2021 Awards Nominees

Gateway at Royce Brook : In a year that’s been tragic, terrifying & isolating for so many around the world and here in New Jersey, home has never been so important nor meant so much as our regular worlds shrank with lockdowns. Yet, innovative leaders worked to bring people together in spite of all that was 2020 - and the Board of Directors of Gateway at Royce Brook in Hillsborough exemplified that principle.

This small board is the very definition of active 55 plus residents - in just the past year alone they gathered the most volunteers in its history to put them to work for the community and each other - making over 300 masks & PPE for nearby hospitals, collecting for a food drive for the Hillsborough Food Pantry, bringing toys to the children in St. Peter’s Pediatric Ward, donating gift cards for clothing to New Jersey’s veterans and so much more. They didn’t ignore fighting the isolation brought on by lockdown either - a community who thrived on shared moments now faced this new challenge and met it head on - helping homeowners learn to zoom, coordinating committees to move online for bingo, murder mystery parties, Beatles sing-alongs, trivia, new homeowner parties and more. Board President Kathie Stuart launched a new, interactive web site & homeowner portal to connect homeowners and launched multiple town halls, forums and insight reports to help homeowners stay informed and connected, while she & Vice President Steve Rosen & Board Developer Member Andy Nowack met with homeowners one-on-one through Zoom - to help ensure everyone was heard. They cleared driveways in the worst winter in a decade for homeowners who had vaccination appointments before the contractor could get to them, and Steve - a pharmacist before retirement - heeded the call to help vaccinate the Hillsborough community, giving out over 200 doses personally. In total, the Board of Directors at Gateway at Royce Brook typifies what it means to be dedicated leaders who care, but perhaps even more important in this most unique year, they were leaders who care and are dedicated to helping homeowners adapt to a new normal while being a beacon of support for our entire New Jersey community.

Four Seasons at Manalapan Homeowners Association is a beautiful active adult community consisting of 692 single family homes. The association is governed by a volunteer board of five (5) homeowner members who have very different backgrounds which assist them to work great together as a group as they all bring different views and aspects to the table. Together they have accomplished a lot including, but not limited to, a three-phased $800k redecorating / remodeling project of the entire clubhouse without a Project Manager. This project also included a complete remodeling of the indoor pool, as well. Every aspect of the clubhouse was renovated, including brand new fitness equipment, all flooring and wall coverings, accessories, etc. They also completed the installation of cameras throughout the entire clubhouse for

better management of residents and guests and completed a major renovation of the tennis courts and bocce courts. The board navigated through many hours of meetings with the builder and was awarded a significant sum with a successful transition settlement. During the last year of COVID, the board’s commitment to keeping the community, the staff and the association facilities safe and sanitized was their number one priority. They attended many virtual webinars and worked with management and vendors to assure that Four Seasons Manalapan was in compliance with the CDC as well as NJ state and local regulations. The board has a very unique relationship. They don’t always agree, but they talk though each matter prior to making a