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Joseph E. Enright Foundation Newsletter Issue 2 - 2009

There was an error on our Issue 2 - 2009 Newsletter sent out under "Rubber Ducky Festival". For new resources, please view the newsletter provided online .

Enright Health TREK 2009

On Sunday, October 4th, the Joseph E. Enright Foundation sponsored its first annual Enright Health TREK.  The ride started at Pleasant Valley Park in Basking Ridge and continued through picturesque parts  of Central NJ.

Approximately 30 riders joined the Enright Foundation to support its mission of providing  Health Education programs and scholarships.

While most riders opted for the 50 mile route, there were some who braved and finished 100 miles!

The ride was a huge success and will continue annually.  Most likely smaller rides will be provided for families to join as well!

A photo show of the ride can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mb51hBWwCA along with several other TREK 2009 event photos on our site .

For more information on the Joseph E. Enright Foundation and its programs, please browse our website www.josephenrightfoundation.org .

Leading National Foundations and Health-Care
Organizations Make Unprecedented Call for
Investment in Prevention

August 17, 2009 - As the leaders of major national private foundations and health care organizations, many of us have spent decades working to enhance health. We have focused on ensuring accessible, quality, culturally competent, and affordable health care for all and on making communities healthier places to live, work, learn, and play. These efforts complement one another.

Currently, our country is engaged in broad conversations about how best to structure our health system, and we strongly believe that health systems change must include robust provisions for community prevention and health care coverage for all. Over time a focus on community prevention will improve health, save money, reduce the demands on our health system, and most important, it will lead to a nation of healthier people and healthier places to live. >>More

NJBIZ 2009 Healthcare Heroes Finalists:
Education - Organization

June 8, 2009 - The Joseph E. Enright Foundation is pleased to announce we have been selected by NJBIZ, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey and NJTopDocs.com as one of the NJBIZ 2009 Healthcare Heroes Finalists: Education - Organization!

The Healthcare Heroes award program recognizes companies and individuals that have displayed heroic actions in the state of New Jersey in the Healthcare Industry. These companies and individuals will be honored at a prestigious event highlighting their accomplishments and in a special supplement to the June 20th issue of NJBIZ.

I would like to personally extend a special thank you to Summit Medical Group for your guidance and continued support.


Executive Director
Joseph E. Enright Foundation

Rubber Ducky Festival

June 14, 2008 - Community Health Education Lectures - 2008

On June 14^th, the Joseph E. Enright Foundation sponsored a bean bag toss at the Rubber Ducky Festival in Summit NJ. Community members won prizes and were provided with a sun safety guide and free sun screen samples. With a 90°+ temperature and the sun blazing, the sun screen samples were used by many. Please visit the Downloads section on this website to download a copy of our Sun Safety Awareness guide .

"We Get By With A Little Help From Our Friends."

Smithereens Benefit Concert – May 23, 2008

On Friday, May 23rd, The Smithereens performed their greatest hits and Beatles classics at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ. The concert sponsored by and benefiting the Joseph E. Enright Foundation drew approximately 900 friends and family members who support the Foundation’s Mission to provide “Health Through Education”.

Special guest Andy White, drummer for the Beatles first single “Love Me Do” / P.S. I Love You”, made a special guest appearance. The event was kicked off with a VIP gathering in Paper Mill’s Gallery room for cocktails and appetizers.

SERVICES PROVIDED BY: Positive Impact, Inc. restaurant.mc – In Millburn

OUR SPONSORS: American Economic Planning Group, Inc.
Better Sleep Inc.
Investors Savings Bank Foundation
SSB Solutions
Summit Medical Group

SPECIAL THANKS: The Smithereens & Paper Mill Playhouse Pictures taken by: Robert D’Elia. See the "video slide show" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8u-tpj6kWI

Smithereens Back Better Health With Live Music

By FRED T. ROSSI
Specially Written for The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood

MILLBURN – While Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi get most of the attention when talk turns to rock-and-rollers born and bred in New Jersey, the Smithereens, led by Pat DiNizio of Scotch Plains, have been at it for 28 years, have a number of hits to their name and certainly deserve to be a part of any conversation about Garden State rockers. The group — which, besides Mr. DiNizio, a Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School graduate, includes guitarist Jim Babjak and drummer Dennis Diken, both from Carteret, and bass guitarist Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion, who replaced original bassist Mike Mesaros two years ago — played a fundraiser, late last month, for the Joseph E. Enright Foundation at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn.

The foundation, named after Dr. Joseph Enright, a Summit Medical group physician who died 12 years ago from melanoma, creates and supports public health education programs and awards scholarships to exceptional candidates pursuing careers in health care. At the start of last Friday’s program, Richard Nelson, president of the foundation’s board of trustees, said the organization was “supporting better health through the magic of live music,” and the several hundred fans in the audience certainly responded.

The Smithereens played for slightly more than one hour, leading off with nearly a dozen Beatles tunes, including some from the Fab Four’s 1964 debut album, “Meet the Beatles,” which Mr. DiNizio called “the single most important rock-and roll record album.” So important, in fact, that the group’s 2007 album, “Meet the Smithereens,” paid tribute by recording covers of all 12 songs from that seminal album.

