Ever since she was growing up, our Homegrown Hero Jessica Cruz-Breeman had one thought in mind: "How can I make a difference?" It’s been part of her nature for a long time and now more than ever she’s been put to the test with Jersey Cares in finding ways to help out those in need and get more people involved in the community.
“When I graduated college, I was unsure what my career would look like. I spent a few years in campus and diversity recruiting, and part of my role included engaging employees and interns in community days of service. I quickly realized that giving back to the community through volunteerism was my passion and wanted to make it my career. That’s when I decided to join the Jersey Cares Team,” said Mrs. Cruz-Breeman.
Since the pandemic started, Jersey Cares has created over a dozen brand new programs designed to engage corporate employees, individuals and families, while supporting some of our most vulnerable populations.
For 27 years, Jersey Cares volunteers have been giving back mostly through in-person and large groups projects. When the pandemic hit, the Jersey Cares team immediately reached out to their non-profit partners to see how their needs have changed and how they can help.
“We connected with hundreds of schools and agencies across New Jersey to learn more about how the pandemic has impacted their communities and how we can help,” said Mrs. Cruz-Breeman, “We had to pivot our volunteer programs to address the critical needs our neighbors are facing, and think creatively about how we are going to meet those needs.
“For our corporate partners, we have developed new opportunities to engage employees from the safety of their homes. From senior pen pals, to virtual art projects; appreciation videos to professional development workshops, we have something for everyone,” said Mrs. Cruz-Breeman. “We’ve also launched a series of new programs for individuals and families via our Volunteer Opportunity Calendar at www.jerseycares.org. These opportunities include the Rao’s #sauce4cause Challenge, Senior Shoppers Program, Mask Making Project, Food Distribution, Virtual Pet Therapy and more!”
In her position as Corporate Relations Manager, Mrs. Cruz-Breeman has taken initiative in not only advertising these programs, but to also take part in them, so she can lead by example.
“We recently launched the first-ever, Jersey Cares Virtual Diaper Drive to support families that are struggling to access diapers due to the pandemic. I decided to register as a volunteer, hoping to inspire others to do the same. Leveraging social media, I’ve been able to collect over 2,000 diapers in just a few weeks from porches in Morris, Essex and Hunterdon County, and delivering them to non-profit partners in Newark and Paterson. To date, Jersey Cares volunteers have been able to collect and distribute over 36,000 diapers.”
With all that she’s seen and experienced in the last months, Mrs. Cruz-Breeman believes it’s important not to take anything for granted.
“I think the number one lesson I’ve learned is to not take anything for granted. Be grateful for good health, the roof over your head and appreciate the people in your life,” she says. “We all have the power to make a positive impact in the world, to help ourselves and to help those around us.”
She continued, “The projects we design at Jersey Cares are so much more then a one-day, or one-hour event, they are opportunities for volunteers to make a lifelong impact for the community.”
“The New York Red Bulls' volunteers bring the energy and teamwork they show on the field to our Jersey Cares volunteer events. It’s been an absolute pleasure to partner with them and we are looking forward to continuing to team-up on community service events in the future.”
