When more than 42,300 luminaries were lit on Christmas Eve, the glow represented the Summit Luminary Fund’s 43-year-old effort, with more than 200 participating streets – and the 2024 effort raised more than $144,000.
The success was due to the efforts of more than 200 street captains, overseen by area leaders John Blomfield, Liz Branchflower, Victoria Carrigan, Laura Crescenzi, Lisa Curran, Renee Frank, Irene Loschert and Judith Walsh; president Francie Cho, vice president Barbara Romano and secretary/treasurer Pam Kuhn.
“Over the past 40 years, I’ve had the pleasure of growing the Summit Luminary from one street to what it is today. This could not have happened without the help of so many generous people,” said Ms. Romano.
A partner since the infancy of the fund, Lois Schneider Realtor has been chief underwriter of the event, contributing $10,000 this past year. “We are proud to work with the Summit Luminary Fund and the non-profit beneficiaries that contribute so much to our town,” said Karen Schneider, president of Lois Schneider Realtor.
From last year’s profits, the Fund’s volunteers presented $137,000 to Bridges' Outreach (Project Connect - Summit), Christ Child Society of Summit (ABC Area Baby Center for Diaper Distribution, Layette
Summit’s Reeves-Reed Arboretum has been awarded $24,999 as part of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC) Quality of Life grants, which support non-profit organizations that empower individuals living with paralysis.
“These awards are about restoring independence to our constituents,” said Dan McNeal, director of the Quality of Life Grants Program. “Our work and number one goal are to enhance the quality of life of people living with paralysis.”
The arboretum, 165 Hobart Ave., will use the grant to launch A Path for All, an initiative dedicated to improving accessibility across its historic gardens and grounds. The project features a continuous, ADA compliant pathway loop, a new outdoor patio and educational space, and expanded accessible parking. It will enhance navigation for wheelchair users, families with strollers and individuals with mobility, visual, auditory or neurodivergent challenges, including autism and ADHD.
“This project aligns with our commitment to inclusivity, and we are excited to create a more welcoming environment for everyone in our community," said the arboretum’s executive director, Jackie Kondel.
The Reeves-Reed Arboretum is dedicated to engaging, educating and enriching its visitors to become better stewards of nature and the environment. This mission is achieved through the care and utilization of the historic estate and gardens. The arboretum is listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places and is celebrating 50-plus years as a public arboretum and education resource. For details, visit reeves-reedarboretum.org or call 908-273-8787, x1010.
Program, Toddler and Children’s Clothing program, and the School Supply & Back Pack program), Empowering Kids Organization, Family Promise of Union County, G.R.A.C.E., SAGE Eldercare (Spend-A-Day program), the Santa Claus Shop, SHIP: Summit Helping Its People, Senior Connections, Inc., the Summit Volunteer First Aid Squad and Summit Interfaith Council (Summit Warm Hearts).
For information, to become a street captain or volunteer in any way, contact summitluminaryfundfranciecho@gmail.com.
SPRING EDITION 2025
Volume 42 I Issue 1
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CHAIRPERSON:
James Kwan, Ace Pension Solutions
VICE CHAIR BERKELEY HEIGHTS: Jim Ramentol, GRA Architect, Inc
VICE CHAIR NEW PROVIDENCE: Joseph Eberle, Weichert Realtors
VICE CHAIR SUMMIT: May Abraham Fridel, Passion for Spices
TREASURER: Kim Ryan, Provident Bank - Summit
SECRETARY: Evelyn Simmons Davis, Suburban Chamber of Commerce
DIRECTORS:
Kelly Bonventre, NJ Sharing Network
Adam Brown Esq., The Adam M. Brown Law Group LLC
David Dietze, Dietze Wealth Management Group
John M. Inguagiato Esq, Alfonso & Webber, LLC
David Maskello, Winberie’s Restaurant and Bar
Roger Mehner Esq., Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook & Cooper
Kerry Mowry, Overlook Medical Center
THE CHAMBER STAFF
Published by The Suburban Chamber of Commerce
Evelyn Davis , Executive Director/Publisher
Sarah Murphy , Administrative Assistant
Patricia E. Meola , Contributing Editor
Steven Meyer , Art Director & Layout Design
E-mail us at collection@suburbanchambers.org
Direct Mailed to Every Home, Apartment and Business in: Summit • Berkeley Heights • New Providence
And Demographically Selected Single Family Homes in: Short Hills • Chatham • Mountainside • Springfield
Tickets, sponsorship opportunities and advertising space are available for the upcoming annual Service Awards Dinner hosted by the Suburban Chamber of Commerce.
