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Girl Scout Builds Bathroom for Dominican Village

Elizabeth Rosa of West Caldwell completes Gold Award project.

Two hundred residents of a remote village in the Dominican Republic now have a communal bathroom thanks to the efforts of a local teenage girl seeking her Girl Scout Gold Award. Elizabeth Rosa of West Caldwell presented her project to the Girl Scout Council of Montclair earlier this month, an important step on the way toward completing the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. The 15-year-old James Caldwell High School sophomore, however, has gained more than the promise of a Gold Award through witnessing poverty first-hand. “When I came home, for a week, I would cry when I saw my mattress,” Rosa said, holding back tears talking about the things she used to take for granted. The village she visited in February during winter break is …

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Rotary Donates $15K to North Caldwell Fire Department (Photo)

Funds will be used to help purchase pumper truck equipment.

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Rotary Club Presents West Caldwell Police With Service Above Self Award

Police department recognized by Rotary Club of the Caldwells for relief efforts in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

The Rotary Club of the Caldwells presented the Service Above Self Award to the West Caldwell Police Department Tuesday during the club's weekly lunch meeting at the Cloverleaf Tavern. The police department was recognized for collecting and delivering more than nine truckloads of relief items to survivors of Superstorm Sandy in South Jersey in November.  In the days after the historic storm devasted coastal regions of the state, West Caldwell Police officers converted a vacant storefront into a drop-off center for donations. For more than a week, employees of the department volunteered their time unloading cars, sorting donations, packing boxes and filling pallets. This is the 17th year the Rotary presents the award for service in the …

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Time Lapse Video: Caldwell Street Fair

Six minute video uses time lapse footage to capture excitement of annual Caldwell event.

It's the biggest event of the year in Caldwell. More than 30,000 attendees and 150 vendors, plus rides and entertainment, line Bloomfield Avenue the first Sunday in October for the Rotary-Kiwanis Caldwell Street Fair. This year's 21st annual street fair was captured on video using three time-lapse cameras which were set up along the half-mile stretch of the fair.  The six-minute video condenses 12 hours of footage, from set up to breakdown to all the fun in between. Save the date! The 22nd annual Caldwell Street Fair will take place on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013.

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Kiwanis Donates $20K for New Softball Dugouts

West Essex Waterproofing bats in donation toward Rotary Community Challenge.

The Kiwanis Club of Caldwell-West Essex has donated $20,000 toward the construction of new softball dugouts at James Caldwell High School. The donation helps to fulfill the Rotary Community Challenge—a pledge by the Rotary Club of the Caldwells to donate $20,000 for new dugouts to the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education if the community could match that amount. The existing softball dugouts have no roofs, walls or floors. The new dugouts will have roofs for protection from the sun, rain and fly balls, as well as cement floors so the girls are not sitting with their feet and equipment in puddles when it rains, according to the Rotary. “When asked why the Kiwanis Club of Caldwell-West Essex gets involved in such things as dugouts for …

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Law Firm Donates Money Toward New Dugouts

Budd Larner, P.C., of Short Hills, steps up to the plate to help Friends of Caldwell Softball achieve their fundraising goal.

Budd Larner, P.C., a 75-attorney law firm based in Short Hills, has made a sponsor level donation to Friends of Caldwell Softball toward the purchase of new dugouts at James Caldwell High School. The field is used by hundreds of young athletes from t-ball through varsity, including the Caldwell-West Caldwell Recreation, travel and school teams.  “My firm and I are happy to support the much-needed facility upgrade,“ stated Peter Frazza, a partner with Budd Larner, in a press release. Frazza, a Caldwell resident, has been a longtime volunteer softball and basketball coach for Caldwell-West Caldwell youth. Frazza’s two daughters grew up playing sports in town. They both went on to successful careers in college athletics in softball and tennis…

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Markmans Donate to Softball Dugouts

Members of the Rotary Club of the Caldwells bring "Friends of Caldwell Softball" closer to goal.

The Rotary Club of the Caldwells in June launched a matching donation challenge to help build new dugouts at the James Caldwell High School varsity softball field. Rotary pledged a gift to the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education to cover half the cost of constructing new dugouts, up to $20,000, if other members of the community donated the balance. In response, a group of local parents, coaches and players formed “Friends of Caldwell Softball” began raising money to meet Rotary’s challenge. They have been running snack stands at tournaments, soliciting donations from local residents and businesses, presenting to local civic organizations, and selling engraved pavers that will be installed at the site. Long time Caldwell residents, …

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Rotary Issues Community Challenge for New Dugouts

Pledges a gift to the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education for half the cost of constructing new softball dugouts, up to $20,000.

The Rotary Club of the Caldwells has issued a matching donation challenge to the community to help build new softball dugouts for the James Caldwell High School Varsity Field. Rotary has pledged a gift to the Caldwell-West Caldwell Board of Education for half the cost of constructing new dugouts, up to $20,000, if other members of the community donate the balance. A group of local coaches, parents and supporters have formed "Friends of Caldwell Softball" to lead the fundraising efforts needed to meet the challenge. The softball dugouts, which have been substandard for years, according to a press release issued by the Rotary, are used not only by the high school teams, but also by the Caldwell and West Caldwell T-ball teams, 4th, 5th, 6th, …

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30,000 Reasons to Participate in the Rotary-Kiwanis Caldwell Street Fair

Reach tens of thousands of potential customers while supporting local charities.

Local businesses could reach 30,000 potential customers in one day, while helping to support 30 local charities—all for less than $300—by participating in the Rotary-Kiwanis Caldwell Street Fair. The annual Rotary-Kiwanis Caldwell Street Fair, always the first Sunday in October, is the Caldwells' biggest event, attracting tens of thousands of residents from West Essex and beyond to downtown Caldwell. This year’s fair is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 7, which is four months away and counting. According to the Street Fair Committee, booths for the day are $75 for Arts & Crafts, $175 for New Merchandise, $200 for Food vendors, and for an extra large space for food trucks, $275. To register for a booth, visit the Rotary/Kiwanis Caldwell Street …

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