How the People of Modera Serve Their Communities

Cycling for Survival

Team Modera (New Jersey) participated in another year of Cycle for Survival, benefiting the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in its efforts to fund research against rare cancers.

Chuck Roberson rides in Cycle for Survival

Delivering Holiday Cheer

Modera’s Florida office helped bring joy to the children served by The Boys and Girls Club of Citrus County and the Citrus County Family Resource Center, with a bounty of gifts for the holidays. Clients and friends of Modera came to help the staff wrap and prepare the presents for delivery.

Delivering Warmth

During the 2015 holiday season, Modera New Jersey led a firm-wide Warmth Drive for the less fortunate. Staff members gathered coats, blankets, and scarves and delivered them to local charities, which included the Nyack Homeless Shelter, Friends of Boston’s Homeless, and Cayla’s Coats.

Walking to End Alzheimer’s

In 2018, each of Modera’s five offices was represented by a team of walkers at this annual event.

Walk to End Alzheimer's 2018 in Inverness

Modera Massachusetts Office Participates in Walk to End Alzheimer's 2018

Mindy Cleaveland and Brian Schiess at the MarbleJam Kids Benefit

Creating Community

Brett Caldwell serves as a leader in his church’s youth group.

Going the Extra Miles

Chuck Roberson has taken part in the Garden State Fondo – a 100-mile bike ride that raises funds for Morristown, NJ area charities – for six years.

Mud Running for MS

Participants from Modera New Jersey took part in Muckfest 2018, a 5K mud run course, to raise funds for multiple sclerosis.

New Jersey Team Members at Muckfest 2018

Giving Back in Boston

Associates of Modera Boston, along with friends and clients, assembled 100 care packages to donate to Rosie’s Place, a women’s shelter that helps poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity, and find security in their lives.

Welcoming Women to the Fold

Jennifer Faherty volunteers as a Certified Financial Professional (CFP®) Board Mentor and WIN Advocate, focusing on bringing more women into the financial planning profession.

Activism for Autism

Mindy Cleaveland is an active supporter of MarbleJam Kids Inc., a Hackensack-based group that benefits children with autism and other disabilities by providing therapeutic services such as art and music.

Mindy also participates every year in Light it Up Blue “Wear Blue to Work Day” created to raise awareness and money for autism through Autism Speaks.

Making Wishes Come True

Modera North Carolina purchased gifts for Kids First of the Carolinas that were on their Amazon Wish List.

Special Deliveries

In 2018, Modera Georgia supported 23 families from All About Development Disabilities, a non-profit organization that maximizes resources for individuals and families living with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our volunteers shopped for holiday presents and hosted a gift-wrapping event with clients and friends.

Lending a Hand

In 2018, Modera New Jersey collected and donated bags of non-perishables to the Helping Hand Food Pantry in Hillsdale, NJ.

Nourishing Our Community

Volunteers from Modera New Jersey served lunch at the Bergen County Homeless Shelter as part of our annual day of service.

Assembling Care Packages

To brighten the holidays for patients of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Modera’s Boston office assembled chemo care packages, which were delivered directly to the Blum Center at Dana Farber.

Book Smarts

Jennifer Faherty is an Author-Luncheon Committee Member at the Friends of the Ridgewood Library.

Pushing MS Research Forward

Michael Gibney participated in the 2017 MS Bike Ride benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Caring for Our Communities

The Modera Charitable Foundation, organized and directed by Modera employees, provides annual donations to local civic, charitable, and non- profit organizations. Recent recipients included: Greater Boston Food Bank, Camp Starfish, Big Brothers Big Sisters, MarbleJam Kids Inc., Camp Nejeda Foundation, and Citrus County Harvest.

Committing to the Community

Tom Orecchio serves on a wide variety of boards and committees, including the Northeast Advisory Board of Lafayette College, the Finance Committee of the Cathedral of Saint John The Theologian, Northvale PAL, Inc., NV Eagles Youth Football and the Bergen County Junior Football League.

