EVENTS
FBINewarkCAAA Members Enjoy Range Day 2021
Date: October 29, 2021
FBINewarkCAAA had Range Day at the FBI Newark Division practice area. It was a special day for our Citizen’s Academy member graduates who had a chance to receive firearms training from FBI range instructors in both a classroom setting as well as on the live fire range. Thank you FBI (especially the range instructors) and member Phil Chaiklin who took these photos.
FBINewarkCAAA Partners with Embrace Relief for Food Donation
Date: Summer 2021
In partnership with Embrace Relief, the FBINewarkCAAA donated 500 pounds of ground beef to those in need in Newark, Trenton and Hillsborough. Pictured below are Osman Dulgeroglu, Director of Embrace Relief, Jean Trujillo FBINewarkCAAA member and Cathy Faerber, Assistant Director of Social Services for Hillsborough Township, Jon Marchesano with Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, and Joseph Anderson Director of Public Relations FBINewarkCAAA.
FBINewarkCAAA Participates in National Night Out – Summit, NJ and Vernon, NJ
Date: August 3, 2021
Events Coordinator DeAnne Dileo brought her husband (who’s a NY FBI Citizens Academy alum) to Vernon, NJ along with Sue Scimone-Bellini, Joseph Anderson and Edie Peters Liguori. Together we fingerprinted dozens of children for reference if law enforcement is called in to assist them in any manner in the future. Thanks to all who participated.
FBINewarkCAAA Members Learn About Active Shooter Awareness
Date: June 22, 2021
FBINewarkCAAA held an in-person membership meeting on June 22, 2021 in Edison, NJ. Special thanks to our sponsor, Raritan Central Railway, LLC!
FBINewarkCAAA Delivers Shoes to Dress for Success
Date: February 20, 2021
The FBINewarkCAAA donated shoes and boots to “Dress For Success”. Items were donated to Covenant House – Newark/Atlantic City, and Cape May Coalition-SOAR Church. Special thanks to alumni Osman Dulgeroglu CEO of Embrace Relief for his generous support.
FBINewarkCAAA Starts Off 2021 by Helping the Homeless
Date: January 20, 2021
The FBINewarkCAAA was able to collect donations of new winter clothing from our members and purchase additional items using funds donated by our members and sponsors. A special thanks to these sponsors: Embrace Relief, Raritan Railway, Blanket the World, Lakeland Bank for their generous support. As always, our members came through by donating clothing and money to support this effort!
FBINewarkCAAA Makes the Holidays a Little Brighter for Needy Kids
Date: December 20,2020
Thanks to the generosity of our members and sponsors, the FBINewarkCAAA was able to purchases special gifts this holiday season for children whose circumstances warranted some extra TLC. Kudos to our Events Coordinator Deanne Dileo, making these 3 events happen. For those unable to attend in person, here are some photos of our organization in action.
St. Peter’s Orphanage. Pictured is Board Member Ron Regen, President Edie Peters Liguori, Melody Johansson, MSW (Program Administrator) and our Events Coordinator Deanne Dileo.
Frank Riggitano, Coastal Prep interim Director, Katie Faldetta, Cape Assist Executive Director, Anna Cannella, Coastal Prep Transition Coordinator, Pastor Tom Dawson SOAR church, FBINewarkCAAA Board members Joe Anderson, Deanne Dileo and Edie Peters Liguori.
FBINewarkCAAA Raises $12,000 to Provide Internet Access for Students During COVID-19 Crisis
Date: September 23,2020
This year, due to Covid 19 and the challenges our educational community faced with remote learning, the FBINewarkCAAA wanted to assist students in need with obtaining Internet access. Through the generous support of our members/ individual donors and corporations such as Lakeland Bank, Raritan Central Railway, and Merck, the FBINewarkCAAA raised $12,000 and was able to donate $4000 each to the Wildwood, Clifton and Irvington school districts.
