Giving Back to New Jersey’s
Cities Since 2000 Over $1 million in cash and in-kind services contributed.
2010 Project: "Hunger Doesn't Take a Summer Vacation" Food Drive and Volunteer Day to benefit the Community Food Bank of NJ
Details coming soon: watch this page for information on how YOU can help!
2009
Cleanup with New Brunswick Elementary Students: The project received glowing
reviews from the teachers, students and volunteers. According to NJ CCC’s Sandy
Huber, volunteers picked up 2.26 tons of litter and recycled an additional 1.15
tons.
NAIOP
New Jersey’s participation added so much more than financial support. Ms. Huber said that this cleanup has become a
model for the entire state. “The New Brunswick cleanup was a premier
event: it was the first cleanup
sponsored by the Clean Communities Council in which students had an opportunity
to work side-by-side with business leaders. The benefits far surpassed our
original goals.”
New
Brunswick Clean Communities Coordinator Donna Caputo said “The NAIOP New Jersey
Chapter volunteers set an excellent example for the two hundred eighty students
to emulate. It was valuable to have the
students exposed to professionals from a variety of fields. The NAIOP New
Jersey Chapter volunteers were enthusiastic and greatly added to the excitement
of the day. Through this event, students
learned what litter is, why it is a concern to the City of New Brunswick and
where litter goes if it isn’t picked up. They have learned not to litter, to
pick up litter they see and to encourage others to Keep New Brunswick
Clean. I believe this experience will
have a long-term positive effect on the students. Having so many volunteers
enabled the City to handle the large amount of students safely. The event would not have been as great as it
was without the NAIOP New Jersey Chapter.”
2008
Coat Drive for the Salvation Army:The more than 200 coats and jackets donated by NAIOP members were most
welcome, since the tough economy has led consumers to hold on to their old
clothes longer or sell them at yard sales or on eBay. This has had a dramatic affect on the usual
volume of donations. “We
will give out these coats at our Thanksgiving Dinner,” said Social Services
Director Jeanette Lugo, as she and Captain Domingo Urban picked up the
donations at NAIOP’s offices in New Brunswick. NAIOP
members who brought coats by the bagful to the Fourth Annual President’s Awards
Dinner on November 3, 2008.
The New Brunswick Corps was amazed
at the generous donation of 84 new jackets from Rennaissance Promotions in
Delran, which was arranged and delivered by Richard Cureton and Whitesell
Construction Co.
Inc. Ms. Lugo noted that the need for
help was overwhelming that year. “We had
350 families apply for our Adopt A Family program last year. This year we have surpassed 700 families.
2007
Burgess Memorial Park, Irvington: Raymond
C. Burgess, Sr. Memorial Park sits in the heart of a residential neighborhood,
adjacent to the Thurgood Marshall School and the local Head Start program.
“This is a Godsend,” said fifth grade teacher Myrna Williams-Smith who brought
some of her students to Build Day. “Finally, we have a safe haven that can be
utilized by the community and our school.”
Some 60 students, part of the school’s “Wayne Smith Achievers” group for
academically dedicated youth, visited the park to watch longingly as the
sparkling new play structures took shape. The students also enjoyed snacks,
asked questions and thanked volunteers for their efforts.
“The
renovation of this park will provide an aesthetically appealing oasis where
children, families and the community can simply relax or engage in recreational
pursuits,” said Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith, who supported the project with
resources for site preparation, food for volunteers, equipment and other
logistics involved with Build Day. “Its revitalization complements the beauty
of the Thurgood Marshall School, and it will breathe new life into the entire
neighborhood. We are grateful to NAIOP New Jersey for its diligence and the
dedication of its membership, funding and resources to this important community
project.”
Mayor
Smith announced the creation of a “Friends of the Park” organization to
maintain and look after the newly renovated playground. Renee Burgess, daughter
of the park’s namesake and President of the Irvington School Board, lives
across the street from the park. She said she was “honored” by NAIOP’s efforts
and her father would have been pleased.
2006
Breunig Avenue Park, Trenton: "My
hope is that residents in the area will follow the example of basically
strangers who took time to take care of an area they are not even
from," said Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer, who was first to try the new slide at the ribbon cutting.