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I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2015 there will be an estimated 1,658,370 new cases of cancer and 589,430
cancer deaths in the United States. Since this disease not only affects those with cancer, but
also the friends and families supporting them, the Northern Highlands Regional High
School DECA Chapter decided to support Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey (GCNNJ). Gilda’s
Club is a cancer support center in Hackensack, New Jersey that offers not only support
groups, but also workshops and educational and social activities.
A seven-month campaign was designed to meet the following goals and objectives
for this community service project:
• Spread awareness of GCNNJ and its philosophy
• Donate $2,000 to GCNNJ this year through fundraising projects
• Donate needed supplies for use at GCNNJ
o 30 items for use in art sessions
o 50 paper items needed for the Thanksgiving party
o 15 gift cards for the holiday party
• Provide volunteers for Gilda’s Club fundraising events and parties
The following table depicts the events held each month and how each event helped to
achieve the above objectives.
Seven-Month Campaign for Gilda’s Club
Month Activities Results
September Chico’s Event Promoted Gilda’s Club & raised $460 in donations
Art Drive Donated 135 art supplies
October Allendale Festival Day Promoted Gilda’s Cub & raised $223 in donations
DECArating Volunteers decorated site for Halloween
Saks Fifth Avenue Promoted Gilda’s Club & raised $405 in donations
November LOL5 Comedy Night
Volunteers helped set up, distribute programs and
usher for this fundraising event
Thanksgiving Drive Donated 48 supplies for Pot-Luck Dinner
December Gift Card Drive Donated 32 gift cards for Gilda’s club members
Holiday Party Volunteers – created a fun activity for children
Holiday Storybook Created a storybook for children
January Knock-Knock Jokes Created Knock-Knock Joke Book for Gilda’s Club
February David Yurman Raffle Fundraiser – $670 donated
March Dance for a Cause Fundraiser – $3,245 donated
In total, 216 NH DECA members participated in the NH DECA Community Service
Project, under the leadership of Lexi Kelly and Philip Perricelli, co-chairpersons for the
project. Through this project, the NH DECA Chapter was able to effectively reach all the
goals established at the beginning of the project. In the process, NH DECA members learned
about Gilda’s Club and how rewarding it feels to provide community service to a local
charity that truly appreciates their contributions of time and donations.
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II. INTRODUCTION
A. Historic background of the selected community service or charity
Gilda’s Club was founded following the death of original Saturday Night Live (SNL)
cast member Gilda Radner in 1995. The famous comedian was diagnosed with ovarian
cancer in 1986, spreading public knowledge about her experience with cancer. Radner
coped with her illness by receiving support from the community in her treatment center in
California. After her death in 1989 Gene Wilder, Radner’s husband, and Joanna Bull,
Radner’s psychotherapist, started the Gilda’s Club movement. In June of 1995, the signature
red doors opened with the Gilda’s Club NYC (GCNYC) in honor of Radner’s spirit touching
the lives of people with and without cancer. By 1997, GCNYC had gained 1,000 members
allowing in the year 2000 for Gilda’s Club to open clubhouses nationwide.
Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey (GCNNJ) is located in Hackensack, New Jersey and
was one of the clubhouses opened nationwide in 2000 after the success of the flagship in
New York City. The mission of GCNNJ is “to create welcoming communities of free support
for everyone living with cancer – men, women, teens and children – along with their families
and friends. Our innovative program is an essential complement to medical care, providing
networking and support groups, workshops, education and social activities.” Through special
programs offered at the clubhouse, patients have proclaimed the emotional and social
support they’ve been given. For kids there are three programs offered at GCNNJ: Kids Need
Kids, Kids Like Me, and Teens Together. These three programs allow kids to participate in
activities to share their experience and express themselves with either loss or with feeling
of isolation. In addition to sharing experiences, art projects are used to express feelings.
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There are also various programs that are offered for adults. These programs in Figure I are
offered to adults for the various scenarios in which cancer has affected them.
Figure I: Types of Programs Offered for Adults
B. Description of the local DECA chapter, school and community
Northern Highlands Regional High School (NHRHS) is located in Allendale, New
Jersey in Bergen County. Students from the towns of Allendale, Upper Saddle River, Saddle
River, and Ho-Ho-Kus attend this public school. Figure II show the population, income, and
education level of the residents of these towns in 2012. The average income for the state of
New Jersey is $71,637.
