Morris County Chamber of Commerce

---

The Morris County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) is dedicated to bringing together companies and nonprofits to build relationships and collaborate in creating a thriving business and community environment. The Chamber team, led by Meghan Hunscher, understands that creating new and engaging experiences for their members is job one.  This became even more important, and more challenging, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chamber's Health & Wellness Committee, chaired by Kathy D'Agati, offers health and wellness professionals an avenue to share their expertise, build their businesses, and connect with peers and potential collaborators. Companies that join the Chamber gain access to health and wellness information and programs that can translate into more vibrant, productive employees. Members who join as individuals gain the knowledge and tools they need to lead happier, healthier lives.

One of Kathy’s main goals is to inspire health and wellness practitioners to give back to the community.  She decided to partner with Jay Weisman here at Legacy Philanthropy Group (LPG), realizing that our Hands On! Philanthropy (HOP) program was the perfect way to build stronger relationships among her committee members, promote their businesses, and at the same time make a huge impact in the community.  Jay and Kathy recruited Sally Glick, Chief Growth Strategist at SobelCo LLC, to get involved as a peer mentor.  Sally is singular as a source of knowledge and in her role as a convener in the nonprofit community.  Together this team worked with the Chamber to deliver the first 100% virtual presentation of the Hands On! Philanthropy workshop. 

As always, the goals of the HOP workshop are to explore key concepts around purposeful philanthropy while refining key personal and professional skills such as communication, collaboration, decision making, storytelling, and the sharing of values. Participants are challenged to understand and articulate what social causes really matter to them and why. With that, those participants form teams and set out to identify nonprofits that share their visions and passions.

Congrats are in order for this round of Hands On! Philanthropy Community Impact Award recipients:

• Roots & Wings (The Food Fighters)
• United Way Caregiver's Coalition (Team Everlasting)
• nourish.NJ  (Team Total Love)
• Mental Health Association of Essex & Morris (Team De-Stig)

These organizations are all doing terrific work in and around Morris County.  Over the course of the next 12 months, Kathy and her Health & Wellness Committee members will be working on a special project with each of the Community Impact Award winners.  

SPECIAL BONUS!  Scroll down to check out the video messages below -  hear directly from the 2020 Startup cohort and from the nonprofits they chose to support ! 

Bridges Built:  18 Participants x (17 Colleagues + 4 Nonprofits + 1 Sponsor) = 396