Photo by Chris Sykes From left, Orange City Council President Donna K. Williams and Business Administrator Chris Hartwyck have on their red noses on Thursday, May 25, during the city's local observance of the annual national Red Nose Day charity fundraiser, in conjunction with Walgreens.
From left, Orange City Council President Donna K. Williams and Business Administrator Chris Hartwyck have on their red noses on Thursday, May 25, during the city’s local observance of the annual national Red Nose Day charity fundraiser, in conjunction with Walgreens.
ORANGE, NJ — Orange celebrated national Red Nose Day with a photo-op inside Council Chambers on Thursday, May 25.
“It’s all about teaming with our local corporate partners,” said Mayor Dwayne Warren on Thursday, May 25. “We have one of the highest grossing Walgreens in our region. We do very well economically supporting our own community. This is another piece and outgrowth from what we do in the community. We’re trying to get a push here in Orange to change these red noses to orange noses but, while they’re read, we are going to celebrate and make sure we bring awareness and community cohesiveness to the city of Orange Township.”
Red Nose Day is a fundraising campaign run by the non-profit organization Comic Relief Inc. that is designed to bring people together to have fun, raise money and change the lives of kids who need help the most. The idea is that individuals, groups or organizations that want to make donations to a good cause can do it simply by going to a Walgreens or Duane Reade store and buying a red nose like the ones that clowns typically wear.
Red Nose Day began with the British in 1988 and launched in the United States in 2015, dedicated to ending child poverty, both in the United States and in some of the poorest communities in the world. Walgreens is the exclusive retailer of the Red Noses, available at Walgreens and Duane Reade locations nationwide.
According to organizers, the money raised by Red Nose Day in the United States has benefited programs for children and young people in all 50 states and in 25 countries internationally. Globally, organizers said Red Nose Day has raised more than $1 billion since its launch in the U.K. in 1988.
Warren credited Recreation Department Director Greg Tynes, council President Donna K. Williams, Board of Education member Kyleesha Hill, and Walgreens assistant store manager Jamal Biggs for organizing the event that involved practically every City Hall employee as well as members of the Irvington Police and Fire departments.
“Teamwork here in Orange has really been one of our staples, which made us successful, whether you’re talking about police, fire, community service. It’s all because we all come together and do it and we’ll continue to do that,” Warren said. “Walgreens has been a tremendous community partner, whether it be summer jobs for our youth, giving back to the community, health fairs, certainly this Red Nose Day, Walgreens has been a terrific partner. We thank them and we honor them and sponsor them as well.”
Biggs manages the Walgreens store on the corner of Central Avenue and Center Street and, according to him, developing a good relationship with the city is part of the retail corporation’s service mission.
“The store’s been in the community since 1996 and it’s a big staple in the community,” said Biggs on Thursday, May 25. “The Red Nose program helps a lot of youth, youth foundations, YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs. And just by having such a great turnout, having great support behind us, it shows the relationship that we have and that we can eventually grow upon.”
Biggs said the relationship he talked about was epitomized by the people who filled the City Hall Council Chamber on Thursday, May 25.
“We have the fire department; all these people here are actually customers of our store,” Biggs said. “They’re our patrons that shop here. It’s great to have each other’s back when you can see the turnout. Corporate and community partnership, any type of partnership is really appreciated.”
“Happy Red Nose Day,” Chris Hartwyck, the Orange business administrator, said. He was among the Warren administration department heads who joined their fellow city employees in celebrating Red Nose Day. “Working together, we can get things done. If we’re fighting, we can’t.”
Williams and Tynes echoed Hartwyck’s sentiments.
“We’re here to join in a campaign with Walgreens in this holiday that started in the United Kingdom,” said Williams on Thursday, May 25. “It’s a way that we can get together and laugh and raise funds for communities that have high poverty rates for their young children. This is the first year that the city has done this, but it won’t be the last.”
Tynes said group events, such as Red Nose Day, bring city employees, elected officials and members of the community together for a shared cause, and are a good way to build teamwork in city government and the rest of Orange, too.
“I’m just trying to do some new things, in order to help our children; it brings everyone into the community, it brings back everybody to help out. It brings the community together,” said Tynes on Thursday, May 25. “I’ve been a part of a team since I was 8. Whether I played or whether I was a coach, I’ve always been a team player. I never played an individual sport. I’ve always been a team guy. We all have to work together.
“No one can accomplish anything on their own. You have to work with people. I think anyone is foolish to believe that they made it on their own with no help from anybody. That’s just impossible.”
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