The community will gather on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at 6 p.m. at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit NJ.
v Public Service Award: Mayor Al Morgan
v Public Service Organization Award: Grace
v Good Neighbor Award: Apollo Hrehorovich
v Silver Service Award: Bev Leuhs
v Beautification and Arts Award: Melanie Cohen
v Business of the Year Award: Joseph Eberle
v President’s Service Award: Paul Kieltyka
The Suburban Chamber of Commerce, serving Summit, New Providence and Berkeley Heights, is proud to honor individuals, organizations and companies for their dedication and far-reaching efforts in their communities. For details, call or email chamber director Evelyn Davis 908-522-1700, edavis@suburbanchambers.org.
The Summit Speech School's 35th Annual Spring Benefit Luncheon will be Thursday, May 15, at the Westin Governor Morris in Morristown. As the school's largest fundraising event, the day will include guest speakers, silent and ticket auctions, a grand raffle and gourmet chocolates available for purchase.
This year's keynote speaker is Jenna Bush Hager, host of "TODAY with Jenna and Friends" and editor-at-large at Southern Living magazine. Currently, Ms. Hager is chair of UNICEF's Next Generation, an initiative dedicated to reducing the number of preventable childhood deaths around the world.
Also honored will be philanthropist, confectioner and long-time friend of Summit Speech School John Tompkins, a member of the School Board of Trustees from 2014-24. After retiring from Wall Street, Mr. Tompkins founded JT's Confections in 2012. As the business became profitable, his wife suggested that profits be donated to charity. The business adopted its mission statement, "To help
those who help others," and today's Mr. Tompkins' talent as a confectioner and his entrepreneurial spirit support local nonprofit organizations including Summit Speech School.
To learn about sponsorship opportunities or purchase tickets to the luncheon, visit SummitSpeech.GiveSmart.com.
The Summit Speech School provides services to children from infancy through high school, throughout New Jersey, using the latest hearing technology coupled with intensive training in speech, language and listening skills. Funding from sponsors enables teachers, therapists and support staff to create equity and inclusion for deaf and hard of hearing children so they can attend mainstream schools and succeed in their social relationships, college and careers.
Berkeley Heights has again been designated a "Healthy Town to Watch" by the N.J. Health Care Quality Institute's Mayors Wellness Campaign for the second year in a row. Cities and towns recognized as Healthy Towns to Watch and, the top designation, Healthy Towns, go above and beyond to improve health and wellness in their communities through innovative programs in areas such as exercise, healthy eating and mental health education and awareness.
In addition to a record-breaking 32 Healthy Town winners, another 16 towns were designated as 2024 Healthy Town to Watch and seven were designated as Healthy Town Up-and-Coming. The state-wide initiative provides evidence-based tools and strategies for mayors and community leaders to help their residents achieve healthier lifestyles and improve overall health and wellness in their communities.
Each year, communities participating complete a Healthy Town application outlining the research they've done to identify their community health needs and explaining how they have organized their local MWC committee. The application also highlights the actions the towns have taken to make their communities healthier places to live, work, age and play.
In Berkeley Heights, residents are offered opportunities not only to enhance their physical health, but also to participate in inclusive and diverse community events.
