2024_Bridgeway_Program_Dinner_Final

Behavioral Health Services

A Spirit of Unity

“It has been a privilege to serve with you and watch the continued growth of this magnificent organization, and to acknowledge with pride the impactful work being done on behalf of the communities we serve.”

Mark T. Williams , BSN, RN-BC Nurse, mental healthcare advocate, community activist, volunteer, and this year’s honoree

2024 Chairperson’s Dinner

Welcome/Program for the Evening:

6:00 pm

Adult Beverages and Appetizers Music from Chip Mergott and Chuck Lambert Wine Pull Take a Shot to Win a Foursome 50/50 Raffle tickets Craig Smith Photo Studio

7:15 pm

Dinner is served under the tent Music by AMANI Award Presentation

8:45 pm

Music from Chip Mergott and Chuck Lambert in the conference room Coffee and dessert served in the conference room Craig Smith Photo Studio Take a Shot to Win a Foursome 50/50 Raffle tickets 9:00 pm Foursome Winner Announced 50/50 Winner Announced

Improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. NAMI NJ Board of Trustees and Staff congratulates our President, Mark T. Williams, BSN, RN, BC for the well-deserved honor. Thank you for your inspiration and leadership!

NAMI Signature & Homegrown Programs:

Learn more at www.naminj.org (732) 940-0991 info@naminj.org Connect with us: facebook.com/NAMINewJersey twitter.com/NAMI_NJ instagram.com/nami.nj youtube.com/c/naminj linkedin.com/company/nami-nj education, support, advocacy and public awareness programs NAMI NJ fosters understanding, confronts stigma, advocates for public policies, and promotes research. Our 19 affiliates serve communities in all 21 NJ counties. NAMI New Jersey (NAMI NJ) is a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Through

Dear Bridgeway Friends and Supporters,

As Chair of the Board for Bridgeway Behavioral Health and on behalf of our dedicated Board of Trustees, it is my privilege to welcome you to our celebration of Bridgeway’s success in providing and advancing Best Practices in mental health care and well-being throughout our community. Thanks to your commitment, compassion and contributions, we have been able to expand our comprehensive programs and services, build new infrastructure, broaden our outreach and

touch the lives of thousands of New Jerseyans in the most meaningful way. Your belief in our mission and vision strengthens the determination of the Bridgeway team to make a substantial impact for those we serve. Our commitment to excellence extends beyond the walls of Bridgeway. We actively collaborate with community partners, governmental agencies and stakeholders to promote awareness, provide vital resources and a safe space for those most in need. This “Spirit of Unity” is exemplified by our esteemed honoree, Mark Williams, a leader who is impassioned to reduce stigma and champions policies that support mental health parity and access for all. Your kindness and generosity instills hope, resilience and healing in our community. Please accept my deepest thanks and gratitude for your continued partnership and dedication to our shared vision of a world where mental health is valued, supported, and celebrated.

With Sincere Appreciation,

Marlene

Dear Friends,

Thanks to all of you who have joined us to celebrate “A Spirit of Unity” and to acknowledge the contribution of our dear friend and colleague Mark T. Williams. Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services is able to serve thousands of New Jersey residents needing mental health services because of the support of people like Mark, our Board Leadership, led by Chairperson Marlene G. Baldinger, our dedicated staff, and organizations like NAMI NJ, and the Woods System of Care.

Unity means combining individual efforts into one stronger whole. Mark exemplifies the spirit of unity – of bringing people together to work for the common good. That effort ranges from volunteers taking the time out of their busy lives to help others in need to organizations like Woods combining forces with Bridgeway to serve even more people. This past year we have increased our services to provide comprehensive outpatient services, urgent mental health care, substance use treatment, support for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and most recently, New Jerseyans who call the statewide 988 hotline. We are proud of these accomplishments – and every success drives us to want to do even more to help others who need it. Mark has played a pivotal role in that success from his former role as Board Trustee and Chairman to his being instrumental in our affiliation with Woods System of Care. United with Woods’ esteemed affiliates, together we expect to serve tens of thousands of individuals. We are very proud of this relationship, and thank Mark and Woods leadership for making it happen. I believe that when we are united to ensure behavioral health challenges are treated, recovery happens. We are proud of what we have accomplished and looking forward to achieving even more for our community.

Thank you for being here and supporting Bridgeway.