Helping Working Families Tackle Taxes

Dina Megretskaia was a 2018/2019 participant in the Volunteer Income Tax Prep (VITA) free tax prep program with the Philadelphia Campaign for Working Families in Norristown, PA, tasked with preparing and explaining tax returns to patrons.

Helping to Fund Cancer Research

In 2016, Modera staff members participated in team-building and fundraising activities for local charities committed to cancer research and awareness.

Caring for Those with Cancer

Colleagues from Modera New Jersey and Modera Georgia assembled and donated chemo comfort kits to patients served by CancerCare, and manned a free financial advice hotline for families affected financially by their cancer diagnoses.

Taking Strides Against Cancer

In 2016, Modera Massachusetts participated in the regional Making Strides Walk in support of the American Cancer Society.

Wearing Blue for Autism Awareness

Each Modera office participated in the 2019 Wear Blue to Work Day, wearing blue and serving treats with blue wrappers to raise awareness of autism.

Taking Strides for Cancer Research

Mindy Cleaveland is an annual participant in the Lustgarten Walk in Westchester in support of pancreatic cancer research.

Supporting the Troop

Jeanne Owens is the leader for her daughter’s sixteen-member Girl Scout troop, and also serves as the group’s treasurer and cookie mom

Changing the Landscape

On September 10, colleagues from our Charlotte office dug in for a maintenance project at Independence Park, working side by side with the park’s Horticulture Team to trim trees, clear away debris, pull weeds, and apply mulch to help beautify one of the natural garden areas. Afterwards they lunched at a “Restaurants for Rescues” participant, one of many local establishments that sent a percentage of their proceeds from that day to the Humane Society of Charlotte.

Helping Local Businesses Thrive

Robert Dowling serves as Treasurer for the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce.

Leading the Way

Adam Leone is the Den Leader for his local Cub Scout troop.

Engaging Girls to Do Good

Anitha Fiest is a former assistant troop leader for her daughters’ Girl Scout troop. She was involved in volunteering/giving back to the community through donations to the local food bank, Bright Blessing, Room at the Inn, and others.

Making Moves against Lung Cancer

Modera Florida participated in the 2016 Free to Breathe Run/Walk to raise awareness of lung cancer. Modera was honored as the top team fundraiser for the event and featured in two articles in the Citrus County Chronicle. John Ceparano and Kevin Sweeney were also honored as top individual fundraisers.

Putting in the Legwork for Juvenile Diabetes

On Saturday, October 5, Mark, from our Atlanta office, went to Florida as the leader of a 31-person Georgia cycling team to participate in the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) Ride for the Cure on Amelia Island. The 475 riders who participated that day raised almost $2 million in support of diabetes research

Being Santa

In 2018, Modera Massachusetts participated in Operation Santa, led by a local post office in the Boston area. Our volunteers obtained several letters written by kids to Santa, and fulfilled their holiday gift wishes.

Going for the Goal

Victoria Consoles spent 3 ½ years as a youth soccer coach in Quincy, MA.

Never Forgetting

Mindy Cleaveland is an annual participant in in Tunnel to Towers 5K in support of the Stephen Siller Foundation, which honors a firefighter who died on 9/11.

Furthering Financial Literacy

Ryan Pope spoke to Georgia Tech students taking the Health Initiatives Department’s Transit Financial Wellness Course, a comprehensive class designed to help students to understand their finances and successfully transition in and out of the college experience.

John Ceparano spoke at his alma mater, St. John’s University in NY, on estate planning and financial planning for women.

Wrapping Up Cheer

In 2018, Modera Florida held a festive holiday gift-wrapping party to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Citrus County, which promotes the social, educational, health, leadership, and character development of boys and girls during critical periods of their growth. Our clients and their families were invited to enjoy holiday cheer and help wrap gifts, which were supplied by Modera and passed along to the 34 children we sponsored.

Cooking Up Kindness

Echo Rooney is a kitchen volunteer at a local community center.

The Working Wardrobe

Jennifer Faherty is a volunteer for the Northern New Jersey Chapter of Dress for Success, participating in fundraising events and career coaching.

Uniting for Good

John Ceparano is an active member of the Central Citrus Rotary Club.

