Mary Jo Codey to be honored

Mary Jo and Richard Codey

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The West Orange Scholarship Fund will honor Mary Jo Codey on June 15 for 30 years of dedicated teaching and advocacy of mental health issues at a cocktail reception at the Montclair Country Club, 90 Rock Spring Road, West Orange. The reception is scheduled from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and funds raised will establish an endowment to benefit graduating West Orange High School seniors for years to come.

Codey has worked as a basic skills teacher at Gregory Elementary School for 16 years and will retire on July 1. While First Lady of New Jersey, Codey was ambassador to the Governor’s Book Club that promotes literacy initiatives statewide. In addition to both Mary Jo and Gov. Richard Codey’s commitment to the children of the state of New Jersey, they founded the Codey Fund for Mental Health in 2012.

Mary Jo Codey herself is a longtime outspoken advocate for mental health and has been candid about her own experiences with postpartum depression. Find out more about The Codey Fund here.

Currently the West Orange Scholarship Fund has in excess of 40 permanent endowments that help to provide scholarships each year to graduating seniors, and since its inception in 1923 the WOSF has awarded nearly $1.2 million in scholarships. Mary Jo Codey is a proud graduate of Mountain High School’s Class of 1973.

The WOSF is sponsoring a commemorative ad journal to honor Mary Jo Codey. Funds raised from journal ad sales will also go toward the Codey Family Scholarship.

Tickets for the Cocktail Reception are charged and include some light food and a cash bar. Journal ads must be received no later than June 1. For more information on reservations and/or placing ads, contact WOSF treasurer Jim Quinn at jquinn@allenco.com.