DONATIONS
SEPTEMBER 2020
NVE Bank awards $100K in grants to Bergen restaurants, makes
$10K donation to food pantry
NVE Bank has continued its philanthropic fight against the pandemic, awarding $100,000 in grants to Bergen County restaurants affected by COVID-19 and making a donation to a food pantry in Englewood, where the bank is based.
The latest grants will support restaurants that experienced a significant decrease in revenue due to the COVID-19 crisis, the bank said.
“With many local small businesses hit hard by the pandemic, we felt it was important to help however we could,” CEO and President Robert Rey said in a prepared statement. “For many of these businesses and organizations, large portions of their revenue have been curtailed due to the pandemic. NVE is thankful to be able to help them get back on track.”
In addition to the restaurants, the Office of Concern Food Pantry at St. Cecilia Church received a $10,000 donation. The food pantry has seen usage grow from 600 families weekly to closer to 1,000.
“Through the years, we have been fortunate to partner with the Office of Concern, and have witnessed firsthand the essential services they provide for our neighbors in need,” Rey said. “We are grateful to be in position to further assist their remarkable efforts to help others during this very difficult time.”
JULY 2020
NVE Bank Awards $100,000 in Grants to 10 Bergen County Non-Profits Impacted by COVID-19
NVE Bank has awarded $100,000 in grants to 10 Bergen County non-profit organizations impacted by COVID-19. The organizations are in Bergenfield, Closter, Cresskill, Englewood, Hillsdale, Leonia, New Milford, and Tenafly; each received $10,000. NVE’s grantees are dedicated to supporting education, food insecurity, home repair for low-income homeowners, nature preservation, and faith-based initiatives.
NVE Bank provided the funds in conjunction with the FHLBNY SBRG program. Grant funds are intended to support organizations that have experienced a significant decrease in revenue or unanticipated extraordinary expenses because of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and are least likely to have access to other sources of emergency funds.
“As a community mutual bank, our mission is to ensure the people and organizations in the nine towns we serve remain strong, even in these difficult times,” said NVE Bank President and CEO Robert Rey. “We do not issue stock or exist to maximize investor returns for Wall Street, which allows us to focus on serving our customers and community. Our goal with these grants is to help those that help our communities. For many of these organizations, large portions of their revenue are secured through fundraising programs and events that were canceled due to the pandemic. NVE is thankful to be able to help them get back on track by providing these grants.”
COMMUNITY EVENTS
June 2024
Community
NVE Bank Awards Scholarships to 18 Bergen County Students.
NVE Bank provided $500 Savings Awards to local eighth grade students in the communities we serve.
Pictured below at the Englewood Palisades Charter School Awards Ceremony is Lena Sung, Engle Street Branch Manager and recipient Raina Mirza Jeanene Ponce-Garcia. Pictured below right at the Thomas Jefferson Middle School Ceremony in Teaneck is Brian Uhlfelder, Palisades Avenue Branch Manager and recipient Stephen George Rynd.
NVE Bank provided $1,000 Scholarships to ten local high school students in the communities we serve. Pictured below left at the Cresskill High School Awards Ceremony is Vivian Mendez, Cresskill Branch Manager and recipient Hyan Lee. Pictured below right at the Teaneck High Ceremony is Brian Uhlfelder, Palisades Avenue Branch Manager and recipient Hiba Ismail.
These student scholarships are part of a program that has been offered by the Bank since 2008; since the program’s inception, NVE has awarded more than $200,000 to 308 deserving scholars in Bergen County. These scholarships are awarded to students based on scholastic aptitude and financial need, with the goal of helping alleviate some of the costs associated with achieving a higher education. A reception was held at the Main Office on Thursday, June 20th to recognize the recipients and their families for their accomplishments.
Picture above back row (left to right) NVE Executive employees Hilary Walsh, John Spencer, Stephanie Stagg, Rob Rey, and Mike McCambridge. Front row eight grade savings award recipients.
