My most recent endeavor I was involved with was serving as Chairperson of One Project. I personally volunteered for many years participating in their annual Hunger Project Event. In 2022 I joined their board, which I served through 2025. I am proud that the organization was able to reach their ultimate goal of 1,000,000 meals packaged and donated as an organization. As the Chairperson of One Project our purpose was to bring people together, of all walks of life, united in a mission to work as ONE to better the community that we all share. Our goal is to address social needs through education and volunteerism.
I strongly believe that learning volunteerism is critical at a young age. When my oldest daughter was 2 years old, I brought her to her first Hunger Project. She learned how to help package meals and understand that there are many children and families that are food insecure in our community. At age 6 now, this is now an event that she looks forward to helping contribute to each year. She has now even spread the word and asked her classmates and their families to join. My youngest attended her first Hunger Project event at age 1!
CMA Wealth Management has donated to One Project’s Student Scholar program. Each Student Scholar chooses a Community Service Project that they have a personal affinity towards. This is a great opportunity for these students to give back to their community but also gain vital leadership skills through the mentoring program that the One Project Board members offer. In 2025, this program came full circle when a past student scholar from 2018 decided to join the Board to continue his spirit of giving back and mentoring future Student Scholars.
As the Vice President of the Burlington-Mercer Chamber of Commerce, we not only emphasized networking and business development, but also community outreach. Many of the initiatives we were involved with throughout the year, allowed us to provide fundraising for local high school student scholarships, various foundations, and non-profit organizations.