Orange Recreation Department Coach Leonard Stewart, right, smiles as he and an assistant unwrap the trophies they presented to the winning teams that participated in the basketball games played on the Central Playground court on Saturday, Sept. 9, at the 12 Hours of Community Service Back to School giveaway, sponsored by Mayor Dwayne Warren and the Orange City Council.
ORANGE, NJ — Orange Mayor Dwayne Warren and Orange City Council wanted to do something ambitious with this year’s annual back-to-school book bag giveaway event to promote community engagement at the same time, so they combined those efforts into the 12 Hours of Community Service event Saturday, Sept. 9.
According to Warren, the 12 Hours of Community Service had food and music, backpacks, school supplies, sneakers, uniforms, haircuts and swimming, all for free. It also featured “The Battle of the Oranges” basketball game between Orange and East Orange; the Hispanic Coalition Soccer Game; the ninth annual Hassan Miller Basketball Classic; a “Midnight Madness” basketball game between the Newark and Orange fire departments; a screening of “Finding Forrester,” and some drug prevention and awareness activities.
The event was sponsored by Warren, the Orange City Council, recreation department, fire department, the Orange Police Athletic League, JM Tutors and the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. Children who registered with the Orange Recreation Department prior to Sept. 9, received a free backpack.
“Twelve hours of being with your neighbors; 12 hours of being with your family; 12 hours of being entertained; certainly 12 hours of food. What better could it be?” asked Warren on Saturday, Sept. 9. “Today is back to school, back to the community: 12 Hours of Community Service. We started at 12, we’re going to end at 12. Families were out here. Soccer, basketball, music, giving out book bags, school supplies. Families just being together and having fun and celebrating the fact that we’re going back to school.”
Beginnings are always important, Warren said, so kicking off the new school year on the right foot is a must.
“We go into the year feeling good and having our children encouraged,” said Warren. “It was a big book bag and school supply giveaway today. So we really want to let them know that school is important to us in the community and we want to make sure that they do well in school.”
But Warren said the best thing about the 12 Hours of Community Service was the fact that it brought Orange residents of all ages together for a good time for a good cause.
“I got to stand here with people like this, who are the future,” said Warren, speaking of Orange High School football players Mahkye Boswell, 17, and Michael Pennix, 18, fresh from their 47-6 victory against Ferris High School in Jersey City, on Saturday, Sept. 9. “(They are) the future mayors, (the) future people that are going to take over the town. So this was just a good day.”
“I think it’s real good,” said Boswell of the event Saturday, Sept. 9. “It’s bringing people together. There were a lot of events out here.”
Pennix agreed.
“It’s real good,” said Pennix on Saturday, Sept. 9. “We don’t always have a lot of events like this, so this shows that we’ve got someone that cares.”
Warren said the event proved Orange has a lot of people who do care.
“People were out here. Our swimming pool was open. People went swimming. It was just a great, all-around day. We had the Hassan Miller Classic, which was beautiful. His family was out here. They come out every year. They bring the community together as well.”
Fatimah Jefferson, Mahkye Boswell’s mother, agreed with the mayor. Jefferson is a co-founder of the Orange Pop Warner Bengals football team and cheerleaders’ organization, along with head coach Darren Fisher.
“We have a lot of stars coming out of Orange and that’s what I’m praying for,” said Jefferson on Saturday, Sept. 9. “I think the 12 Hours of Community Service was a really great idea and I’m hoping for more like this through the seasons, just to benefit the kids. It was a great turnout, with the movies, the book bag giveaway, with anything they needed inside the book bags. To see all the children play basketball, to see the firemen and the policemen come out, I think it was a great idea and we’re hoping to just continue this great effort, to see a lot of the kids have fun and enjoy themselves out here in Orange.”
Orange comes out for 12 hours of fun at book bag giveaway added by Chris Sykes on
View all posts by Chris Sykes →