Picture above back row (left to right) NVE Executive employees Hilary Walsh, John Spencer, Stephanie Stagg, Rene Miranda, Rob Rey, and Mike McCambridge. Front row high school scholarship recipients.
Thank you notes were sent to Karen Melon, VP of Retail Sales, Marketing, and Community Development from two of our scholarship recipients:
High School Scholars
Hiba Ismail (Teaneck High School) – Fairleigh Dickinson University
Brianna Flemmings (Leonia High School) – Quinnipiac University
Sophia Loeser (Pascack Valley High School) – University of Delaware
Hayan Lee (Cresskill High School) – Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Jayden Newman (Bergenfield High School) – Montclair State University
Ani Okropiridze (Tenafly High School) – Rutgers University, Newark
Amy-Li Vitone (New Milford High School) – The College of New Jersey
Trinity Lee (Northern Valley High School) – Berklee College of Music
Jeremiah Wynn (Dwight Morrow/Englewood) – Bergen Community College
Karen Rios (Academies at Englewood) – Bergen Community College
Middle School Scholars
Lara Mohl – Cresskill Middle School
Stephen George Rynd – Thomas Jefferson Middle School
Abigail An – Janis Dismus Middle School
Jeanene Ponce-Garcia – Englewood/Palisades Charter
Rouen Ha – Leonia Middle School
Hannah Cho – David Owens Middle School
Victoria Varela-Pineda – Roy Brown Middle School
Luckina Vu – Benjamin Franklin School
NVE Bank proudly supports and participates with local Chambers of Commerce in their communities. Lena Sung, Branch Manager Engle Street office participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony for Éclair Land in Englewood. Lena engaged with participants and local business owners on the products and services available at NVE Bank. This participation reflects the bank’s deep-rooted dedication to enriching the communities they serve.
Picture above left Lena Sung, Engle Street Branch manager, employees of Éclair Land, mayor Michael Wilde cutting the ribbon, and various Chamber Members.
May 2024
Community
NVE Bank proudly supports and participates with local Chambers of Commerce in their communities. Lena Sung, Branch Manager Engle Street office participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony for The Minuteman Press in Englewood. Lena engaged with participants and local business owners on the products and services available at NVE Bank. This participation reflects the bank’s deep-rooted dedication to enriching the communities they serve.
Pictured above Minuteman Press owner Jeffrey Hoffman (center), Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes (to his right), Lena Sung Engle Street Branch Manager (fifth from right), and Englewwood business owners.
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NVE Bank proudly supports and participates with local community organizations such as Bark for Education. Cresskill Branch employees Vivian Mendez, branch manager and Michael Vasquez, universal banker participated in the event and engaged with participants and local business owners on the products and services available at NVE Bank. This participation reflects the bank’s deep-rooted dedication to enriching the communities they serve.
Pictured above (left to right) Vivian Mendez and Michael Vasquez.
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NVE Bank proudly participated with the Teaneck Chamber of Commerce in a First Time Home Buyer workshop on May 22. Olena Shumilin, Vice President of Loan Operations presented the on The ABC’s of Homebuying to help first-time hombuyers understand the process of purchasing their first home and educated participants on programs NVE Bank offers. Olena provided information on the Bergen County American Dream Program and the FHLBNY Homebuyer Dream Program which are available to assist low-to-moderate income first-time homebuyers with grant funds to provide assistance with down payment and closing costs, and the qualification criteria for the program. Participants received valuable insight and information in the homebuying process. This participation reflects the bank’s deep-rooted dedication to enriching the communities they serve.
Pictured above Olena Shumilin, Vice President of Loan Operations.
