About GECC

~ It Started in the Summer of 1998 ~

In the summer of 1998, a group of mothers met several times at the home of Paula Tuffin in Montclair, New Jersey to form an organization whose main purpose was to address the social and cultural needs of their children. The final outcome of these early meetings was to organize as the New Jersey Community Youth Group (NJCYG), an interest group of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. The agenda set forth by the NJCYG was to create a medium of contact among children and to provide a constructive, educational, recreational, social and cultural program for children and their parents or guardians. Under the sponsorship and guidance of the North Jersey chapter of Jack and Jill, the group of 48 women submitted a formal request to become a chapter.  The NJCYG elected a slate of officers, formed committees, developed constitutional bylaws and formed six (6) “playgroups” for more than 84 children. Simultaneously, they also sanctioned a Fathers’ Auxiliary. This Fathers’ Auxiliary remains an integral part of our chapter.

~ GECC is Founded in July 2000 ~

Upon completion of the nationally and regionally mandated organizational and administrative requirements, charter and formal chapter status was granted to the NJCYC at the National Conference of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. in Charlotte, North Carolina in July of 2000 and The Greater Essex County Chapter (“GECC”) of Jack and Jill of America was founded. At the time of its chartering, the Greater Essex County chapter was the 12th such chapter to be chartered in New Jersey and was one of the then 50 chapters of the Eastern Region. The installation ceremonies were conducted by Dr. Catherine Collins, National Vice President, Charn Floyd, Eastern Regional Director, Evelyn Davis, Eastern Regional Secretary/Treasurer and Barbara Martin, Eastern Regional Protocol Chair.   National Vice President Floyd is quoted to have said the following about our chapter:  “They truly have shown the steadfast commitment required of them to develop a chapter. And, it is because of their obvious dedication that we are expecting great things from these others and their children.” Indeed, NVP Floyd’s prediction was accurate.

~ GECC Celebrates its 10th Anniversary ~

After several years of excellent programming, active involvement in the community and stellar leadership in and outside of the chapter, the Greater Essex County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. celebrated its 10th anniversary on September 29, 2010. 

GECC is proud to have won and administered three grants from the Jack and Jill of America Foundation.  One of those grants funded a Reading Corner, which received both local and regional recognition for its design and meaningful impact to the population it serves. This Reading Corner, housed at the Orange, NJ offices of Family Connections, the leading service provider in NJ for family and addiction counseling, is not only a learning resource, it is a therapeutic resource for parents and their children. This Reading Corner, named “Healing Hearts through Healing Words” was designed to be a resource for the participants of Family Connections’ Strong Fathers/Strong Mothers intensive outpatient substance abuse programs and it targets children who, themselves, may be dealing with mental health issues and/or whose parents are grappling with substance abuse addiction and/or mental health issues.  In addition to receiving local press about this wonderful community resource, we were also deeply honored to have received a proclamation from our then Governor, the Honorable Chris Christie, and the Mayor of Orange, NJ, the Honorable Dwayne D. Warren, Esq.

~ GECC Celebrates its 15th Anniversary ~

On October 18, 2014, GECC celebrated its 15th anniversary with a Mardi Gras Ball. We were fortunate to have also had the opportunity to celebrate our forty-eight (48) charter members.  These very special women represent our original “jewels” of our chapter and their legacy is still felt within the communities we touch and serve today.  During this fabulous event, we solidified our ”Power to Make a Difference“ as a pillar in the community, a support network for women and a training ground for our children - the  future leaders of our nation.

Our chapter has long been dedicated to supporting the efforts of the Jack and Jill of America Foundation and maximizing the level of impact that we are able to make for our community partners.  After years of successful fundraisers, which have supported our community partners as well as the Foundation, we were elated to win 1st place for our contributions to the Foundation. This award was presented to us in July 2019 at the Eastern Regional Mothers’ Conference in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

~ GECC Celebrates its 20th Anniversary ~

Our 20th anniversary was bittersweet as we, our friends, family, community, and the entire world, were shocked by the brutal COVID-19 pandemic. Our chapter members faced the unprecedented task of juggling everything from health to economic challenges, to virtual schooling for toddlers through college and much more. Under the leadership of our IPP Carolyn Mason, our chapter stayed connected as families supported first responders, celebrated our graduating teens with our first-ever graduation celebration caravan, among many other demonstrations of support during this challenging, uncertain time.

~ GECC’s Future Is Bright ~

Now, we reflect with pride on our past accomplishments and look ahead to finding even more ways to use our “power to make a difference” within our families and communities.