Figure II: Northern Highlands Community Demographics
Town
Population
Median Income
% with high
school
degree
% with
bachelor’s
degree
Allendale 6,704 $133,750 95% 59.4%
Upper Saddle River 8,326 $174,957 98.2% 70.3%
Saddle River 3,178 $98,861 97.5% 58.1%
Ho-Ho-Kus 4,140 $154,784 97.1% 70.2%
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NHRHS is a public school with 1,378 students in total. Of those students, 305 are
DECA members. The NH DECA Chapter is one of the largest in New Jersey, and DECA is the
largest club in NHRHS. In total, the school offers sixty clubs. NH DECA consists of students
in grades nine to twelve who are currently enrolled in a business class, have taken a
business class during their time in high school, or have not taken a business class, but have
an interest in pursuing a business career. For example, ninth grade students interested in
DECA may participate in an internship program but are not allowed to compete. In this
internship program ninth graders receive training in preparation for the following year and
participate in DECA Chapter Project’s events.
The Business Education Department at the school offers Introduction to Business,
Personal Finance, Marketing I, Marketing II, Honors Marketing, Management,
Entrepreneurship, AP Computer Programming, and AP Economics. The marketing and
business classes at Highlands help students prepare for DECA competition. The NH DECA
advisors are Mrs. Lois Farese, Mr. George Carbone, Mrs. Jenn Lederman, Mrs. Diane DeVoe
and Ms. Victoria Tullo.
In order to get all DECA members involved, a point system has been implemented
this past year. Students that participate in DECA events, including chapter project events,
receive points; the number of points they receive depends on the amount of time and
effort spent. All DECA members must earn seven (7) points in order to compete at the
Regional DECA Conference, twelve (12) points to compete at the State DECA Conference,
and fourteen (14) to compete at DECA’s International Career Development Conference, all
depending on how far they compete. The point system creates an incentive for NH DECA
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Radner as a household name. Therefore, it was important to explain the significance behind
the name. New comedians make their debut into newer generations; however, Radner
started the career path for these current comedians. Gilda’s Club needs to become a name
with Generation Y as Radner’s spirit lies within the heart of Gilda’s Club, and its mission to
support everyone who is touched by cancer.
Since Gilda’s Club is a non-profit organization, it relies on donations to fund its
mission and activities. It therefore conducts its own fundraising efforts to raise the money
needed for its operation. The NH DECA Chapter plans to help raise funds through its
support of GCNNJ activities and through its own fundraising projects that will raise money
to be donated directly to GCNNJ this year.
To help reduce expenses for the daily operations and special events held at Gilda’s
Club, receiving donations in the form of supplies and gift cards were goals set for the NH
DECA Chapter. The specific items to be donated were suggested by Ralena Zabala, the
GCNNJ business officer. Zabala asked for art supplies that are used daily, as well as paper
products for the Thanksgiving party and gift cards for the holiday party in December. It
was important to donate the items that were requested because DECA members knew they
would be used for a specific purpose at GCNNJ.
Lastly, Gilda’s Cub relies on volunteers to help with its fundraising efforts and the
parties it holds for members. In order to promote these events with all GCNNJ’s activities,
the use of Facebook, Instagram, e-mail, posters, and flyers, provided many opportunities
for DECA members to be of service to Gilda’s Club. The purpose for NH DECA, therefore,
was to be at the service of GCNNJ whenever it was needed.
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B. Rationale for selecting the community service or charitable project
GCNNJ was chosen as the charity for the community service project because it is a
charity that is not known amongst the student body at Northern Highlands, yet one that
needed the help of a large student body and DECA chapter. The school as a whole has a
personal connection with cancer as most people have been affected in some way; however,
people are not aware of Gilda’s Club because Gilda Radner was a popular figure in the
1980’s. Since the NH DECA Chapter has 305 students, there would be an increase in the
awareness and of this charity to the student body.
GCNNJ is also a local charity, stemming from the original Gilda’s Club in New York
City. Having a charity only 14 miles away from NHRHS is a huge benefit for the involvement
of the DECA chapter. The co-chairpersons wanted DECA members to be able to see the
facilities of the clubhouse, and see for themselves the many lives they would be helping.