"We are excited to once again be named a Healthy Town-to-Watch by the Quality Institute," said Mayor Angie Devanney and Township Council Vice President Susan Poage. "We believe our community is becoming a leader in the area of mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, as evidenced by the many activities organized by the Mayor's Wellness Committee, and other township committees and groups. We hope to serve as a model for other towns to emulate and strive to receive the top Healthy Town designation in 2025."
Interior designers and landscape professionals from throughout the region have been hard at work at a landmark Chester home known as Wildfair, the site of next month’s Mansion in May, a fundraiser hosted at various area estates over the past 50 years by the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center.
This year’s tour will benefit MMC’s soon-to-open Proton Therapy Center, which will support all Atlantic Health System hospitals in Northern and Central New Jersey. Proton therapy is an advanced cancer treatment that targets a patient’s tumor by depositing a high dose of radiation directly into a tumor and then stopping, selectively destroying cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact.
Wildfair will be open from May 1 to 31, every day, rain or shine. Parking is on Main Street in Mendham, with a free shuttle provided. Tickets are $50 prior to May 1, and $55 after that. For details or to purchase tickets, visit mansioninmay. org. In addition to general admission, private guided tours may be booked and special events are also being planned.
In addition to main areas of the home, also reimagined are spaces that will include an office, a library, a mud room, a game room and wine cellar, a hallway walk-in closet and a coffee bar in the primary bedroom. Outdoors, landscape designers are creating spaces with themes that include Walnut Woodland, Chasing Serenity, Beyond the Wild Foxes and Cocktails and Contemplation.
Over the years, the Women’s Association has contributed more than $32 million to Morristown Medical Center.
The New Providence Historical Society has a variety of upcoming events planned, and all are invited to take part. Admission is free of charge, and all events take place on the grounds of the society's Salt Box Museum, 1350 Springfield Ave., just west of downtown New Providence.
On Saturday, May 10, the annual Salt Box Craft Fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Vendor applications are available on the society's website, newprovidencehistorical.com. In recent years, crafts represented at the fair have included woodworking, crochet, quilting, paper crafts and more.
On Saturday, June 14, the New Providence Flea Market will be held from 9 to 3. Applications for that event are also accessible on the organization's website. Vendors at past flea markets have offered wares ranging from antique dishes and flatware to model trains and vintage toys – and everything in between.
Local residents are also asked to mark their calendars for the historical society's annual New Providence Book Festival, which will take place at the Salt Box Museum on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 9 to 3.
The Salt Box Museum is an 18th century farmhouse with a collection of historical artifacts that include a spinning wheel, antique fireplace implements, furniture and other period decorative arts pieces.
The museum is open the first Sunday of the month and by appointment. Call 908-665-1034 for details.
The New Providence Historical Society website features a virtual tour of the museum.
– whose brands include Neutrogena, Listerine and Tylenol – has opened its new world headquarters at 86 Morris Ave. in Summit, an address now known as 1 Kenvue Way.
At a recent ribbon cutting, Mayor Elizabeth Fagan, M.D., described the move as a “significant milestone for Summit.”
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, also in attendance, said, “I am thrilled to welcome Kenvue as they establish their home in Summit, cementing the company’s commitment to building the future of consumer health right here in the Garden State.” Previously, the main Kenvue campus had been in Skillman.
Kenvue CEO Thibaut Mongon welcomed local and regional elected officials and guests to the event, describing how seven locations in the U.S. have now been consolidated on the Summit campus, where the goal is to foster a collaborative environment and staff will be able to take advantage of new spaces designed to accelerate innovation and enhance consumer experiences.
Kenvue also announced its local charitable partners will include Bridges Outreach and GRACE.
The Summit College Club Foundation Book Sale will take place Wednesday, April 9, through Sunday, April 13, at American Legion Post #433, 357 Elkwood Ave., New Providence. Donations of books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs and LPs in good condition are being accepted at Post #433 through April 7. Textbooks, manuals, magazines, encyclopedias, VHS tapes and damaged items will not be accepted.
