South Orange Rescue Squad to celebrate 70th anniversary this May

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SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange Rescue Squad will hold a gala celebration on Saturday, May 7, to celebrate SORS’ 70th anniversary of service to the community and to honor a past president and squad member, South Orange resident Sharon Kalter Mayers Schwarz. 

The gala will be held at the Maplewood Country Club, 28 Baker St. in Maplewood, at 6 p.m. with cocktails, entertainment, dinner, chances to bid on prizes from local merchants and special guests. 

Schwarz joined the rescue squad in 1977 and was active for 28 years. She handled thousands of emergency calls, including delivering three babies. She was president of the squad from 1985 to 1988, and 1993 to 1994. 

The South Orange Rescue Squad was established in 1952 by a group of residents and business owners as an all-volunteer organization. At that time, a single ambulance was housed in a garage across from the fire department on Sloan Street. For the past 70 years the squad has consistently served the community at all hours of the day and night with immediate 9-1-1 response and medical treatment and transportation, without ever charging a fee or sending a bill for services rendered. 

Tickets for the gala are available now to help raise funds to purchase the squad’s new Horton 2022 ambulance, which will replace a 15-year-old vehicle at the end of its duty life. 

Visit www.southorangerescuesquad.org for ticket information and purchase.

Photos Courtesy of SORS