Mahwah Bar and Grill Named "Company of the Year"
The Mahwah Bar and Grill was awarded the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce's Company of the Year Award at the Chamber's annual Holiday Luncheon.
Held at the Sheraton Hotel this December, this gathering of several hundred Chamber members is seen as an opportunity to recognize individuals and businesses in the area who have given back to the community over the past year.
According to a Chamber committee in charge of reviewing award nominees, The Mahwah Bar and Grill was awarded the prestigious recognition for its "commitment to community service and the significant impact the establishment has made throughout 2010."
At the beginning of this year, the restaurant's co-owner, Craig Kunisch, who operates the restaurant and its counterpart in Allendale with his brothers and sister, set out to raise $25 thousand to donate to Haiti. Throughout the year, he raised and donated over $200 thousand.
The money was donated through The ROSE Foundation, a charity set up by the Bar and Grill's Chef Pierre Romain, to aid in disaster relief to the tragedy-stricken nation.
According to his award acceptance speech, Craig Kunisch is not done raising money to help the people of Haiti devastated by an earthquake in January 2010.
"I am going to quote my mother, who taught me that I'm probably not going to change world, but if I can make it better for a few people, I am doing a great thing. I am going to continue to do what I can for as many people as possible," he said during his speech, which thanked the Chamber for the honor.
Other awards given out at the luncheon were to the Chamber's Citizen and Organization of the Year, awarded to Ramsey's Matthew Watters and the charity organization Shelter Our Sisters, respectively.
Watters, a senior at the University of Delaware, was chosen as the award recipient for founding the "Students for Haiti," charity organization and "Hope for Haiti," campaign which have collectively raised over $50 thousand to rebuild a hospital in Villa, Haiti, among other projects.
According to the University of Delaware, Watters was recently awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, and will begin studying global science health at England's Oxford University next year.
Watters's father accepted the award on behalf of his son, who was taking a final at school during the celebration. The Chamber called Matthew an "outstanding member of the community."
Shelter Our Sisters, a non-profit group based in Hackensack, has been providing support to women and children victims of domestic abuse since the 1970's. The organization was recognized for helping over 3700 families transition into happy, healthy lives throughout its tenure.
The Chamber event, co-sponsored Servpro of Northeast Bergen County, included giveaways, raffles, a three-course meal catered by the Sheraton, holiday music provided by the Select Strings of Mahwah High School, and the follow-up to the Chamber's annual golf outing held this September.
A $12 thousand check, the proceeds from this year's outing, was presented to The Hackensack University Medical Center's new cancer center.
The organizations recognized by the Chamber at this event were grateful for its support in achieving their charitable aspirations.
A representative from Shelter Our Sisters articulated the feeling common among all of the award recipients; "Without support from organizations like this, we would not be able to make the important changes in the community that we do," she said.