Proceeds provide college scholarships to young women from local high schools and to women returning to community college after a break in their education. Since the sale’s inception, the foundation has awarded scholarships totaling more than $1 million.
Preview Day is Wednesday, April 9, from 9 to 2. For a $25 admission fee, book dealers, collectors and book lovers receive early access.
Admission is free from April 1013. The sale has weekday, weekend and evening hours: Thursday and Friday, April 10 and 11, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 12, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 13, Bag Day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
More than 20,000 hardcover, trade and paperback books, as well as audiobooks, CDs, DVDs and LPs will be available. Most items are priced between 50 cents and $2. On the last day of the sale, shoppers may purchase a bag full of books for $5 or $10, depending on the bag size.
“The Summit College Club Book Sale is truly a community event,” said the Summit College Club’s president, Lynne Rogerson. “Our local communities are rich in readers. Local communities also support the sale through the many volunteers who donate their time.”
Learn more at summitcollegeclub.org.
The Summit Area YMCA Love and Legacy 5K returns on Sunday, May 4. Held at the YMCA (67 Maple St.), the event helps fund programs including financial assistance for childcare, health initiatives and mentorship programs.
EVENT SCHEDULE
• 7:30 – 8:15 a.m. | Check-in and Race Day Registration
• 8:15 – 8:29 a.m. | Pre-Race Announcements and Warm-Up
• 8:30 a.m. | 5K Start
• 9 a.m. | Family Fun Carnival (weather permitting)
• 9:30 a.m. | Awards Ceremony
• 10 a.m. | Kids Dash REGISTRATION DETAILS
• $35 early bird (until April 6)
• $40 standard (April 7 – May 3)
• $45 race day (May 4)
• $10 Kids Fun Run
Participants who register by April 6 will receive a race shirt. Early race packet pick-up will be available at Fleet Feet and the Berkeley Heights YMCA.
ADDITIONAL WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
• Honor a Loved One: The Love and Legacy Tree provides an opportunity to commemorate someone who has made a lasting impact. Participants can bring photos, drawings or other mementos to hang on the tree.
• Volunteer or Sponsor: Local businesses and individuals can contribute by becoming event sponsors or volunteering to assist with race logistics.
SPONSORS
• Fearless Champion: Atlantic Health System
• Compassionate Givers: DeFabio Chiropractic, Douglas Real Estate Consulting
• Gracious Donor: The Good Company Records
• Bold Backer: Lavender & Sage
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
Sign up at thesay.org/5K. For details, contact Patti Stenzel at patti.stenzel@thesay.org.
The Columbia Middle School PTO in Berkeley Heights, 345 Plainfield Ave., is collecting new and used athletic shoes and cleats -- adult and youth sizes -- both to keep them out of landfills and to raise funds.
A collection box sponsored by GotSneakers has been placed at the entrance of the school and will remain there until June 18. Donated footgear will be reused or recycled.
"Your old sneakers and cleats will make a huge difference," collection sponsors said.
The goal of the founders of GotSneakers is to make
it socially and financially rewarding to contribute to a circular economy by offering free collection programs for individuals and organizations of all types and sizes.
According to organizers, most people throw away their sneakers every 125 to 200 days without ever thinking of recycling them. Sneakers are made with materials that are not biodegradable, so they remain in landfills or are incinerated, which leads to toxic chemicals in the air and
For details about the collection, send an email to columbiapto@gmail.com.
With spring in full bloom, it’s the perfect time to reconnect in meaningful ways. Here in Summit, we’re committed to strengthening our bonds with residents and businesses through a variety of new initiatives.
