Chasing Good closes out year three: Let’s Meet the Winners!
By Caroline Cleaveland
After its third year of chasing down the good in the world and rewarding NJ good deed-doers, Chasing Good has a new batch of winners to celebrate!
Our first place winner is Nicki Romanello, an Italian-born ray of sunshine who has inspired everyone in her life. Nicki contracted polio at age five, leaving her paralyzed and wheelchair-bound. Despite her hardships, Nicki continues to be a beacon of hope towards all who know her, and is constantly ready to offer advice, support, and encouragement.
Nicki blesses the lives of her various students with affordable, substantial Italian lessons and has a unique, unparalleled love for all living creatures. Even in her condition, she took on the daunting role of a caretaker, and supported her mother through her battle with Alzheimer’s Disease, which unfortunately caused her death in 2019. Nicki persevered through this crisis and further dedicated her life to helping those around her. Nicki donates to her church frequently, although she faces severe mobility issues and is unable to attend mass. Nicki cannot travel anywhere without an expensive handicap-accessible van. As a reward for her tremendous impact on others, Chasing Good is proud to present Nicki with first place. The monetary value of Nicki’s prize will be donated to the Helping Hands and Hearts program at Saint Helen Church to help fund the purchase of a handicap-accessible van for Nicki. Congratulations Nicki, may you continue to spread positivity everywhere you go!
Our second place tied winners are Irene Bieniaszewski and Karen Maher. Irene has volunteered for the Union County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for sixteen years. Irene has served on the NAMI Board, handled the NAMI phone line and email correspondence, and helped organize NAMI’s annual community social events in Union County. In 2017, Irene enlisted the help of NAMI to create an event called the “Summer Beach Party,” where residents of the Park Hotel in Plainfield, housing adults with mental illnesses, can indulge in stress-free fun. The beach party includes festive decorations, games, food, ice cream, and prizes personally selected by Irene. She also used her own savings to buy shoes and clothes for these residents, starting a NAMI tradition. Irene’s impact on her community is nothing short of profound, and through her work she helps struggling people reconnect with joy and love. Irene perpetually strives to further human happiness, and her beneficiaries are more than grateful. One especially touching note that Irene received from a Park Hotel resident read, “Thank you for making us feel like real people.” Thanks for your dedication to others, Irene, and congrats on winning our second place award!
Tied with Irene, Karen Maher has put countless hours into volunteer work at St. Joseph Social Service Center. St. Joseph is a not for profit organization in Elizabeth, NJ, that provides services to help individuals living in poverty without stripping their dignity. Karen has volunteered as coordinator for the “Two Lunch Tuesday” program at Franklin School in Westfield and the Giving Tree Holiday program, as well as served on the board as Treasurer and President. Karen also chaired the Fundraising Raffle Dinner Committee this past year. She organizes various groups to collect socks, winter accessories, toiletries, and small gifts year round to support the Giving Tree Holiday program and this past year, Karen coordinated the event to be set up like a retail store with her extensive planning. Karen honors the dignity of every person utilizing St. Joseph’s services. Due to her immense compassion and effective leadership, we’ve decided to award Karen the second place award. Congratulations, Karen!
The third place award goes to the Saint Vincent De Paul Food Pantry at Guardian Angels Church. The pantry serves thirty-five clients food and other items every two-weeks at the church auditorium. This food pantry has a tremendous impact on the community and helps ease the burdens of financial and medical needs for all they serve. Their mission is to prevent those in their community from having to make important sacrifices in order to meet their basic needs. The Saint Vincent De Paul Food Pantry has done an incredible job lifting up everyone who seeks out their services, which is why we feel they are deserving of the third-place award.
Congratulations to all of our winners and thank you for your submissions! We hope the Chasing Good award can enforce your mission to inspire change and help others in times of need.