horwath. Ronnie’s professional goals include working in the field of corporate finance. “She can achieve whatever she wants… The sky’s the limit… she has something inside herself – passion,” says Horwath.  Ronnie is thankful for her educational opportunities. “I don’t think my sister and I would both have been prepared to go to college without Tri-County. I would not be in the position I am now,” she says gratefully.