Rotary Club Recognizes Community Organizations at Award Event

The West Orange Rotary Club recently took the time to say thanks to 16 organizations dedicated to the betterment of the community.

The Rotary Community Awards ceremony took place June 20 in which the club conferred awards onto groups dedicated to everything from education to culture, and medicine.

The list of winners are as follows:

• Camp Merry Heart: With the support of the Rotary Club, Camp Merry Heart provides a summer camp to children with developmental disabilities. The Rotary Club sponsors Joe and Emil's Place, the arts and crafts center at the camp.
• West Orange Scholarship Fund: Each year, graduating students in West Orange are awarded the West Orange Scholarship for exemplary demonstrations of the criteria set by the West Orange Scholarship Fund trustees. The organization receives a donation from the Rotary Club annually.
• Mayor's Program for Individuals with Special Needs: This program has been around since 1989 and has provided young people with disabilities with recreational opportunities such as summer camp, parties and field trips.
• West Orange African Heritage Organization: This organization promotes the diversity of African communities living in West Orange. It hosts an annual food drive for the local food pantry and tutorials for five area elementary schools.
• The Nikhil Badlani Foundation: This foundation was created to remember the legacy of Nikhil Badlani, support the talents of young musicians and educate the community about traffic safety.
• Turtle Back Zoo: The Rotary Club bestowed an honor to the Zoological Society of New Jersey as it sponsors the South American Animals exhibit at the zoo.
• Friends of Edison National Historic Site: Friends of Edison are dedicated to preserving the achievements and legacy of Thomas Edison by conducting art studies in the Edison home and hosting Heritage Day.
• Main Street Counseling Center: The center focuses on providing mental health services to seniors dealing with loss, anxiety, depression and more.
• Metro YMCA of the Oranges: The YMCA has been providing more than 2,600 children with educational, athletic and creative programs before and after school since 1885.
• West Orange First Aid Squad: The first-aid squad acts as first responders for West Orange in the event of a crisis. They have helped many involved with accidents or fallen ill and saved lives by responding quickly.
• St. Barnabas Medical Center Foundation: The Rotary Club presented the award to the center's pediatrics department, which provides children with treatment as well as crafts, music and friendship.
• West Orange Police Athletic League: The athletic league has been providing sporting activities such as cheerleading, football, baseball and kickball programs to children from ages 5-14 for more than 50 years.
• West Orange Community House: The community house has been providing families with early childhood, youth and after-school enrichment programs for years.
• West Orange Arts Council: The council strives to integrate the arts into the community by providing education, outreach, arts programing and facilities.
• West Orange Animal Welfare League: This entirely volunteer, non-profit organization is dedicated to finding homes for abandoned and homeless animals.
• Washington School Rainbow Program: The program is a support group for children who have suffered a significant loss in their lives whether through death, divorce or other painful transitions. The goal of the program is to renew hope in and the belief in the power of family.