GCNNJ’s location was also important, as it would acknowledge where the money,
volunteers, and donations would be going. Having the clubhouse so close also allows for
interaction between the president and director of the events for the NH DECA Chapter to
participate and donate their time. This proximity provides easy access and a smaller scale
to get DECA members more involved and allowed the co-chairpersons to be on a personal
relationship with the people at GCNNJ.
Gilda’s Club’s philosophy is one that is different from other cancer centers and was
an important factor when picking a charity. They focus on support for not only cancer
patients who need a place to share and talk about their experiences, but also support for
family members who are affected as well. Some cancer centers focus on family support too;
however, the background of Gilda Radner as a comedian has provided the basis of Gilda’s
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Club’s influence on its programs. Most of their events that take place have famous
comedians or events where the main focus is to laugh and have a good time. Through this
philosophy, the team members had a strong connection through the entertainment aspect
that Gilda’s Club provides for its members. It’s not a distraction away from cancer with the
art of laughter, but it’s a coping mechanism that can turn any frown upside down.
Laughter is one of the many keys of life, which is stressed in the ideology of Gilda’s
Club. Its role in life allows for people to reflect and be in a moment of rejoice, especially
with people battling cancer. Anyone affected by cancer can understand how between many
support groups, like GCNNJ, and hospital visits, laughter can bring a little extra positivity in
one’s life. As the team members are entertainers themselves, actively participating in
various extra-curricular activities like the school musical or a cappella groups, they
understand the magic that can happen with bringing a smile to someone’s face. Being on
stage and moving an audience through a performance can impact someone’s view on life,
which can ultimately give inspiration. This inspiration is the same type of influence that
Gilda Radner gave to her audience every weekend on SNL, and what Gilda’s Club continues
to do. Therefore, the team members connected with GCNNJ’s philosophy through their
program as their passion for bringing laughter, in addition to their many forms of support,
is the same passion they bring outside of the classroom.
C. Description of the benefits of the project to the chapter and chapter members’
understanding of leadership development, social intelligence and community service
The chapter involvement with GCNNJ allows both the school and community to
become more aware of the need for support for an organization that provides emotional
and psychological help to cancer patients and families affected by cancer. The community
service project allows DECA member to understand that cancer is a disease that not only
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affects the person with the disease, but also every person involved in their life. DECA
members will become mindful of the needs of others, which extends beyond physical needs.
Leadership. The varied and multiple activities involved in this project required
strong leadership of the co-chairpersons. Decisions had to be made when requests were
forwarded to them by GCNNJ to help with fundraising projects and special activities held at
GCNNJ as to the feasibility of offering assistance. In some instances, approval from school
administrators was required. Each approved activity had to be communicated to DECA
members, coordinated, and managed by co-chairpersons for this year’s Community Service
Project. As the project leaders, they were responsible for generating the ideas for events,
planning the events, getting volunteers to participate, training volunteers, and overseeing
that all tasks were completed as planned. As managers of all activities, they learned to
delegate responsibilities to the volunteers, while other tasks, like handling money
remained their job.
Volunteers learned to take initiative by helping the chairpersons with the tasks they
were assigned. All DECA members were expected to participate in the events and follow
through on the tasks they were given. Thus, leadership skills were developed by volunteers
that were responsible for specific activities and their confidence in handling tasks evolved.
Whether it be standing behind a table and asking for donations, selling cookies, or assisting
GCNNJ at their many events, student’s abilities would be enhanced as they had to represent
the charity.
DECA representatives, who are responsible for informing the entire DECA chapter of
upcoming events, were responsible for encouraging classmates to participate in Gilda’s
Club activities and fund raising drives. Therefore, the various ways in which the students
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advanced their skills of leadership was strengthened from the independence of the many
events that the chairpersons had them involved in.