April 2024
Community
NVE Bank Branch Managers participated in the American Bankers Association April Teach Children to Save initiative by visiting grammar schools, middle schools, and high schools in their communities. Branch managers visited nine grammar schools and read stories to the second and third graders on the importance of saving and at the conclusion of the presentation students were excited to receive NVE piggy banks and coloring books. Branch managers also visited one middle school and discussed the importance of savings and having a “rainy day fund” and at the conclusion of the presentation students received NVE frisbees to remember not to throw their money away. Additionally, financial literacy presentations were completed at four local high schools where the students learned the differences between checking and savings accounts, creating a budget, the importance of properly managing their accounts, and fraud protection. Throughout the month of April, NVE Branch Managers provided knowledge on banking and the importance of saving to over 1200 students. The students were extremely engaging, asked many questions, and shared their appreciation for the presentation and the information provided. This participation reflects the bank’s deep-rooted dedication to enriching the communities they serve.
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NVE Bank proudly supports and participates with Rebuilding Together North Jersey. Rebuilding Together is a National Organzation with a local community division and roots. NVE Bank sponsored a home in our community for National Rebuilding Together day on April 27th, where Handan Koch, Branch Manager New Milford, Karen Melon, Vice President of Retail Sales, Marketing and Community Development, and Ganna Maceda-Rybalka, loan closer participated in cleaning, painting, and lanscaping. This participation reflects the bank’s deep-rooted dedication to enriching the communities they serve.
Pictured above (left to right) Handan Koch, Karen Melon, and Ganna Maceda-Rybalka.
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NVE Bank proudly supports Bergen County CASA, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping foster children that have been removed form their homes due to abuse and/or neglect. NVE provided Sponsorship for their Casino Night held on April 17th, their annual fund raiser, to support its operating costs and ensure on-going recruitment and training of new Advocates. Funds raised also help to provide a wide range of essential and enrichment items for their foster children including tutoring, laptops, summer camps, sportes equipment, etc. This participation reflects the bank’s deep-rooted dedication to enriching the communities they serve.
Pictured above (left to right) Karen Melon, Vanessa May, and Handan Koch.
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NVE Bank proudly participated in the Bergen County Community Development free online zoom workshop “Spring into Homeownership” on April 27th. Olena Shumilin, Vice President of Loan Operations presented the class on The ABC’s of Homebuying to help first-time hombuyers understand the process of purchasing their first home and educated participants on other programs NVE Bank offers. Olena provided information on the FHLBNY Homebuyer Dream Program which is available to assist low-to-moderate income first-time homebuyers with grant funds to provide assistance with down payment and closing costs, and the qualification criteria for the program. Participants received valuable insight and information in the homebuying process. This participation reflects the bank’s deep-rooted dedication to enriching the communities they serve.
October 2023
Community
NVE BANK sponsored and participated in the American Heart Association Tri-County Heart Walk on October 7th. NVE employees participated at the event and engaged with residents and visitors, highlighting NVE Bank, and the many ways we are able to assist them with their financial needs and priorities.
Pictured middle picture (left to right) is Manfred Gil, Branch Manager Teaneck Road, Noran Elsayed, Part-time Teller Teaneck Road, Suzanne Wilson, Branch Manager Closter, Karen Melon, VP Retial Sales, Markeing & Community Development, Desiree Chapman, Universal Banker Associate Palisades Avenue Branch and Hilary Walsh, Senior Vice President/Senior Risk Officer/Corporate Secretary. Pictured right picture (left to right) is Karen Melon, Hilary Walsh, Suzanne Wilson, and Noran Elsayed.
NVE BANK Engle Street Branch Manager, Lena Sung, participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony with the North NJ Chamber of Commerce for Arosa New Jersey on October 5th. Lena was able to engage with participants and employees by highlighting NVE Bank, and the many ways we can assist them with their financial needs and priorities.
Pictured left is Lena Sung, Branch Manager Engle Street, Englewood Branch along with employees of Arosa. Cutting the ribbon is Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes and pictured far right is Carol Rauscher, President North NJ Chamber of Commerce.
NVE BANK participated in the Bergen County Job Fair held on October 20th at Bergen Community College. Over 120 employers participated in the event and more than 900 individuals registered to attend the event seeking employment. NVE employees engaged with prospective applicants highlighting the career opportunites available at NVE Bank.
