Community spirit shown in school supply efforts

BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

DAVE BENJAMIN Rosenauer School Principal Michael Raymond (l) accepts a donation of school supplies from Westlake Mews Apartments resident Joseph Brill. JACKSON - There will be pencils, pens, erasers and more for students at the Rosenauer School, compliments of some generous residents.

"The township has done so much for my community at Westlake Mews Apartments that we feel we want to give back to the community," said Joseph Brill. "The way we did it was through school supplies."

Brill said his granddaughter is almost of school age and he read about people who help provide school supplies for families that have a hard time paying for such items. He said people donated money and he and his wife, Diane, did the leg work.

"When I thought there was enough money we went out to purchase the supplies," he said. "We ran around like crazy trying to get the supplies, looking for sales."

The Brills were helped in the purchasing and packaging of the supplies by John and Angie Brechka. He said they also received financial support from former Mayor Michael Kafton.

Jackson He said some stores had limits on the number of items that could be purchased at one time so they kept going back until they had what they needed. After everything had been purchased the group went to work assembling 50 packages of supplies.

Brill said the project was coordinated with the school by Allison Erwin, communications specialist for the Jackson School District, and by Kafton's office. The former mayor attended the Rosenauer School.

Eventually, 50 bags were packed, each containing pencils, pens, erasers, a pencil sharpener, spiral notebooks, loose-leaf paper, pocket folders, a ruler, scissors, glue, crayons, colored pencils, washable markers, a pencil box and a letter to each student from the donors.

"I think the kids will enjoy it. It was well worth it," Brill said.

School supplies were donated by Joseph and Diane Brill, John and Angie Brechka, Michael Kafton, Kathy Sheehan; Danielle and Lucille Ruzzano, Carol Gurrieri, Terry Demola, Sheri Witham, and others who asked to remain anonymous.

"Next year I want to get my whole community and make it bigger," Brill said. "Maybe 300 packages. We'll do the same thing, but on a bigger scale."

Michael Raymond, who will become principal at the Rosenauer School on Sept. 1, said, "I can't tell you how much we appreciate this" as he thanked the donors for providing the supplies for his pupils.

In other school supply news, the Bat Shalom Hadassah organization of Jackson is donating school supplies to children at the Holman School.

Beverly Brown, a spokesperson for the nonsectarian organization that consists of women from the Westlake, Winding Ways and South Knolls communities, said money has been raised and as many bags of supplies as possible will be filled.

Holman School Principal Jeanne Pollock said, "The donation will help students who might have a harder time purchasing a new backpack or those extra supplies students like to have at the beginning of the school year. It's so nice when someone comes out of the blue with such a generous and thoughtful contribution."

Pollock said the group's generosity is appreciated and said the school community is proud to be neighbors with people who care so much about helping children.