On Thursday, October 1st, the Junior League of Montclair-Newark’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) assembled for its first meeting of the League year. Twelve representatives from several of the local organizations which comprise our key community partners gathered for this valuable networking opportunity. Jennie Cherry, Community Advocates Chair, and Katherine Duncan, Project Development Chair, spoke to the group about our project development process and current project work, much of which is done in collaboration with, and for the benefit of, CAB members.

In addition, we heard from Major Alastair Bate of the Salvation Army, who discussed results of their recent focus groups and briefed the group on the Salvation Army’s new facility on Trinity Place. The organization’s plans for the upcoming programs that will make use of this new asset include an expansion of the current homelessness prevention initiative, after-school programming, a new locale for Senior Care of Montclair, and a quarterly family fun night.

Nan Josephson, the new president of Family Service League, and a current Provisional Member, led a discussion on managing non-profits in these challenging economic times. Nan’s suggestion of the potential of collaborative grant application amongst non-profits was met with particular interest and enthusiasm.

The CAB is a critical forum that allows us to stay in touch with the relevant issues affecting children at risk in our area and is thus a valuable source of future projects for us. We are lucky to have such a talented and passionate group of leaders in our community and look forward to developing projects that will serve our mutual goals of improving the lives of those who are less fortunate.