Rachel Schwarz of Maplewood Named Co-Chair of Greater Newark Conservancy's City Bloom Gala

Maplewood resident Rachel Schwarz will chair Greater Newark Conservancy’s Making Our City Bloom Gala at the Short Hills Hilton on May 19, 2016. Schwarz, Vice President of Investments for The Short Hills Group, UBS Financial Services, Inc., will be joined as co-chair for the biennial fundraising event by Janette Filbert Spiezio of Westfield, Vice President, Shared Services Compliance and Anti-Corruption Compliance Officer for Prudential Financial, Inc. Schwarz and Filbert Spiezio are members of the Conservancy’s Board of Directors.

Former Governor James McGreevey, the founder and Chairman of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, will be the keynote speaker at the event which benefits the Conservancy’s programs and services in the areas of environmental education, community greening and urban farms, nutrition, job training and environmental justice. Honorees will include Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Neil Greenstein, owner of the new ShopRite of Newark and Brookdale ShopRite in Bloomfield, Panasonic Corporation of North America and PSEG.

Schwarz joined the board of Greater Newark Conservancy in 2008, following in the footsteps of her late mother, Diane Polk Schwarz, who was a devoted benefactor. Her great-great grandfather served as rabbi in 1860 at the former synagogue on the Conservancy’s Outdoor Learning Center campus on Prince Street that has been transformed into an educational and community center.

Her interest in volunteerism, particularly in environmental education and advocacy as well as community gardening and urban farming was passed down by her parents, James and Diane Schwarz. She serves on the Conservancy’s finance and board development committees and as a trustee of the Jewish Women's Foundation of New Jersey.

“Greater Newark Conservancy has an ethos of making our little part of the world a better place, through environmental and nutritional education, and programs like the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, that are providing people with opportunities to bring positive changes for themselves and their families by creating and contributing to greener and healthier communities in which to live, learn and work,” Schwarz noted.

“The Conservancy’s educational programs enrich the lives of thousands of inner city children from pre-school to high school. Our ‘Newark Fresh’ produce grown on our Newark urban farms is increasing access to nutritious food for thousands of low income residents of the City, including many senior citizens,” added the Conservancy’s Executive Director, Robin Dougherty.

“Through our City Bloom Landscaping and Clean & Green Programs, the Conservancy is providing landscaping and horticultural job training for hundreds of recently incarcerated Newark residents, allowing them to contribute to our initiatives as they move towards full-time employment and reclaimed lives. Support for the gala will help us continue to expand our programs and services and make an even bigger contribution to the communities we serve,” Dougherty concluded.

To support the gala as a pinnacle, benefactor, sponsor, patron or through individual ticket purchases, contact Brian David at 973.642.4646, ext. 16 or email bdavid@citybloom.org.

For more information about programs, services and volunteer opportunities, or to make a donation, contact Greater Newark Conservancy at 973-642-4646 or visit CityBloom.org. You can also follow news from the Conservancy through social media at Facebook.com/GreaterNewarkConservancy, plus Twitter and Instagram - @Citybloom87.