Irvington School District
Pictured left to right: Superintendent Dr. April Vauss, Asst. Principal Deyka Torres, FBINewark CAAA President Edie Peters Liguori, Principal Secretary Saphira Cooper, Student Rasheema Taylor, Student Stavincia Jean Pierre, Asst. Superintendent Dr. Matin Adegboyega, Principal Ogé Denis
Clifton School District
Pictured left to right: Susan Scimone-Bellini, Treasurer-FBINewarkCAAA, Edie Peters Liguori, FBINewarkCAAA President, Mr. Mark Tietjen, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Michael Ucci, School Business Administrator, Mr. Eric Thomasevich, Assistant School Business Administrator
Wildwood School District
Pictured left to right: J. Kenyon Kummings, Superintendent of Wildwood Public Schools; Edie Peters Ligouri, President of the FBINewarkCAAA; Jaiela Farlow-Cortes, Addison Troiano, Kel’Aja McNeal and Mia McKinley, Glenwood Avenue School students. Back, from left, are Joseph Anderson, FBINewarkCAAA Public Relations Director, FBINewarkCAAA member Rev. Thomas Dawson and senior pastor at the SOAR Church in Woodbine; and Travis LaFerriere, Glenwood Elementary School principal.
FBINewarkCAAA was presented with the Presidential Chapter of Excellence Award by FBI Newark SAC George M. Crouch Jr.
Date: September 14, 2020
Chasing the Dragon
Date: 2019
The Bergen Performing Arts Center (BergenPAC) Englewood, N.J. received a Community Impact Grant from Lakeland Bank and Hackensack University Medical Center.
The purpose of this grant is to support a new opioid addiction education program for New Jersey middle school students.
This program is a joint initiative between BergenPAC, FBI Newark Citizens Academy Alumni Association, the FBI–Newark Division, Hackensack Meridian Health and Lakeland Bank.
Senior Fraud Awareness
Date: October, 2018
On October 22, 2018 the FBI Newark Division and FBI Newark Citizens Academy Alumni Association presented a program, “Senior Fraud Awareness,” at Bergen Performing Art Center in Englewood.
The keynote speaker for this event was Supervisory Special Agent Laurie Allen, who described the numerous ways that senior citizens can become victims of fraud.
Sponsors of this event were: Atlantic Stewardship Bank, Lakeland Bank, Richard Szuch, Esq., and The Jewish Home at Rockleigh.
School Supply Drive
Date: August, 2018
In August 2018 the FBINewarkCAAA, in collaboration with Embrace Relief Foundation, donated 500 backpacks to Little Falls School No.1 and Peoples Pantry in Toms River, NJ.
This donation was made possible through the generosity of Raritan Central Railway, Lakeland Bank, Peace Islands Institute, and our chapter members.
Coats Drive
Date: Winter, 2018
This winter, the FBINewarkCAAA in cooperation with Raritan Central Railway donated many coats to The AIDS Resource Foundation for Children. The AIDS Resource Foundation For Children helps medically fragile children and adults coping with the impact of HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions.
We were happy to be able to help this worthwhile organization and the vulnerable population they serve.
(Picture left to right: Edie Peters Liguori- Vice President of FBINewarkCAAA, Beatrice Simpkins-Program Director for St. Clare’s Home for Children, Susan Scimone-Bellini-Treasurer of FBINewarkCAAA, Annie Chen- Chief Operating Officer of the AIDS Redource Foundation for Children.)
Active Shooter Training
Date: 2017
Tina Pilate, the Events Director of the FBINewarkCAAA presented Active Shooter training to a group of food pantry workers that work for MEND (Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity).
MEND serves the indigent population in over 17 cities within Essex County.
The FBI Newark Program on Ransomware
Date: December 12, 2017
On December 12, 2017, the Newark FBI in partnership with the Secret Service presented an informative program on malware. Information was given about the dangers and the effect of ransomware, and what can be done to avoid becoming a victim. The program was held at the Newark FBI field office and was attended by law enforcement professionals, company and industry professionals as well as Newark FBI Citizen Academy members.