Social Intelligence. The relationship that NH DECA has formed with GCNNJ has
fostered a greater understanding of the needs of others, and ways in which to deal with and
support those needs. Gilda’s Club is an organization with members from many different
walks of life. People of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to attend Gilda’s Club’s
support groups, yet they all share a common experience. By helping GCNNJ, the NH DECA
Chapter has a better understanding of what Gilda’s Club represents, and therefore a greater
understanding of the demographics in which others live. Members gain social intelligence
by learning about the organization, attending the Gilda’s Club events, and coming into
contact with members of GCNNJ. By becoming a Gilda’s Club volunteer, DECA members
were held to a certain expectation by the organization to represent themselves well and
abide by the clubhouses’ rules. Gilda’s Club encourages volunteers to be more socially
aware and sensitive in an environment with people regaining control over their lives. For
example, certain language that is not allowed in the clubhouse are the words “coping,” “safe
haven,” “helpless,” “battling cancer,” and “cancer support group.” These are words that are
often use when describing an environment like Gilda’s Club, and by bringing volunteers
attention to the negative connotations of those words, the organization is making DECA
members more socially intelligent.
Community Service. The DECA Chapter will benefit from this community service
project because of the uniqueness of the charity. Students will learn that community
service is not simply donating money or working a soup kitchen for a day. By helping
Gilda’s Club, we are helping them provide the service of emotional and psychological
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DECA members were actively involved in the Chico’s event, decorating GCNNJ for
Halloween, the Saks events, the holiday event, and LOL5. At these events, students were
asked to be volunteers and be spokespeople on behalf of GCNNJ. The 60 dedicated
volunteers were asked to do various jobs, such as being behind a table and explaining
Gilda’s Club to people, asking for donations, ushering at the LOL5, and going to the
clubhouse in Hackensack to work with the children and participate in their events.
Donators. Donators are DECA members who solicited donations and/or donated
items themselves that were needed for GCNNJ. They participated in the donation drives for
art supplies, Thanksgiving paper supplies, and gift cards. Although every DECA member
did not visit Gilda’s Club, they were important to the success of each drive.
Honors Marketing III. DECA members in Honors Marketing III have taken
Marketing I and Marketing II and therefore are highly knowledgeable and responsible
students. This group was the main “think tank” that helped to generate ideas for the project.
Since the chairpersons were members of this class, this group was very supportive and the
DECA members that often took on leadership roles for many of the activities such as, the
Chico’s event. They also helped spread the awareness for Community Service Project by
also posting on the NH DECA Instagram.
DECA Advisors. The DECA advisors are Mrs. Lois Farese, Mr. George Carbone, Mrs.
Jenn Lederman, Mrs. Diane DeVoe and Ms. Victoria Tullo. The advisors were responsible for
providing details about the community service project to the rest of NH DECA. Ms. Lois
Farese visited the facility at the beginning of the project to see the operations and approved
the charity of choice. In addition, they helped authorize the various events through the
administration to provide assistance to GCNNJ.
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Homeroom Representatives. DECA officers and student representatives from each
business class are part of the NH DECA homeroom. The students in this homeroom act as
the liaison for their respective business class. In that capacity, they are responsible for
providing DECA members with information about NH DECA activities. The chairpersons
used this group to make announcements about upcoming events for the community service
project. This allowed for students in all the business classes enrolled in the club to know
what is happening to participate in the project’s events besides just the DECA Instagram,
emails and flyers.
B. Description of the project and documentation
Work on the project began during the summer when the project leaders visited
Gilda’s Club in Hackensack. The objectives and goals for the project were decided at that
time so that activities could begin as early as September 2014. On September 9th, there was
a DECA meeting where anyone interested in joining DECA. The chairpersons used this
opportunity to present the project for the school year to more than 300 students.
September. The first event was on September 20th, where GCNNJ asked for NH
DECA to represent three of the twelve Chico’s retail stores, which were located in
Ridgewood, Paramus Park Mall, and Tice’s Corner. DECA member
volunteers took shifts at each of the three stores from 10 a.m. – 12
noon and then switched with other volunteers at 12 noon -2 p.m.
DECA members stood behind tables where they asked for
donations and sold cupcakes that were provided by Gilda’s Club. In
addition, they gave out pamphlets to people that walked by and informed them about
future events like Noogiefest, their annual Halloween Party, and their LOL5 Comedy Night.
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Leading up to this event, the chairpersons made twelve jars that would be located outside
all twelve of the Chico’s stores for donations. These jars were also used for additional
future events held for GCNNJ.
