Paramus' Frisch School Senior Receives The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County’s Leadership Award for Young Women
(Eastern Bergen County, New Jersey; May 30, 2025) -- The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County announces Mussia Poltorak, a resident of Bergenfield and a senior at The Frisch School, received its Young Women’s Senior Leadership Runner-Up Award with a certificate and a $2,000 award.
Poltorak has incorporated community service into her life. While stranded in Madison, Wisconsin during the COVID-19 pandemic, she discovered Little Free Libraries provided a respite that connected her with others in the community, when public libraries were closed. Upon her return to New Jersey, she recognized the absence of free little libraries in her hometown and went into action to create them. Through a grant received from the National Contribution Project, she galvanized a team of volunteers to develop and install Little Free Libraries in her community, neighborhood and at her school.
This young leader has been honored with an array of awards and distinctions, showcasing her academic abilities, leadership skills, and commitment to the community. Among her key achievements, she was selected as a Fellow for the Bronfman Fellowship, a yearlong program centered on Jewish text study that also explored pluralism and dialogue with religious and cultural leaders. In addition, she received a Hartman Teen Fellowship and a Civics Unplugged Fellowship and was named a National Merit Finalist.
Poltorak was selected for the senior Worlds Debate Team for NSDA Nationals 2024, and she won first place in the Varsity Debate Team at three consecutive competitions. She also earned Silver Medals in Chemistry, Green Generation, and Codebusters at the Science Olympiad. With a merit-based, U.S. State Department-funded scholarship to study in Indonesia, she was an exchange student through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth.
In addition to these academic achievements, Poltorak demonstrated leadership skills, serving as editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, captains of the Debate and the Science Olympiad Teams and outreach captain for the FTC Varsity Robotics team.
In the fall, Poltorak plans to enroll at Yale University. Afterward, she would like to attend law school and possibly work for a nonprofit agency that supports women.
Young Women’s Leadership Program’s Awards Ceremony
The eighth annual High School Young Women's Leadership Program's Award Ceremony was held on May 19 at the historic Elizabeth Cady Stanton House in Tenafly, New Jersey. During the ceremony, guest speaker Christina Wanas, Vice President and Branch Manager at Provident Bank’s Englewood branch, discussed her experiences growing up and the career path she followed to her current position, as Vice President and Branch Manager of the Provident Bank Branch in Englewood.
The Community Chest’s Young Women’s Leadership 2025 award recipients demonstrated leadership, compassion, innovation and the courage of their convictions in the community. "This year, The Community Chest received an outstanding range of applications for these leadership awards. Each applicant demonstrated exceptional talents and a commitment to social justice causes. During this time of great change, leaders need to be creative and flexible and able to manage people well,” said Dr. Shelly Wimpfheimer, Executive Director, The Community Chest.
A team of readers, representing different fields in the community, reviewed each application. These ConnectOne Bank readers participated and reviewed the applications: Majda Ahmed, Veronica Alonzo, Allison Barrett-Bader, Michele Bell, Jennifer Braga, Gabriela Cabreja, Danielle Flaherty, Zoe Kaloedas, Biljana Matevska, Kirsten Micco, Vanessa Nesheiwat, Sally Pettit, Brooke Rutkowski, Rori Sagal, Olivia Salazar-Picinich, and Kim Sayther.
Several members from the community also volunteered to review the applications. They included Fran Eiss, Vered Feiwus, Lisa Levinthal, Jacqueline McLeod, Rita Rodin, Karen Schaefer, Audrey Winter Kahn, and Melanie Zingler. They were joined by these volunteers from The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County’s Board of Managers: Amie AbuRustum, Marsha Campbell-Young, Vicki Sidrow, Ellen Skowronski, and Dekyi Tsotsong.
Leadership Awards
The awards program celebrated the leadership the three "Elizabeths" from Bergen County demonstrated throughout their lives. Elizabeth Cutter Morrow of Englewood became the founding board chair and president of The Community Chest during the Great Depression 92 years ago. Elisabeth Morrow Morgan, daughter of Elizabeth Cutter Morrow and the founder of the Elisabeth Morrow School, grew up in Englewood. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a Tenafly resident for several years, became an internationally recognized leader in the suffragette movement.
About The Community Chest
Founded in 1933, The Community Chest, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization headquartered in Englewood, New Jersey, has supported local not-for-profit agencies for 92 years. The Chest leads initiatives and supports nonprofits that make our communities stronger and benefit people in need in eastern Bergen County. Each year, The Chest raises funds and allocates them to agencies demonstrating the capacity to provide services to local citizens. The organization also provides coordinating and planning services in its communities, serving as a bridge between agencies and organizations and investing in the stability and quality of the service network.
The Community Chest's Board of Managers is comprised of community leaders dedicated to improving the lives of neighbors in need. People interested in being considered for board membership may contact Executive Director Dr. Shelly Wimpfheimer at (201) 568-7474. For further information about The Chest, visit www.thecommunitychestebc.org/ or contact (201) 568-7474. Stay updated about the organization’s activities on Facebook and Instagram, and YouTube.
Photo caption: Shown from left to right. Mussia Poltorak, a senior at The Frisch School, was presented by Dr. Shelly Wimpfheimer, Executive Director of The Community Chest of Eastern Bergen County, the Young Women’s Senior Leadership Runner-Up Award with a certificate and a $2,000 award.