The first session gave strategies on what to do, and also what not to do, when your home or office computer becomes infected by malware engineering. First action, isolate the infected computer.
The next part of the program covered the steps to take when you become a victim of extortion and are instructed to pay in Bitcoin. Bitcoin was explained and also the reason why Bitcoin was the extorters preferred method of payment. Unlike bank account and credit card transactions, Bitcoin transactions are difficult to trace and are irreversible. Distant extorters hide behind Bitcoin transactions. This type of dark web transaction is taking away tremendous sums of money from legitimate commerce worldwide.
The dark web uses what is known as, “watering holes,” a technique that uses a similar domain/email address to obtain information. For example:
- myemailaddress@fbi.gov
- myemaiiladdress@fbi.gov
- myemai1address@fbi.gov
(Motivation for this crime: elder fraud, obtaining FICO scores, personal or company information).
The session stressed what to do to help protect yourself and/or your company against these threats.
- Change Passwords Often For Banking And Email
- Focus On Awareness, Detection And Response
- Use Antivirus And Antimalware
- Use Encryption
- Be Willing To Pay For Additional Services To Keep Secure
Most Important: The FBI does not advocate paying ransom and always instructs to immediately contact the following to report incidents of ransomware.
- www.fbi.gov
- www.secretservice.gov
Recognizing Frauds and Scams
Date: September 18, 2017
The Cresskill Senior Activity Center, The Newark FBI and FBI Citizens Alumni Association of NJ partnered to present a program called “Recognizing Frauds and Scams”. Special Agent Laurie Adams described the numerous ways that senior citizens can be taken advantage of, if they are not aware of potential threats.
Raritan Presentation
Date: September 12, 2017
The FBI, the Raritan Central Railway and the FBINewarkCAAA coordinated a series of four outreach programs featuring important and timely issues facing our nations law enforcement and security personnel. The sessions were conducted by FBI Special Agents and included the following topics:
- Cyber Security
- Active Shooter
- Financial Treat
- Human Trafficking
Hundreds of people from various businesses attended the sessions. Everyone came away from the programs with a better understanding of the role the FBI plays in keeping our country and communities safe.
Cyber Security for the Statewide Legal Services of NJ
Date: Fall, 2017
In the fall of 2017 the FBI and the FBINewarkCAAA coordinated a program on cyber security for the statewide Legal Services of NJ ‘s annual conference . The audience consisted of attorneys, case managers, and administrative staff of LSNJ.
LSNJ coordinates the statewide Legal Services system, which provides free legal assistance to low-income New Jerseyans for their civil legal problems. Through its work, LSNJ strives to secure substantive and procedural justice for those living in poverty.
School Supply Drive
Date: August 28, 2017
On 8-28-17 the FBINewarkCAAA held its’ first School Supply Drive. I have attached some picture from MEND (Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity) in Newark, and the Center for Food Action (CFA) in Englewood where we distributed a combined total of 500 back packs with school supplies. Many thanks to Ercan for coordinating this worthwhile endeavor. A “special thanks” to the Peace Island Institute, The Raritan Railway, and Lakeland Bank for their generous financial support. Enjoy the day knowing you have made a difference in some children’s lives.
2017 FBI Citizen Academy Graduation
Date: April 25, 2017
The 2017 FBI Citizen Academy class attended a 6-week program that met at the FBI Newark Office. FBI executives, senior special agents, and program managers taught participants about topics such as counter terrorism, white-collar crimes, cyber crime, and violent crimes. The class also attended a range day at Fort Dix, NJ where everyone had the opportunity to learn more about the weapons that the FBI uses in their line of work.
At the end of the program, attendees were part of a graduation ceremony that was held at FBI Newark Headquarters. Special thank you to the Brownstone, Paterson, NJ for their magnificent graduation dinner.