To begin promoting Gilda’s Club at Northern Highlands Regional High School, an art
drive was held from September 22nd to September 27th. Spreading awareness throughout
the school was done with the use of flyers and e-mail messages to
all DECA members that included the flyer, which can be seen in
Appendix A. The art drive started to get people talking about
Gilda’s Club and needed supplies were donated, which satisfied two
goals of the project: making others award of Gilda’s Club and
meeting the needs of GCNNJ with regard to needed supplies. Art supplies requested and
donated included acrylic paints, open stock patterned paper, ribbons, journals, diaries,
blanks canvasses, blank hats for decoration, and stickers.
October. After the initial meeting for any interested DECA members and briefly
mentioning the Community Service Project, a mandatory meeting for anyone who actually
enrolled in the NH DECA Chapter was held on October 1st. This meeting required all 305 NH
DECA members to go around and listen to the chapter projects, including the Community
Service Project for GCNNJ. Having this attendance allowed for 100% of the chapter to learn
about Gilda’s Club and learn about the purpose for the project, spreading awareness to all
the members.
On October 4th all the chapter projects for the NH DECA Chapter were represented
at a booth in town for Allendale Festival Day from 10 p.m. – 4 p.m. This is a local event that
the chapter participates in every year, as there is live music, entertainment, face painting,
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and other community organizations that acts similar to a street fair. The NH DECA Chapter
had a table at the Allendale Festival Day, which it shared with other NH DECA Chapter
Projects. For this event, GCNNJ had a cookie of the month at
a local bakery that was sold for two dollars, with all the
money going to them. In addition, Saks Fifth Avenue
partnered with Gilda’s Club in the months of October,
November, and December by selling t-shirts with the slogan
“Key to the Cure” that were being sold for thirty-five dollars in all Saks stores nationwide.
The GCNNJ’s liaisons asked that the cookies and t-shirts be sold at the Allendale Festival
day to promote these items.
Following the Allendale Festival Day, the Gilda’s Club liaisons also asked for the
chairpersons to bring a small group of students to decorate the
clubhouse. On October 7th, the chairpersons and four other DECA
members went to the clubhouse to decorate for their annual
Halloween party called Noogiefest. In order to get ready for this
special day, they decorated the playroom, the dance room, and the
hallways with orange, purple, and black balloons, skeletons, fake spider webs, lights, and
various Halloween creatures.
On October 18th, the NH DECA Chapter helped represent Gilda’s Club for their Saks
Fifth Avenue event. As mentioned earlier with the partnership between Saks and Gilda’s
Club, this day was dedicated to all the Gilda’s Club clubhouses nationwide. Even though this
special t-shirt sale was through the months of October, November, and December, this day
was a kickoff after the October 6th release of the “Key to the Cure” shirts. GCNNJ was to be
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represented at Saks Fifth Avenue in Riverside Mall where ten volunteers from the NH DECA
Chapter took shifts during the hours of 9:00 a.m. -11:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.
– 1:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. –
9:00 p.m. with two to three people at each time slot. The entrance of
the store set up a table as the volunteers were asked to sell the t-shirts
and the same cookies from Allendale Festival Day, while also asking for
donations and informing passing customers about upcoming Gilda’s Club events.
November. The first event in November was the LOL5 Comedy Event that was held
at the Bergen County Academies Auditorium in Hackensack, NJ on November 2nd. It is an
annual stand-up comedian event held by GCNNJ in order to raise
funds and awareness for the charity. In the past, comedians such as
Joan Rivers have been featured in the show. This year, David
Steinberg, Gilbert Gottfried, Caroline Rhea, Vince August, Cory
Kahaney, Reese Waters, Jeff Norris, Gary Delena, and Eddie Bril were featured.
The NH DECA chapter was responsible for getting volunteers to set up the event,
hand out programs, and usher, as well as promote the event around the school. The show
began at 7 p.m., but NH DECA volunteers were asked to arrive
at 4 p.m. to hang signs, put together brochures, and understand
the seating in the auditorium to direct people to their seat. All
twelve DECA member volunteers were active and vital
participants in the setup of the event. The most important part
of the program was when a former friend of Gilda Radner talked about Gilda’s fight with
cancer, which was followed by a promotional video for Gilda’s Club. The volunteers then
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distributed a survey to guests, which was created by the chairpersons in order to gage the
audience’s reaction to the comedians and help Gilda’s Club improve future events.