One exciting new opportunity is our quarterly Virtual Town Halls, where I’ll be joined by a member of our staff to engage directly with the community. In March, we kicked things off with a lively Q&A featuring our incoming Chief of Police, Ryan Peters, who shared valuable insights on public safety in Summit. Our next town hall will take place this summer, and I encourage you to tune in live via our City of Summit Facebook page.
Additionally, we’ve launched a quarterly newsletter to keep residents informed with high-level updates delivered directly to your inbox. We believe that transparency is key to building strong relationships and trust between government and the community, and we’re always looking for new ways to foster those connections.
But it’s not all virtual—there’s plenty happening in Summit this spring that invites you to connect in person! This April, we’re hosting our annual Easter Egg Hunt on the Village Green, celebrating local government week with the Summit Showcase, and offering special promotions during the downtown Spring Fling, where our local businesses will be offering exciting deals. Our farmers’ market will also be returning, providing a great opportunity to support local vendors and enjoy the season.
And for those who enjoy outdoor activities, the Municipal Golf Course is officially open, offering both resident and non-resident rates, along with a full slate of programming through our Department of Community Programs. This spring, let’s make it a point to connect—whether virtually or in person!
Mayor Elizabeth Fagan Summit
Hello, Berkeley Heights!
Spring is here, and with it comes a sense of renewal and excitement. I am excited to share some important updates and upcoming events that will make this season even more special for our community.
Bulk Pickup Day begins May 5, the perfect opportunity to declutter your homes and get rid of large items you no longer need. Be sure to check out the guidelines on our website for your section of town!
For pickleball enthusiasts in town, we've got some exciting events lined up. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, our community events are a great way to get active, meet new people and have a little friendly competition. Our Recreation Department is proud to sponsor two exciting events: Celebrating 10 Years of Pickleball in honor of our friend Mike Grouss, and the Spring Pickleball Bash. Proceeds from the Bash will benefit Jim Ulaky, as well as fund upgrades and maintenance for the Tom Barton Courts.
Senior residents, be sure to take advantage of the free events and programs offered by our amazing Rec department this spring. Notably, there will be a free information session on the various property tax relief programs available for seniors. I look forward to seeing you there!
On May 26, we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom during our annual Memorial Day Parade. This is an important day for reflection and remembrance. If you or your group are interested in marching in the parade, applications are being accepted.
On March 22, Berkeley Heights launched the "Slow Down In Our Town" initiative on Park Avenue to raise awareness about speeding and improve road safety. This initiative, along with a recent decision to reduce the speed limit on Park from 40 to 30 mph, aims to keep residents safe while walking, biking or driving. I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and joyful Easter and Passover.
Mayor Angie Devanney Berkeley Heights
Our borough joins municipalities across N.J. in marking Local Government Week from April 6-12. We believe it’s important that residents understand how local government operates, the services it provides and the importance of citizens being involved.
This celebration week is an opportunity to engage our residents and help them become more informed about the many services we provide, while celebrating the importance and work of local government. We are excited about participating, and we hope to engage students, residents, business owners and senior citizens in the events.
Check the borough’s website for details about our Municipal Government Scavenger Hunt, join us at our Borough Council meeting, have coffee with me, Councilwoman Nadine Geoffroy and Councilwoman Diane Bilicska at the DeCorso Center, have a snack at Cookies with a Cop and more.
In addition, April 6-12 is National Library Week, which we are also celebrating in New Providence. Visit the library’s webpage for all of the details.
Visit the library on Elkwood Avenue to spin the prize wheel while you’re checking out your books, make a bookmark, pick up a Teeny Tiny art kit, listen to poetry or a Chess Club lecture, check out the Writing Wizards or Storytime with Miss Cathy, or bring children for Open Play at the Library. One of the special events everyone’s really looking forward to is the Preschooler Touch a Truck, where children will get to learn all about the interesting vehicles we use to keep our town in great shape. We’re planning to show off a fire truck, an ambulance, a police cruiser, a street sweeper and a dump truck. Hope you can attend!
Mayor Al Morgan
New Providence
