Shortly after Jennifer’s death in December 2017, her husband, Joe, was determined to establish a lasting tribute to his wife. In the spring of 2018, Joe decided that one of the ways that Jennifer’s legacy was to begin a scholarship fund in her memory at Howell High School in New Jersey. The scholarship fund had two principal guidelines for eligibility: 1) the student has to be a senior accepted into a college or university and 2) the student had to have experienced the loss of a parent, guardian, sibling, or loved one. Private donations were made to the fund and a graduating senior was chosen in May 2018. On June 5, the first Jennifer Baldassarre Memorial Scholarship Award was presented at Howell High School during their awards ceremony by Joe with some of Jen’s friends and family in attendance.
After the success of the first award, the Foundation was formed, as a 501c3 non-profit organization, in an effort to preserve the scholarship fund while expanding to additional high schools, explore different fundraising activities, and promote awareness for the need to further support the needs of those adolescents who want to pursue higher education.
Joe Baldassarre has the honor to serve as the Foundation’s President with the following appointed Board members:
Barbara Cashin, Lakewood, NJ
Dennis R. Bates, Pittsfield, MA
Nicole Drake, Keyport, NJ
Born in 1982, Jennifer grew up in Northern New Jersey and moved to the Poconos in 1987. Jennifer attended the Pocono Mountain School District, where she meant her husband Joe, and graduated high school in 2000.
Jennifer attended Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania where she pursued a career in social work. She received her B.S.W. in 2004 and then attended the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and received her M.S.W. in 2005. She shortly thereafter obtained her L.S.W. and L.C.S.W.
Joe and Jennifer were married in October 2007 and settled in Monmouth County, New Jersey in 2009. Jennifer gave birth to twin daughters, Rossella and Giada, in August 2013. In 2014, Jennifer, Joe, and twins moved to Howell.
For seven years, Jennifer worked for High Focus Centers in Freehold, New Jersey first as an adolescent counselor and then as a Quality Management Specialist, helping the organization expand their continuum of care in New Jersey.
Jennifer loved spending time with family, going to beach in Avon-by-the-Sea, NJ, and travelling.
Tragically, on November 22, 2017, the day before Thanksgiving, Jennifer went into sudden cardiac arrest at home and passed away due to complications on December 11, 2017.