From November 11th to November 22nd, NH DECA held a “Thanksgiving Drive.” The
purpose of the drive was to solicit items to donate to Gilda’s Club for their annual
Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner. A flyer was used to communicate specific items requested by
GCNNJ, which can be seen in Appendix B. An e-mail was also sent with the flyer to all DECA
members to request the following items: toilet paper, paper plates, coffee & tea, non-
perishable food items & snacks, sugar & Splenda, plastic utensils and trash bags.
December. The first event of December was a “Gift Card Drive” which was
communicated to all DECA members via e-mail and a flyer. The drive started December 15th
and ended December 22nd. Gilda’s Club had expressed a desire for gift cards to certain food
and convenience stores to be donated in order to improve the lives of its club members and
brighten their holiday season. Target, Costco, Home Depot, Staples, Office Depot, Shoprite
were examples of gift cards that were donated.
On December 18th, Gilda’s Club hosted a holiday party where every Gilda’s Club
member and volunteer were invited to attend. The party had arts,
crafts, and gifts for the children, as well as food, and
entertainment. The NH DECA Chapter wanted to be involved in
the party to help out with the night’s activities and have a chance
to expose the DECA members to the clubhouse and see what it
was about. The chairpersons of the project were asked by the Gilda’s Club liaisons to think
of an activity to do with the children at Gilda’s Club, purchase the materials, and have fun
with the kids while doing it. One activity that the chairpersons decided on was to create
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fake snow. This was achieved by mixing baking soda and shaving cream to create a snow-
like substance. The children enjoyed the messy activity and it brought a smile to their faces.
Four NH DECA members attended the party in total, which was less than the expected goal
of ten members, but unfortunately it was difficult to increase participation to the party
because it was on a school night. However, the experience was very rewarding for those
who attended.
The last activity for December was to create a holiday “gift” for GCNNJ that would be
donated to them. This was promoted through the use of e-mail and flyers around the
school, which can be seen in Appendix C. The chairpersons decided to create a “Holiday
Story Book” and have the NH DECA members be actively involved in its creation. The
premise of the story is “Mr. Snowman lives in the North Pole and has to get to Gilda’s Club
Hackensack. What happens to him along the way?” DECA
members were asked to continue the story by writing one line
that explains what happens to Mr. Snowman and then draw an
illustration to go along with it. This book was created during a
special lunch at NHRHS called “Holiday Hoopla,” on December
22nd, where students get a longer lunch in order to buy food
from special vendors and where school clubs (like DECA) can promote themselves. NH
DECA members could stop by the DECA table, create part of the story, and then sign their
names in the author’s page. In total, 49 members were involved in the creation of the story.
The chairpersons then took the pages, put them together, decorated the book, and donated
it for the children at GGNNJ.
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Purchase Anything Goes t-shirt to wear at the event
Secure sponsors to “sponsor” dancing for a cause with a goal of $50 in donations.
Anyone in the community from the sending districts into NHRHS could come on stage.
Promotions for this event were done through Instagram, Facebook, e-mail, and attending
community events.
In total, 30 people participated in Dance for a Cause, with the total amount of donations
being $3,245.
C. Impact goal for the beneficiary
Since GCNNJ is a non-profit organization, the impact goal was to help the
organization in as many ways as possible, which included promoting Gilda’s Club, helping
GCNNJ raise money, volunteering, and donating needed items. During the initial meetings
in July and August with Gilda’s Club liaisons it became apparent that anything the NH DECA
Chapter could do to support GCNNJ’s mission, daily operations, and special events would be
appreciated. In essence the impact goal for GCNNJ was for the NH DECA Chapter to be a
resource for all Gilda’s Club activities. With the exception of the two women in charge at
GCNNJ who acted as the liaisons with the NH DECA Chapter (Ruth Dugan and Ralena
Zabala), GCNNJ functions with volunteers and through donations.
