City orgs, council raise funds to outfit crossing guards
Community initiative outfits 30 with reflective winter coats
Christmas came a little early this year for Asbury Park’s crossing guards.
For the past several weeks a community-wide initiative has been underway to help sponsor new warm, reflective winter gear to outfit the guards. Previously, they wore thin reflective vests over their own personal winter coats.
At a press conference held Friday outside of the Springwood Center it was announced the initiative was a success. Thirty new thick, winter parkas were given to the guards.
The fundraising effort was spearheaded the city’s chamber of commerce, the Asbury Park unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs, and by Asbury Park Police Sargeant Carmen Gagliano and Patrolman Anthony Butler, who run the city’s traffic bureau.
“The crossing guards play a vital role, ensuring the safety of our kids as they walk to the Club,” said Douglas Eagles, executive director of Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County. “If they’re not safe, our kids aren’t safe.”
The chamber and the club successfully enlisted the help of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties, the Community Affairs and Resource Center, Interfaith Neighbors and Triumphant Life Church.
To secure funds for the remaining gear, Eagles reached out Councilman John Moor to see if the city could provide any assistance.
“He said they were short six jackets,” said Moor. Instead of waiting for the city to put through a purchase order, Moor decided to reach out to council members personally, he said. All five council members and acting city manager Tony Nuccio sponsored one jacket each.
“If they had to wait for a purchase order it could have taken months,” Moor said. “It’s kind of neat the entire council anted up for a good cause.”
“I’m glad for the work they do and I was happy to help,” Councilman John Loffredo said.
The new jackets are fluorescent yellow and black with several reflective strips on them.
Shantece Council has been a crossing guard for five and a half years. Her current post is at the intersection of Asbury Avenue and Emory Street. The new jackets are going to help driver visibility in spotting the guards at their posts, she said.
“It’s very bright — that’s a good thing,” Council said.
“It’s beautiful, I love it,” said Joseph Hewitt, a 20-year veteran crossing guard. “It’s about time, we really look like something now.”
Hewitt crosses pedestrians at Third Avenue and Pine Street.
“Thank you for the amazing job you do as ambassadors of our city,” said Jackie Pappas, executive director of the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce said to the guards. “You now have warm, bright jackets to go along with your warm, bright smiles.”
“I just want to thank everyone who helped and donated to get the jackets for the guards,” Gagliano said. “These are the people that are crossing the children of the community, getting them to and from school safely.”
“I think this was a really nice project, for all of our community organizations to do with the police department,” Pappas said.
[Photo at top: From left to right – Asbury Park Police Chief Mark Kinmon; Cassandra Dickerson, executive secretary to the city; Heather Schulze, community outreach coordinator for Interfaith Neighbors; Sergeant Carmen Gagliano; Roy Werts, director, Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce; Councilman John Moor; Councilman John Loffredo; crossing guards Gregory Brewington, Leika Holloway, Joseph Hewitt, Josephine Coleman, Meegan Hewitt, Travis Akins and Jose Ramirez and Shantece Council; Douglas Eagles; Jackie Pappas; Beatriz Oesterheld, executive director, Community Affairs and Resource Center; and Paul McEvily, associate executive director at Interfaith Neighbors, Inc.]
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