Cory Storch, President & CEO

Cory Storch President & CEO

2024 Distinguished Service to the Community

Mark T. Williams, BSN, RN-BC 2024 Distinguished Service to the Community

Before Mark T. Williams arrived as a Board Trustee at Bridgeway, he already had more than 40 years in the field of psychiatric nursing. Mark’s experiences included adult and adolescent inpatient services, psychiatric emergency services, and outpatient services as a staff nurse, as well as an extensive period of service in the State Psychiatric Hospital system.

“In 2010, after devoting literally half of my adult life in the service of folks diagnosed with mental health conditions, I retired from my profession as a psychiatric nurse. I began to search for ways to give back to the profession that I loved and that had given me so much. My search ended when I found Bridgeway. By the time I found Bridgeway, this organization had already enjoyed a solid foundation in the mental health community for several decades…” – Mark Williams Once he retired, Mark’s work with the mentally ill expanded to the areas of health and wellness. His work of identifying and bridging the barriers that people with serious mental illness face when trying to access primary health care services helped Bridgeway launch its initial small steps into integrated care. Those small steps have led to meaningful partnerships, and the Center for Integrated Behavioral Health Care in Hoboken. The theme of social justice runs deeply through everything Mark does. He has walked and marched and protested more times than his wife Kate can count! Mark has been gifted with two daughters who have enthusiastically embraced the doctrine of social justice and passionately walk in their father’s footsteps. Whether its ensuring that people challenged by mental illness are linked to primary healthcare, participating in communities of color, or fighting to eliminate the stigma so often associated with a diagnosis of a mental illness, Mark simply can’t resist being a champion for the cause of justice. In 2017, Mark launched a Stigma Free Zone chapter in his community of North Plainfield and one year later in the County of Somerset. On any given day, Mark can be found speaking as an advocate for parity in access to behavioral and mental health services for minority communities. Mark is a member of the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma, serving on the Learning Cooperative Sub-Committee. He is a proud member of the Somerset County Democratic Committee Black Caucus. Mark currently serves as President of the NAMI NJ Board of Trustees, and as Vice Chair for the Board of Trustees of Woods Services in Langhorne PA.

Special Thanks to our Board of Trustees for their Support

Our Board Leadership Marlene Baldinger, Chairperson Guy Patterson, Vice Chairperson

Bridgeway Clinical Leadership Allison McFayden, VP. Emergency Services Nancy Schneeloch, VP, Supportive Housing Services Stephanie Simon, VP Outpatient Services Lisa Vara, VP, PACT Services

Josue Philistin, Treasurer Jim O’Connor, Secretary

Our Board Trustees Dr. Carol Ash Kate Conroy Marcie A. Courtney Joseph Perez Joe Young

Special Thanks Andrea Arce

Jeannine Arlotta Wilner Charles Pierrot Dor Bob Edes Encore Catering (encorecateringnj.com)

Bridgeway Administrative Leadership Cory Storch, President & CEO Buddy Garfinkle, Executive VP and Chief Program Officer Robert Edes, Chief Operating Officer Bohdan Czartorysky, MD, Medical Director Lisa Giannascoli, Vice President Marketing & Development Biren Parikh, Chief Financial Officer Dr. Caren Levensohn, Director of Quality Improvement Gina Verne, Chief Human Resources Officer Craig Cook, Director of Electronic Health Record

Dawn Gambuzza Daniel Giannascoli Uriel Gomez

Susan Guillermo Bernadette Ibanez Lily Kirby Robert Kirby Robert Kirby Jr. Cliff Lewis Paul Lavenhar & PL Communications Erica Smith

Thank you to Mark T. Williams and Bridgeway for your dedication and compassion

For All You Do

We are pleased to join Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services in honoring Mark T. Williams and all he has done to promote “A Spirit of Unity.”

101 Crawfords Corner Road · Suite 2216 | Holmdel, NJ 07733 | (732) 381-8887 hbkcpa.com

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Congratulations to this year’s honoree Mark T. Williams .

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ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT June 24, 2024 Shackamaxon Country Club, Scotch Plains, NJ

TAKE A SHOT AND WIN A FOURSOME

Contact: Lisa Giannascoli at 908-635-7647 lisa.giannascoli@bridgewaybhs.org

Lean on Me by Bill Withers Dedicated to Mark Williams, thank you for being a role model!

You just call on me brother when you need a hand, We all need somebody to lean on Lean on me, when you’re not strong, And I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on...

Congratulations to Mark T. Williams

4 Honoree Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services takes tremendous pride in congratulating Mark T. Williams for his tireless support and immeasurable contributions as 2024 Distinguished Service Award Honoree.

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Thank you Mark for fulfilling the lives of so many people.

