April 27, 2015 – Paramus, NJ – The Care Plus NJ Foundation is proud to recognize John Cosgrove, the Mayor of Fair Lawn, at the 17th Annual Courage Awards Gala being held on June 3, 2015 at the Venetian in Garfield, NJ. Cosgrove will be honored for over thirty years of volunteer service in the community, and also for his dedication to the Fair Lawn Stigma-Free Zone Initiative.
Cosgrove – often called “Mr. Fair Lawn” – is a lifelong resident of Fair Lawn, after his family firmly planted roots in the town over a century ago. After years of encouragement to pursue the position, Cosgrove was named Mayor of Fair Lawn in 2013. Since then, it has been part of his mission to remind the community of the wonderful events, useful resources, and opportunities for involvement that are available to them in their own backyard.
Cosgrove has called Fair Lawn a “large town with a small-town attitude,” a place where neighbors “continue to rise up, and through their support and generosity, meet the needs of others.”
When community partner Care Plus NJ began promoting the Stigma-Free Initiative, the town of Fair Lawn jumped on board. The Mayor and his council were sure to nurture the project as it began to sprout and break ground. By pulling support from the health, police, and fire departments, as well as the borough schools, library and Chamber of Commerce, the Fair Lawn Stigma-Free Zone built a foundation on which it would grow into the second of many Stigma-Free Zones in Bergen County.
“We would like to recognize Mayor Cosgrove for his commitment to community, service, and excellence,” began Tara Augustine, Senior Vice President at Care Plus NJ. “He has been a major asset, and does a great job at working behind the scenes to make sure progress is made.”
The Courage Awards Gala, Care Plus NJ Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year will celebrate courage, hope, and happiness by honoring those who work tirelessly on behalf of individuals and families facing the daily and life-long challenges of mental illness and substance use. The event also helps to raise awareness, as well as the much-needed funds for those very same individuals and families.
This year’s honorees also include The Sefcik Family, survivors of suicide loss and representatives in prevention with their presentation “Remembering T.J. – A Story of Teen Depression, Lessons and Hope”; and Kenneth Ehrenberg, the Chief of the Paramus Police Department and collaborative leader in crisis de-escalation and Behavioral Health awareness. The Foundation will also award Dr. Dina Vaynberg with the Compassionate Care Award for her work at Care Plus NJ, representing the best in the field of Behavioral Health care. In addition to the honorees, the event will recognize the recipients of the 2015 Bernard Dubnick Scholarship.
The Courage Awards Gala includes a cocktail hour, dinner, live and silent auctions, 50/50, raffle and more. The event attracts attendees from across the state, including representatives and supporters from the Northern New Jersey business community. Individual tickets are available for $150 each, with full tables of 10 offered for $1,400.
The Foundation is currently welcoming dinner guests, sponsors, and auction donations. For more information, click here or call 201-986-5070.