Pictured left picture (left to right) is Vivian Mendez, Branch Manager Cresskill and Karen Melon, Vice President of Retail Sales, Marketing, and Community Development. Pictured right picture is Vivian Mendez and Karen Melon.
September 2023
Community
NVE BANK participated in the 9th Annual Tenafly Community Night on September 12th. NVE Tenafly Universal Banker and Karen Melon participated in the event and engaged with residents and visitors, highlighting NVE Bank, and the many ways we are able to assist them with their financial needs and prioritities.
Pictured left picture is Karen Melon, VP Retial Sales, Markeing & Community Development officer. Pictured middle picture (left to right) Karen Melon and Michael Galante, Univeral Banker, Tenafly.
August 2023
Community
NVE BANK Sponsored the Tenafly Summer Concert on August 1st. NVE employees from the Tenafly and Englewood branches participated in the event and engaged with residents and visitors, highlighting NVE Bank, and the many ways we are able to assist them with their financial needs and priorities.
Pictured middle picture is Lena Sung, Branch Manager Engle Street and pictured in the right picture is Michael Galante, Universal Banker, Tenafly.
NVE BANK Sponsored the Teaneck and New Milford National Nights Out on August 1st. The NVE employees from the Teaneck Road and Palisades Avenue branches in Teaneck along with the employees from the New Milford branch participated in the event and engaged with residents and visitors. Employees were able to highlight NVE Bank, and the many ways we are able to assist them with their financial needs and priorities.
Pictured left picture is Manfred Gil, Branch Manager Teaneck Road, Teaneck Branch. Pictured middle picture are the Palisades Avenue, Teaneck branch employees (left to right) Kamal Khan, Part-time Teller, Desiree Chapman, Universal Banker Associate, and Brian Uhlfelder, Branch Manager. Pictured right picture (left to right) are Handan Koch, Branch Manager, New Milford and Shumaila Abbas, Universal Banker, New Milford.
AUGUST 2023
Community
NVE BANK Sponsored Englewood Sizzling Sidewalks in partnership with the North New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. The event highlighted Englewood’s downtown area and the businesses that operate there. The NVE team participated in the event and engaged with residents and visitors, highlighting NVE Bank, and the many ways we are able to assist them with their financial needs and priorities.
Pictured above left Lena Sung NVE Branch Manager Engle Street, Englewood Branch and Brian Uhlfelder NVE Branch Manager Palisade Avenue, Teaneck Branch.
JULY 2023
Community
NVE BANK Sponsored a Women’s Networking Event with the Teaneck Chamber of Commerce at the Palisade Avenue Branch. It was a wonderful morning of networking with one another.
Pictured left to right, Jennifer Glass of Business Growth Strategies International, Handan Koch NVE New Milford Branch Manager, Barbara Ostroth Realtor Coldwell Banker, Olena Shumilin NVE Bank Vice President Loan Operations, Danielle Adams of Danielle Adams Design, Camille Munro Caring People Inc, Ramona Cedar Lane Management, Raysel Compana Dignity Memorial, and Desiree Chapman NVE Bank Universal Banker Associate (not pictured Shelly Edelson of Five Star Premier Residences and Karen Melon NVE Bank Vice President).
NVE Bank Awards Scholarships to 18 Bergen County Students.
NVE Bank provided $500 Savings Awards to local eighth grade students in the communities we serve.
Pictured below at the Englewood Middle School Awards Ceremony is Karen Melon, Vice President NVE Bank and recipient Raina Mirza (not pictured Lena Sung NVE Engle Street Branch Manager).
The 2022-2023 school year can be described as one where we are returned to a new sense of normal. While there has been much uncertainty surrounding most aspects of daily life during the past few years, one thing we are certain of is how deserving NVE’s 2023 scholarship recipients are of this award. These scholarships are awarded to students based on scholastic aptitude and financial need, with the goal of helping to alleviate some of the costs associated with achieving a higher education.
