LAWRENCE— New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Group (NJM) employees are watching their donated dollars for the new HomeFront Family Campus grow exponentially thanks to the generosity of NJM and the David Tepper Charitable Foundation.
For the last year, HomeFront has worked to raise the $6 million needed to renovate the 8.5-acre decommissioned naval base in Ewing into a new Family Campus, described by founder and CEO Connie Mercer as a “village of healing and hope” for homeless and low-income families. A few months ago, as HomeFront worked to raise the remaining $1.5 million to reach its goal, the David Tepper Charitable Foundation made a dramatic pledge to match every dollar raised with $2, up to $1 million, effectively lowering HomeFront’s fundraising burden from $1.5 million to $500,000 to finish the project.
“This is more than a gift,” explained David Tepper. “It’s an investment in the community and our collective future. HomeFront is at the forefront of the battle against poverty and we are proud to support its efforts.”
NJM, which already has an employee matching-gift program, now has launched a special Family Campus initiative through June. A table has been set up in the company cafeteria and an article about the initiative is running on the employee intranet site, announcing that it will match employees’ gifts, and that in turn, will be matched by the Tepper gift. So, if an employee donates $25, NJM will turn that gift into $50, which becomes $150, thanks to the Tepper Foundation.
“HomeFront is such a vital resource for families in need in the greater Mercer County area, and we are very pleased to further our long-standing corporate commitment through support of the new Family Campus,” said Mike Van Wagner, NJM’s vice president of public affairs. “Thanks to the Tepper Challenge, our employees now have a special opportunity to contribute and to see their donations grow six fold!”
“Words cannot express my gratitude for all that is happening in the community in response to the Tepper Challenge,” Connie Mercer said. “NJM and its employees have been a part of the HomeFront family for many years. Thanks to them, and to the many other members of our Mercer County family, we are truly almost home, figuratively and literally, as we plan to move in to the new center by the end of the summer!”
