Bedford, New Hampshire – The BJ Cirnigliaro Memorial Fund, established by Absolute Title in early 2021, has announced $20,000 in donations to five local organizations – Families in Transition, Southern New Hampshire Services, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – New Hampshire Chapter, Gather and Waypoint.
Absolute Title, the region’s premier title company with offices in Bedford, Concord and Portsmouth, established the Memorial Fund to honor longtime employee BJ Cirnigliaro, who passed away unexpectedly in 2020. BJ was one of the company’s first employees and Senior Vice President, opening the company’s Portsmouth office in May 2019.
The recipients of this year’s donations were selected by a committee of Absolute Title employees, chaired by Lisa Capicchioni, senior loan officer at Guild Mortgage and longtime friend of BJ. This year’s donations include:
- $5,000 to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP – New Hampshire Chapter). The AFSP focuses on delivering innovative prevention programs, educating the public about risk factors and warning signs, raising funds for suicide research and programs, and reaching out to those who have lost someone to suicide.
- $3,000 for Families in Transition (FIT). Headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire, FIT seeks to break the cycle of homelessness by providing housing programs, emergency shelters for the homeless, nutrition programs and drug treatment.
- $3,500 to Southern New Hampshire Services (SNHS). Headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire, SNHS’s mission is to address the root causes of community poverty, rather than just treating the symptoms. The memorial fund donation will support the organization’s Fuel Assistance Program (FAP), which provides grants to elderly, disabled or low-income New Hampshire residents to help meet essential heating and utility bills during the colder months.
- to raise $4,500. Based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Gather works to end hunger in the coastal community by providing nutritious foods through distribution programs and its Pantry Market.
- $4,000 for Waypoint. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, Waypoint provides a variety of human services including early childhood and family support, resources for families affected by incarceration, family preservation and strengthening, home care for older adults and adults with disabilities and services for young people affected by homelessness.
Administered by the NH Charitable Foundation, the BJ Cirnigliaro Memorial Fund aims to support suicide prevention programs, animal shelters and humane societies, as well as mental health, LGBTQ and home ownership organizations.
“BJ really was the heart and soul of Absolute Title. Everyone who met BJ had a kind word to say about her. Her legacy will be remembered not only at Absolute Title, but throughout the New Hampshire titles industry as a whole,” said Matthew Neuman, Esq., executive director of Absolute Title. “The organizations selected as this year’s honorees are doing phenomenal work in our communities and will help preserve BJ’s memory as they represent her many passions.”
All recipients of this year’s donations were honored at a luncheon held at Absolute Title’s Concord office on November 8th.
For more information about Absolute Title, visit www.absolutetitle.com.