Photo Credit: Impact100 Garden State

Pictured: (l-r) Bill Kibler – GSWA Executive Director; Sandra LaVigne – GSWA Director of Water Quality (Hackettstown); Lynne Applebaum – GSWA Director of Institutional Relations (Morristown); B. David Naidu – GSWA Board President (Summit)

The Merit Award is a recognition of essential work for underserved people in our community.

MORRISTOWN, NJ – July 22, 2025 – The Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) was awarded a $10,000 grant from Impact100 Garden State at a June 11 reception in recognition of its effective and essential programs for protecting the water and land of the Great Swamp watershed and the Passaic River region. GSWA was chosen as a finalist out of a pool of more than 90 applicants.

“It was wonderful to work with our Impact100 Garden State team through this process,” stated Sandra LaVigne, GSWA Director of Water Quality Programs. “Being invited to participate with the other finalists in the Big Give event was such an honor. The funding we have received will help us to further our efforts towards restoring Loantaka Brook to a healthy ecosystem and a resilient community resource, continuing our mission to protect our waters for current and future generations.”

Impact100 Garden State is an all-women volunteer organization for collective giving. The group pools member donations to give high-impact grants to nonprofits serving Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Union counties. The group has given more than $4 million to area nonprofits since 2013.

“We’re delighted and proud to make this Merit Award to Great Swamp Watershed Association, an outstanding organization that makes such a positive difference in our community,” says Impact100 Garden State President Celeste Campos. "As we celebrate our twelfth year of grant-making, I continue to be amazed by the creativity, passion and hard work of our nonprofit partners."

To learn more about GSWA, visit greatswamp.org or email info@greatswamp.org. To learn more about Impact100 Garden State, visit impact100gardenstate.org or email info@impact100gardenstate.org.

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About Great Swamp Watershed Association

Protecting the waters of the Great Swamp watershed region for over 40 years, the Great Swamp Watershed Association (GSWA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the water resources of the Passaic River region, from the Great Swamp headwaters to Newark Bay, for present and future generations. Through education, advocacy, science, land preservation and stewardship, in collaboration with partners, we work to instill our communities with an awareness of water’s effect on health and the beauty of the environment, from source to sea.

For more information about the Great Swamp Watershed Association, visit GreatSwamp.org.