The NH DECA Chapter had a goal to meet all their needs with no problem, allowing
for GCNNJ to not worry about any of their events. This goal was met as GCNNJ would not
have to do one more thing with planning an event as they knew that the NH DECA Chapter
would be of service and ready to help with any of their needs. This whole idea was also
taken to the next step as instead of just being at service, the NH DECA Chapter gave back
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with fundraising and donations to provide for GCNNJ. Therefore, the chapter has made a
huge impact through the various needs that were met, making GCNNJ focus more on
managing their clubhouse.
V. EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
A. Evaluation of the project
In order to evaluate the project, it is important to re-visit the specific goals that were
established during the initial meeting with Ruth Dugan and Ralena Zabala, as well as the
specific objectives that were needed to meet those goals. Each goal and the specific
objectives for that goal are explained in more detail in this section.
1. Spread awareness of GCNNJ and its philosophy.
Throughout the many events promoted and carried out by the community service
chairpersons, awareness was spread of Gilda’s Club and its philosophy to the Northern
Highlands Community. Out of 305 chapter members, there were 216 NH DECA Members
who volunteered their time to events such as the Chico’s Shopping Event, DECArating for
Halloween, the Saks Fifth Ave Shopping Event, the LOL5 Comedy Night, Holiday Party, and
the Holiday Storybook. While volunteering, members learned about the Gilda’s Club
philosophy and then spread their knowledge of the charity to friends and other DECA
Members. In order to spread awareness at the Northern Highlands Community, flyers,
social media, and meetings were used.
Flyers. While promoting the events by asking for volunteers and hanging various
flyers, the NH DECA Community service project effectively spread the name “Gilda’s Club”
around the school in the hallways, business classes, lunchroom, and the DECA bulletin
board.
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Social Media. Instagram and Facebook were used to spread the message and
promote the events. The NH DECA Instagram, which has 185 followers, posted various
pictures of the community service events. The chairpersons also set up a Facebook group
called “NH DECA Community Service Project 2014” and invited 40 dedicated DECA
members to see it’s posts. In the Facebook group, members were informed of the events
throughout the year.
Meetings. Throughout the year, the chairpersons had a chance to meet with the
entire DECA chapter to inform and remind members of volunteer opportunities and drives.
These meetings are required for all DECA members, therefore the philosophy of Gilda’s
Club was effectively spread to all 304 members.
Northern NJ. NH DECA members, by volunteering, effectively helped Gilda’s Club
build awareness across Northern New Jersey. Volunteers at Gilda’s Club events where
DECA members handed out promotional materials. When handing out these materials,
DECA volunteers effectively explained Gilda’s Club message to the community.
2. Donate $2,000 to GCNNJ this year through fundraising projects.
The goal to donate $2,000 to GCNNJ this year through fundraising projects was
accomplished through the events were NH DECA member volunteers accepted donations
on behalf of Gilda’s Club (Chico’s and Saks Fifth Avenue), as well as through the fundraising
sponsored by the NH DECA Chapter (Allendale Festival Day, David Yurman Raffle, and
Dancing for a Cause). Figure IV lists all the donations from those efforts and shows that a
total of $5,008 has been donated at the end of the seven month campaign.
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Figure IV. Gilda’s Club Donations
Event Sponsor Donation
Chico’s Event Gilda’s Club & Chico’s $460
Allendale Festival Day NH DECA Chapter $223
Saks Fifth Avenue Gilda’s Club & Saks $405
David Yurman Raffle NH DECA Chapter $670
Dance for a Cause NH DECA Chapter $3,245
Total as of March 2015 ---------------- $5,008
The chairpersons are thrilled that $5,088 was raised through March 2015. Therefore, the,
the goal of raising $2,000 was exceeded.
3. Donate needed supplies for use at GCNNJ.
Figure V shows the specific goals that were set for each drive and the actual number
of donated items. The donations for needed supplies for use at GCNNJ exceeded the goals,
with the exception of the Thanksgiving drive, which was only short two items to meet the
goal.
Figure V. Drives for needed supplies for Gilda’s Club
Month Drive Goal Actual Success % of goal met
September Art Supplies 30 135 Exceeded goal 450%
November Thanksgiving 50 48 Almost met goal 96%
December Gift Cards 15 32 Exceeded goal 213%
The reason the chairpersons estimated such a low number of thirty for the art
supplies drive was because this was one of the first events and a lot of people were not yet
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4. Provide volunteers for Gilda's Club fundraising events and parties.