Lori Plunkett, Executive Director 757 Springdale Drive Exton, PA 610-399-1175

Thank you Mark for dedicating your life to striving for justice and equity and compassion in human relations.

Paul Lavenhar, PL Communications

Thanks to Monte Printing for its support of Bridgeway and its mission.

Mark, thank you for your passion and dedication to others.

Thank You Neighborhood Health Services Corp. for ensuring health care for all.

Proud to support Bridgeway BHS and congratulations to honoree Mark Williams

Inspiring people with disabilities to achieve their life goals by providing individualized supports. (908) 689-1118

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Congratulations Mark! We have all benefitted from your contributions over the years Susan Guillermo

Congratulations Mark on such a well-deserved honor! Your impact at both Bridgeway and on the larger community serving people in need is a tremendous example for all of us! God Bless! Your impact at both Bridgeway and on the larger community serving people in need is a tremendous example for all of us! God Bless!

Jim and Betsy O’Connor Jim and Betsy O’Connor

Mark – Congratulations!

It’s been a long and winding road since the deli days. It’s been a long and winding road since the deli days.

Much joy and love, Alice & John Much joy and love, Alice & John

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With no barriers and rapid access Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services inspires and supports individuals recovering from conditions related to mental illness and substance abuse to live happy, healthy, satisfying lives in the vocational, educational, social and living environments of their choice. For more than 50 years you have helped New Jerseyans with programs and services customized to support each’s individual journey toward recovery. At The Health Benefit Alliance, we’re also committed to eliminating barriers to care and facilitating access to resources that support the health and well-being of our plan participants and their families. When great organizations with similar visions confront challenges, the results inspire us all. Thank you for all you do for our community

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR AWARD WINNING STAFF! “We are proud of all our staff members for their dedication and hard work. We are honored when those efforts are recognized by our peers, and we congratulate our colleagues.” – Cory Storch, President & CEO

Buddy Garfinkle, Executive VP and Chief Program Officer will be honored by NJAMHAA with the prestigious Champion of Adult Services Award.

Allison MacFadyen, MS, LCS, ACS, VP of Emergency Services was recognized by NJ Social Innovations for her work in Community Behavioral Health

Nancy Schneelich, VP Supportive Housing, Homeless Outreach & Justice Involved Services will be honored by the Housing Authority of the City of Elizabeth for her decades of leadership and community collaboration. She will also receive 1st place honors from NJ Social Innovations in the category of Housing and Community Development.

Entertainment

Amani Amani means “peace” in Swahili. The group was formed to share the concept of peace through music. The core veteran musicians are frontmen Stephen Fuller on vocals, and Marty Eigen on woodwinds. The band features Tomoko Ohno, piano; Thaddeus Expose, bass; Flip Peters, guitar; Gordon Lane, drums; and Oloye Karade, percussion. Amani performs hits from The American Songbook, Folk, Blues, Gospel, R&B, Jazz, Bossa Nova, and Broadway. Chuck Lambert

Chuck’s musical education started long before he picked up a guitar. At age eight, he studied oboe and piano. Four years later his godfather exposed him to the musical diversity of Caribbean culture and encouraged him to play guitar. In the early 70’s his college band played backup for legends John Lee Hooker, J.B. Hutto and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Today Chuck plays guitar and sings

his blues for crowds up and down the Jersey Shore, Philadelphia New York City and metropolitan New York areas while always returning to play venues in his hometown of Red Bank, NJ. His group the Chuck Lambert Band combines modern electric and traditional blues, and they have opened for such popular artists as Little Feat and Kenny Wayne Shepard.

Chip Mergott Guitarist, songwriter, and author Chip Mergott was discovered by Bonnie Raitt, and subsequently signed to a major label early in his career. Raitt has described Chip as “one of my favorite songwriters.” He founded

Notebook Records, one of the country’s longest running independent labels, which he founded. He lives and performs in the Philadelphia area, where he also teaches guitar and songwriting. He is the author of several music books as well as a collection of short stories “There Must Be a Better World Somewhere.”

EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE. FULFILLING LIVES Congratulations Mark T. Williams for receiving the

2024 Distinguished Service to the Community Award

Thank you for your exemplary contributions to improving the quality of life for people living with behavioral health conditions.

EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE. FULFILLING LIVES. Every day, Woods System of Care helps people live their best lives. Woods is a leading and innovative PA and NJ-based nonprofit population health organization that through its network of providers offers life cycle care to meet the lifelong needs of children and adults with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A), acquired brain injuries and /or mental health challenges who may also have complex medical and genetic conditions. LEARN MORE AT: woods.org