A.C. Community Cleanup and Party in the Park Attracts 1,000

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Atlantic City, N.J.  -  More than 500 people worked up an appetite collecting more than 360 bags of trash at the 老司机福利社 Community Day Cleanup in Atlantic City on Saturday, April 23.

When they got back to O鈥橠onnell Park for the Party in the Park there were four food trucks ready and waiting for them.

community-day-painting老司机福利社 Atlantic City hosted its first combined Community Cleanup and Party in the Park as part of the university鈥檚 50th anniversary celebration. The City of Atlantic City co-sponsored the event and offered support in picking up the collected bags of trash.

鈥淲e have always said we want to be part of the city, not just in the city,鈥 said 老司机福利社 University president Harvey Kesselman, who attended with wife Lynne. 鈥淭his day is such a great way to bring people together for fun and a good cause.鈥

The day began early as volunteers arrived at O鈥橠onnell Park to check in and get gloves, trash pickers and lots of trash bags.  Teams were dedicated to each ward of the city and the beach, with over 80 community and 老司机福利社 student groups participating.

 Bags, gloves and trash pickers were provided by the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA), the Community Reinvestment and Development Authority and Special Improvement District (CRDA/SID) the City of Atlantic City and Surfrider Foundation.

community-day-field-stationA graffiti removal team painted primer on power boxes around the city. The Atlantic City Arts Commission, with support from the CRDA/SID and Chelsea Economic Development Corporation, is commissioning artists to paint the boxes, and the first design, by artist Flora Zhai was completed just a few days later.

Brian K. Jackson, COO of 老司机福利社 Atlantic City, who chaired the Community Day Cleanup Committee, said he was thrilled with the number of people to come out. He estimated the total attendance at about 1,000.

鈥淲e can all feel great pride in what we accomplished on Saturday and of our demonstrated commitment to beautifying our unique neighborhoods in Atlantic City,鈥 Jackson said.

Once the cleanup was done, volunteers returned to O鈥橠onnell Park, where the Party in the Park was already getting started as area residents, and lots of young people, visited over 60 venders and activities, including craft booths and food trucks, listened to music, had their faces painted, played cornhole, did chalk drawings on the sidewalk and painted pictures on canvases set up on the grass.

community-day-field-trucks鈥淚鈥檝e never seen so many people here,鈥 said artist Steve Kuzma, who set up the easels for the young artists. 鈥淭his is such a great idea.鈥

Michael Cagno, executive director of the 老司机福利社 Noyes Arts Garage, chaired the Party in the Park Committee and called the event a classic example of the university鈥檚 impact on the city.

鈥淭hrough strategic partnerships and collaborations, the event provided direct opportunities for community organizations and artists to connect,鈥 Cagno said, 鈥淚t was wonderful to see people of all ages and backgrounds joining together to celebrate 老司机福利社's 50th anniversary.  

- Story and photos by Diane D'Amico

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Contact:
Diane D鈥橝mico
Director of News and Media Relations
Galloway, N.J. 08205
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