A $1,000 scholarship was awarded to ten high school students and a $500 savings product was awarded to eight middle school students. The schools then selected the scholarship recipients. These student scholarships are part of a program that has been offered by the Bank since 2008; since the program’s inception, NVE has awarded more than $214,000 to 290 deserving scholars in Bergen County. A reception was held at the Main Office on Tuesday, June 20th to recognize all recipients for their accomplishments.
Pictured above left picture (left to right) are NVE employees Mike McCambridge, Chief Financial Officer, Stephanie Stagg, First Senior Vice Present Chief Credit Officer, John Spencer, Executive Vice President, Rob Rey, President, Lena Sung, Branch Manager Engle Street, and holding the check are 8th grade savings award recipients Laiba Abbassi and Raina Mirza.
Pictured above right picture (left to right) are NVE employees Mike McCambridge, Chief Financial Officer, Stephanie Stagg, First Senior Vice Present Chief Credit Officer, Rob Rey, President, John Spencer, Executive Vice President, Hilary Walsh Senior Vice President, and holding the check are high school scholarship recipient Cecilia Payano and Relisa Mitchell parent of Campbell Mitchell(not pictured).
High School Scholars
Campbell Mitchell (Teaneck High School) – Cornell University
Abigail Boyd (Leonia High School) – University of Delaware
Taylor Spence (Pascack Valley High School) – Texas A&M University
Shani Gal (Cresskill High School) – University of South Florida
Cecilia Payano (Bergenfield High School) – Montclair State University
Madison Lee (Tenafly High School) – Northeastern University
Demetri Michael (New Milford High School) – Rutgers University
Hannah Lee (Northern Valley High School) – The College of New Jersey
Lola Blah (Dwight Morrow/Englewood) – Hampton University
Ceren Sari (Academies at Englewood) – Rutgers University
Middle School Scholars
Colin Mattessich – Cresskill Middle School
Laiba Abbasi – Thomas Jefferson Middle School
Raina Mirza – Janis Dismus Middle School
Chelsea Howell – Englewood/Palisades Charter
Rachel Lee – Leonia Middle School
Chris Ajit – David Owens Middle School
Andrew Perez – Roy Brown Middle School
Gardenia Mejia-Aguilar – Tenafly Middle School
A thank you note sent to Vivian Mendez, NVE Branch Manager Cresskill from one of our scholarship recipients:
JUNE 2023
Community
NVE Bank Branch Manager Suzanne Wilson and Karen Melon VP Retail Sales, Marketing, and Community Development Office participated in financial literacy presentations for three classes at a local high school where the students learned the differences between checking and savings accounts, creating a budget, the importance of properly managing their accounts, and fraud protection.
Dear Karen & Suzanne,
I should be the one thanking you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come in to speak to my students. It was delightful having you. The information that you shared with the students is so timely and beneficial. I do hope that they take the time to share some of the information with their families.
I’ll be sure to pass your information on to my colleagues.
Warm regards,
Inga Nelson
NVE Bank provides $1000 scholarship annually to local high school students in the communities we serve. Pictured below at the New Milford High Schools Awards Ceremony is Handan Koch, Branch Manager New Milford. Pictured left to right Kelly Peterfriend Supervisor of Guidance, recipient Demetri Michael, and Handan Koch, Branch Manager.
NVE Bank provided a $500 donation to the Closter Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Corp during their 2023 fund drive. Pictured below are Suzanne Wilson, Closter Branch Manager and Terri Delyon, Vice President of the Closter Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Corp.
FEBRUARY 2023
NVE Bank provides sponsorship and support for Annual NAACP Health Fair
NVE Bank provided sponsorship and support for the Third Annual NAACP Health Fair held on February 11th at Grieco Elementary School in Englewood, NJ. The Health Fair provided free health screens and educational seminars to the attendees. The bank engaged participants and provided a fun game of “Spin the Wheel” where prizes could be won. A great time was had by all for this very important community activity. In attendance from NVE Bank were Desiree Chapman, Universal Banker from the Palisades Avenue Teaneck Branch, Donna Jennings, Universal Banker from the Engle Street Englewood Branch, Handan Koch Branch Manager from the New Milford Office, and Karen Melon VP of Retail Sales, Marketing and Community Development Officer. NVE Bank truly cares about the health and wellbeing of the residents in the communities we serve and looks forward to participating in functions throughout the year.