The goals of filling all the volunteering spots were met for the events of Chico’s, Saks
Fifth Avenue, and the LOL5. At Chico’s there were fifteen DECA members, at Saks there
were twelve DECA members, and at LOL5 there were thirteen DECA members. In addition,
the storybook was also a success as all the pages were filled up with by the end of the
Holiday Hoopla to make one complete story through the participation of forty-nine DECA
members. However, there were only five DECA members at the decorating for Noogiefest
and only four DECA members at the holiday party. This was because these events were
during the weekday and it was difficult for DECA members to travel due to other
extracurricular activities and rush hour traffic
Overall. The project was a success through its many components. The
communication between the chairpersons and the NH DECA Chapter was done smoothly to
be at service to all of GCNNJ’s needs. Each event, whether it was by fundraisers,
volunteering, or donations, were thought out carefully to create the maximum impact for
the clubhouse. Promotions were all done in a week’s notice to spread awareness via many
outlets, such as Facebook, Instagram, e-mail, posters, and flyers. This allowed enough time
for people to help out with any of the planned events that the NH DECA Chapter was
involved in. The project was a success due to its low level of stress from great time
management and communication, spreading awareness, and impacting the student body on
the philosophy of Gilda’s Club.
Chairpersons. The chairpersons worked extremely well with each other through
the project and meet every deadline in advance. They had great time management with
planning events and always strived to commit to the best of their abilities. Through great
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representation and leadership by the chairpersons, this allowed them to meet the goal of
spreading awareness to the student body of GCNNJ and in the community at local events.
Problems faced. On Allendale Festival Day, October 4th, it rained the entire day.
This greatly impacted the project as forty cookies and fifteen t-shirts were asked to be sold
by the Gilda’s Club liaisons. Usually there are hundreds of people that walk around at the
many community booths, however due to the rain there was no one there and the NH DECA
Chapter had to leave early. The chairpersons did not let the rain stop them though as the
following Friday they went to the NHRHS Pep Rally football game to make up for the loss in
donations and sales. Successfully, all forty cookies were sold, but no t-shirts were sold. The
realization of t-shirt sales was that they were thirty-five dollars a shirt, and no student
carried or could spend that type of money.
On the original date of the Dance for a Cause event, March 5th, a large snow storm
took place. This was originally the opening night, but due to the weather the show was
moved to Sunday night, March 8th. Because Dance for a Cause was rescheduled, less people
who were originally committed to dancing could no longer participate. However, everyone
who originally signed up handed in their donations, making the fundraising effort a success.
Finally, the last problem that occurred was getting students to come to the
clubhouse in Hackensack during the weekdays. Students loved to sign up and volunteer on
the weekends and donate through the drives at school, however travelling to Hackensack is
difficult on a school night. This is because of rush hour traffic on getting to the clubhouse on
time and the fact that students have homework and are involved in other extracurricular
activities.
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B. Impact of the community service or charitable project
Working with GCNNJ to help suffice the needs of the patients and liaisons has been
very rewarding with the help of the NH DECA Chapter. The liaisons have told the
chairpersons on numerous occasions how much they have contributed on a weekly basis
via email and phone calls. Through these forms of communication, many of people at the
clubhouse have commented on how helpful the NH DECA Chapter has been, as well as the
representatives at all the events. On the community, people have become more aware of
Gilda’s Club and its philosophy. By the many forms of media, like posters, Instagram,
Facebook, and email, the Gilda’s Club logo is now recognizable and has become a name
amongst the student body. After seeing the clubhouse and the families that were being
helped, it became prevalent in showcasing to the students the small acts they could
contribute towards this charity. These many drives would therefore allow students in our
chapter to make an impact since there are 305 chapter members. The goal was for students
to empathize with the families and realize that they can help, even in small ways by
supporting this organization and the activities it offers people affected by cancer.
C. Recommendation(s) for future projects
Every project has its improvements, as does this one. For the future, picking a
charity that is closer to the school is always helpful. Hackensack, where GCNNJ is located, is
only a twenty minute drive, however there is usually a lot of rush hour traffic that can
easily take up to an hour to get to the clubhouse. This made it difficult to get students to
GCNNJ during the week, as it travelling to the clubhouse can be chaotic. Therefore, location
is key.