The high point of the set was an appearance by special guest Andy White, a session drummer from way back who recorded “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You” with the Beatles 44 years ago, when producers were not satisfied with the performance of the group’s new drummer, a guy named Ringo Starr. Mr. White, now a dignified-looking gentleman in coat and tie, supplanted Mr. Diken at the drums and reprised his two-song stint, earning a long and enthusiastic standing ovation from the crowd.

Other Beatles songs played included “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” “Hard Day’s Night,” “One After 909,” “Please Please Me” and “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” with Mr. DiNizio yielding the microphone to each of his bandmates, so they could show off their vocals.

After their joyful journey back to the 1960s, the band turned to some of the hits that made them famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They began by leading off the second part of the set with their first hit, the haunting “Blood and Roses” from 1986.

“A Girl Like You,” which topped out near the top of the charts in 1989, followed and then wandered into a rousing cover of The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes.” The evening ended with a guitar-driven version of “House We Used To Live In.”

Fundraisers like this are much more fun than milling around a room sipping wine and making small talk. The Smithereens, nearly three decades in, are clearly still enjoying what they do.

Last Friday’s performance was less a formal stage production than a band just playing music for a few hundred friends. The atmosphere was similar to the band’s “Living Room Parties,” where they play acoustic shows at fans’ homes, and Mr. DiNizio’s annual Memorial Day weekend concerts held in the backyard of his Scotch Plains home. And, of course, it was all for a good cause. Information about the Joseph E. Enright Foundation is available at www.josephenrightfoundation.org.

Summit Organization Only Union County NonProfit Chosen Statewide

Chatham, NJ, January 28, 2008 … Partnership in Philanthropy (PIP), a statewide nonprofit organization that provides counsel and practical assistance to other nonprofits, has selected Summit’s Joseph E. Enright Foundation as one of its 11 consultancy clients in the Garden State for 2007-2008. The Enright Foundation is the only nonprofit in Union County chosen for this latest consulting cycle.

According to PIP Executive Director Becky Dembo, the Enright Foundation reached out to the Chatham-based Partnership in Philanthropy for guidance in improving its fundraising capabilities and further developing its board. "The Joseph E. Enright Foundation is poised for the next level of success," she said. "We are ready to work with its staff and volunteer board members in advancing its efforts to fulfill its mission – that of creating and supporting public health education programs and awarding scholarships to exceptional candidates pursuing careers in health care."

PIP has assigned John Vadnais, principal of Morristown-based Seva Consulting Group, LLC, to work one-on-one with the Enright Foundation. The goal of the two-year consultancy is "to double the funds Enright raises within its 2009 fiscal year," Vadnais said. "It’s a realistic goal that is also an ambitious one. Our strategy is to formulate a communication plan and create a message based on the Foundation’s mission. From there, we will focus our energies on keeping the public aware and informed as to the value of Enright Foundation programs that educate the community, reinforcing the vital importance of promoting better health."

Vadnais continued, "We’re confident that once the communication portion of our strategy has been implemented, we will be better able to put into practice the fundraising efforts necessary to advance our mission."

Vadnais formed Seva Consulting Group in 2006 after a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

Enright Foundation Board president Dr. Richard O. Nelson said, "The Board of Trustees of the Enright Foundation feels very fortunate to have been chosen by PIP to participate in their mentoring program.  With PIP’s professional guidance, we have identified several important issues, and over the next year we hope to further strengthen our programs and our infrastructure while diversifying our donor base for greater stability as an organization."

The Joseph E. Enright Foundation was founded in 1999 by friends and colleagues of Dr. Enright, a committed young physician with the Summit Medical Group who died in 1996. It serves Central to Northern New Jersey by providing health lectures and educational programs to the general public and making educational scholarships available to exceptional individuals pursuing careers in the field of patient-centered healthcare, both supported exclusively by donations from the public.

The community lecture series and educational programs offer attendees the opportunity to participate in discussions on healthcare topics and to interact with physicians, health professionals and other community members. The lecture schedule and details are available on the Enright website, www.josephenrightfoundation.org. The Enright scholarships are another key part of the organization’s mission, awarded semi-annually to area applicants who best demonstrate the sincerity, compassion and academic excellence necessary to become effective patient-centered healthcare professionals. Continuing Medical Education lectures accredited through Atlantic Health allow physicians and other health professionals to enhance their knowledge base, improve practices and ultimately offer better care to patients.

For additional information on the Joseph E. Enright Foundation, log onto its website or contact Executive Director at 908-464-0277.

Founded in 1991, Partnership in Philanthropy provides assessment, consulting and training to nonprofit organizations. Since its inception it has provided technical assistance, training and professional fundraising consulting services to arts, education, health and human service organizations in all 21 New Jersey counties. For more information on Partnership in Philanthropy, log onto www.pipnj.org or call Becky Dembo at 973-701-9810.