JUNE 2022
NVE Bank Awards Scholarships to 15 Bergen County Students
The 2021-2022 school year can be described as one where we are returning to a new sense of normal. While there has been much uncertainty surrounding most aspects of daily life during the past few years, one thing we are certain of is how deserving NVE’s 2022 scholarship recipients are of this award. These scholarships are awarded to students based on scholastic aptitude and financial need, with the goal of helping to alleviate some of the costs associated with achieving a higher education.
$1,000 scholarships were provided to eight high schools and $500 savings products were provided to seven middle schools. The schools then selected the scholarship recipients. These student scholarships are part of a program that has been offered by the Bank since 2008; since the program’s inception, NVE has awarded more than $200,000 to 272 deserving scholars in Bergen County. Meet the NVE Bank Scholarship Program class of 2022:
High School Scholars
Timothy Garcia (Teaneck High School) – William Paterson University
Melany Urena (Leonia High School) – Montclair State University
Paris O’Connor (Pascack Valley High School) –University of Miami
Tiarra Barnes (Cresskill High School) – University of Arizona
Carla Tavarez (Bergenfield High School) – State University of NY at Oneonta
Lori Oh (Tenafly High School) – Rutgers University
Martin Gallino (New Milford High School) – New Jersey Institute of Technology
Evan Quiros (Northern Valley High School) – Bergen Community College
Middle School Scholars
Lexi Madison Carnegie – Thomas Jefferson Middle School
Daniela Lopez – David Owens Middle School
Natalie Partsch – Janis Dismus Middle School
Angelina Echevarria – Roy Brown Middle School
Annabelle Atakhanian – Cresskill Middle School
Angel Porras – Benjamin Franklin Middle School
Miguel Cardenas – Leonia Middle School
NOVEMBER 2019
NVE Bank Launches Thanksgiving Food Drive
Donations will benefit St. Cecelia’s Office of Concern Food Pantry
NVE Bank has launched a bank-wide Thanksgiving food drive to benefit the families who rely upon the St. Cecilia Office of Concern Food Pantry. Staffed completely by volunteers, the Office of Concern Food Pantry located at 55 West Demarest Avenue in Englewood, supplies weekly groceries to over 900 families in Englewood and surrounding communities, and is the largest single location food pantry in Bergen County. NVE is asking for donations of non-perishable food items such as canned fruits and vegetables, pasta, breakfast cereals, cranberry sauce and stuffing.
“As a mutual bank, NVE has deep roots within the towns we serve and is committed to ensuring that our communities remain healthy and strong” commented Robert Rey, President & CEO of NVE Bank. “Through our Food Drive, we hope to make Thanksgiving a little brighter for our neighbors in need”.
OCTOBER 2019
NVE Bank Sponsors Bergen-Passaic Heart Walk
Englewood Mutual Bank Donates $5,000 to the American Heart Association
Englewood, NJ, October 7, 2019 – NVE Bank served as a sponsor of the 2019 Bergen-Passaic Heart Walk held on October 6, 2019 at the Express-Scripts Campus in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Employees of the Englewood-based community bank participated in the walk, which serves as a signature fundraising event of the American Heart Association. In addition, NVE Bank donated $5,000 to the American Heart Association, supporting its efforts to reduce death and disability from cardiovascular diseases and stroke. “Heart disease and stroke are the country’s Number 1 and Number 4 killers” said NVE President and CEO Robert Rey. “We have deep roots within the towns we serve and are committed to making a difference through our time and resources to ensure communities remain healthy and strong.”
