May2016

INSIDE CONNECTION Jaclyn Olszewski | DIRECTOR, EVENTS & EDITORIAL

Y oung professionals and the transition of the younger generations into leadership roles has become quite the “hot topic” here at CAI-NJ. As a young profes- sional myself, I can vouch that this idea is on the forefront of our minds and that we are very cognizant of the respon- sibility and hard work that it will take for our generation to grow in our industry, and we are ready to take on that challenge. In meeting with the CAI-NJ F.A.S.T. (Future All Start Team), a group within CAI-NJ’s membership that focuses on the development of young professionals through education, networking and philanthropic initiatives, I have discovered a channel of information and a support system that has taken on the challenge of leading the young professionals of CAI into the future. It is incredibly evident that they face a lot of the same challenges as one another, and to have a sounding board in our meetings, is an invaluable asset to the organization and the members who can utilize this outlet. What I am finding is that some of the most talked about topics include items such as, how to build your network, bridging the gap between one generation to the next, creating awareness of young professionals and trying to get passed the preconceived ideas of who this generation is and what their personality traits are. With awareness of these consistent discussion trends, the F.A.S.T. group is working towards breaking down the barriers and connect- ing the generations by meeting with industry leaders, and building relationships with one another, so that one day the wisdom of these leaders can help shape future leaders to continue to push forward with a thriving industry. Philanthropically the group is working on a few projects.

The first being the food drive at the Annual Spring Break event. F.A.S.T. is working to acquire canned goods that will be donated to Move for Hunger in conjunction with the Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean County. Also, F.A.S.T. will be hosting the 2nd Annual CAI-NJ Olympics event on July 20th at Thompson Park in Jamesburg, NJ. This team building event will raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation of New Jersey. In 2015 the event raised $1,771.79 for the foundation. We are working hard to raise even more in 2016. More information is available on page xx of this issue. The first ever F.A.S.T. Happy Hour was held on March 24th at Drink Gotham in Red Bank. With a great turnout, the event required no registration or fee to attend. Keep an eye out for future F.A.S.T. Happy Hours as well as other events and initia- tives in the coming months. If you have any questions on how you can get involved, please feel free to reach out to me at jaclyn@cainj.org or Laura at laura@cainj.org . Expect to see a lot of great things from the CAI-NJ Future All Star Team! n

Be sure to follow the F.A.S.T. group on social media:

www.facebook.com/CAINJFAST

@cainjfast

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