The Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce feted its citizens of the year at Seasons Catering in the Township of Washington on Monday, May 20, and the evening—formally the 45th Annual Citizen of the Year Dinner—sparkled with luminaries and laughter.
2019 Citizens of the Year Susan C. Vaccaro and Yash Risbud accepted their honors with praise for the chamber and calls to continue work vital in the community.
Vaccaro said she plans to continue volunteering at Relay for Life of the Pascack Valley and on the River Vale Planning Board. She said working with students at Relay for Life inspired her to pursue a career in teaching.
“Think about what you are passionate about, whether you’re great at fundraising, growing a garden, or cooking. Go out and volunteer at one of the places around town. Turn your passion into a gift for someone who may need it,” she said.
Risbud said he plans to continue to chair the Westwood Baseball League and serve as a member of the advisory board of St. John’s Academy.
“Throughout my life, volunteering has been a blessing for me. All the positive things in my life I can attribute back to some volunteer action or some belief that it’s our duty to help one another,” he said.
A portion of the proceeds from the evening will be used to fund the chamber’s annual scholarship program. Scholarships are given to students in seven local high schools.
Additional donations will go to charities the honorees designate.
Among the family and many friends of the honorees were seen civic, business, and religious leaders, including Westwood Mayor John Birkner Jr., Hillsdale Mayor John J. Ruocco, Westwood Councilwoman Beth Dell, state Assembly members Holly Schepisi and Robert Auth, Freeholder candidate Alyssa Dawson, the Rev. Thomas J. Norton and the Rev. Robert T. Ulak, and former Westwood Mayor and GPVCOC Vice President Skip Kelley.
Robin Malley, the chamber’s president, presented the winners with proclamations from U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer.
There also was a cocktail hour, tricky tray, and silent auction. Caffe Anello-owner and chef John Vitale donated a dinner for four as an auction item (marked “priceless”).
Malley told Pascack Press the board and members were excited to announce the honorees, who have done so much for their communities and inspire by example.
Vaccaro, a resident of the Pascack Valley for more than 45 years, has been extremely active in giving back to the Greater Pascack Valley community.
Her accomplishments and activities include teaching Sunday School at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Park Ridge; a decade as co-chair of Relay for Life of the Pascack Valley; more than a decade as a River Vale Zoning and Joint Planning Board member; as long serving on the Sapienza Gardens Board of Trustees; and nearly 15 years as a member of the River Vale Centennial Committee.
She is known to many others for her work on River Vale CERT, as director and treasurer of the Kamil Kubik Foundation, as creator and presenter of the Anne M. Vaccaro Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor and memory of her sister, and so much more.
Risbud is a lifelong Westwood resident who rallies around family events with his wife, Audrey, and their two children. If he is not at one of his son’s many games or daughter’s swim meets, he’s helping his local church, getting ready to run a successful upcoming baseball season, or better yet, visiting one of the local businesses in Westwood.
The chamber says online, “When families are suddenly faced with a life-changing event like an illness, Yash has come to the rescue in running fundraising efforts to support friends through a difficult time.”
He also serves his hometown through a rich assortment of board appointments.
The Greater Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce (GPVCOC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the community—specifically in the Greater Pascack Valley.
It covers Emerson, Hillsdale, Montvale, Old Tappan, Oradell, Park Ridge, River Vale, Washington Township, Westwood, and Woodcliff Lake.
The organization works with local chambers of commerce and sponsors such events as the Greater Pascack Valley Breakfast with the Mayors, college scholarships, business expos, Taco Tuesday, networking events, ribbon cuttings, and philanthropic events.
— Staff report.
Photos and additional reporting by Pascack Press freelance photographer Danielle O’Brien.