Helping People Get Healthcare

Modera is proud to support BVMI (Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative), an organization that provides health care at no cost to qualifying low-income adults with no health insurance. At the organization’s 10^th Anniversary Gala Celebration in September, Bill Houck and his wife were on hand to represent Modera in celebrating this organization’s important work.

Nourishing Dignity

As part of Modera’s annual day of service, volunteers from our Massachusetts’ office served meals at the Women’s Lunch Place, a local organization dedicated to providing a safe, comfortable daytime shelter, nutrition support, and support services.

Empowering Girls

Anitha Fiest is a coach for Girls on the Run.

Serving Our Peers

Modera continues to support our peers within the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) by volunteering for various initiatives within the organization. Chuck Roberson recently served on the logistics planning committee for NAPFA’s National Fall Conference.

Creating a Brighter Future

Modera proudly continues to support the efforts of Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey. On October 24, Modera’s Bill Houck and Mindy Cleaveland took part in the non-profit’s third annual Dining in the Dark fundraiser gala, which also celebrated the organization’s 75^th anniversary. The Vision Loss Alliance’s mission is to empower individuals of all ages who are blind or low vision by providing support, education, skills training, assistive technology and employment opportunities.

Helping Hands

Colleagues from Modera’s Florida office supported Habitat for Humanity of Citrus County in November by participating in various hands-on home building activities.

THe Florida office volunteers for Habitat for Humanity

Supporting Local Organizations in our Community

Modera’s Atlanta team supported CHRIS 180 in their mission to heal children and families through holistic, trauma informed health services.

Giving Back Amid a Crisis

One of Modera’s core values has always included supporting our local communities. We are aware that many people are and will continue to be affected by COVID-19, and we want to do our part to help aid in the fight to lessen the impact.

With this in mind, Modera is contributing $10,000 to Community Foundations or charitable organizations in our five office locations, each of which has dedicated resources and programs to local COVID-19 response. These are:

We are all in this together, and we will get through this together.

Riding for Research

Mark Willoughby and Barry Kaplan participate in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation fundraising bike rides.

Redoing the Club House

John Ceparano serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Citrus County. In 2018, he helped secure a $180K state grant to refurbish the local facility.

Conveying Financial Literacy

For the firm’s 2017 Annual Day of Service endeavor in October, colleagues at Modera Florida, Modera New Jersey, Modera Massachusetts, and Modera Georgia, delivered presentations on budgeting, savings, debt, retirement, investments and career development to local high school students.

Branching Out for Good

Modera is committed to supporting a wide range of charitable organizations including Volunteers of America Massachusetts, Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative, YWCA of Boston, and the National MS Society New Jersey Metro Chapter.

Training the Street

Modera and our CEO, Tom Orecchio (a Lafayette college alum) are proud to have sponsored the participation of 51 Lafayette College students in a Finance Immersion Bootcamp from “Training The Street”. During this 2-day bootcamp, students were taught complex financial analysis techniques required for business valuation and merger and acquisition analysis.

Holiday Giving in New Jersey

Modera’s New Jersey Office sponsored 50 children from The Phoenix Center, a non-profit school serving the educational, behavioral, and therapeutic needs of students, ages 5-21, who have significant developmental disabilities and/or/are on the autism spectrum.

Starting Them Early

In 2016, Modera (New Jersey and Massachusetts) invited local high school students to apply for its week-long “Business Scholar Early Immersion Program.” The program provided recipients with both a broad overview of the business as well as a closer look at the functional roles and career paths of individuals working at Modera.

Spinning for Cancer Research

Chuck Roberson has participated for 3 years – every year since he’s recovered from cancer – in the Cycle for Survival, an indoor spinning event held at Equinox gyms across the country. This event raises funds for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research.

Supporting the Gift of Music

Modera’s New Jersey team is proud to support the JCC Thurnauer School “Gift of Music” Gala Benefit Concert. The “Gift of Music” Gala Benefit Concert raises scholarship funds for children who wish to study music regardless of their financial need. Kelly Henning and her husband Kyle attended the concert to represent Modera in supporting this organization’s important work.