Cornerstone Family Programs Positive Force in NJ Community
CEO at Cornerstone Family Programs & Morristown Neighborhood House, Patrice Picard, didn’t start her career in the nonprofit community. During our photoshoot, I was incredibly privileged to hear Patrice’s story.
“I started as a banker many years ago—I even have my MBA. Then, I moved to NJ and was working part-time in my late husband’s company – doing everything from marketing to HR – while raising young kids. I got involved with some nonprofit organizations locally. I even sat on the board of where I am now for 9 years before officially joining the team. The CEO of our organization left and the board asked me to sit in on an interim basis. Here we are 15 years later…”
“I love what I do because you can immediately see the results of your hard work. For example, about 10 years ago there was a community center/neighborhood house that was failing. A lot of people tried saving it and they came to me for help. Everyone said I was crazy, but I merged the two organizations anyway.”
“Today, there are 300 kids in the building for subsidized summer camps. If the Neighborhood House was not here there would have been a huge negative impact on the community. We have been able to build on the programs that existed and change even more lives in our community and others.
“Now, I’m getting to the age where I am thinking about my next steps – retirement, speaking engagements, more board opportunities – and I wanted headshots that I loved and represented who I am today. Alissa created an amazing experience. She made me feel so comfortable, and Lisa – I want to keep her forever to do my hair and makeup. I loved how Alissa got me into something that looked great during our consultation. She acknowledged that while some of the posing can feel awkward, she made it comfy and we had a lot of laughs. I’m so thrilled she did it!”