Mount Olive Rec... CCM President Iacono Named a New Jersey Influencer

brought joy to children in need around the world. Each giftfilled shoebox is a tangible expression of God’s love, and it is often the first gift these children have ever received.

Through the continued generosity of donors since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 209 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 170 countries and territories. This year, Samaritan’s Purse delivered its milestone 200 millionth shoebox which was packed on a country-wide tour and then hand-delivered to a young girl in Ukraine.

Across NJ shoebox packers often shop for deals on shoebox items throughout the year, and many serve at a deeper level by becoming a year-round volunteer. Information about ways area participants can get involved year-round can also be found at samaritanspurse.org/occ or by calling 518-437-0690.

Although local dropoff locations for gifts are closed until Nov. 13 – 20, 2023, anyone can still be a part of this life-changing project by conveniently packing a shoebox gift online in just a few simple clicks at samaritanspurse.org/ buildonline

These simple gifts, packed with love, send a message to children worldwide that they are loved and not forgotten.

Sincerely,

Lizette Miller SAMARITAN’S PURSE

rides, entertainment, and more. November and December events are still in the planning stages.

In addition to special programs and annual events Mount Olive Recreation operates nine sports associations that provide excellent sports seasons for families. Volunteers, who are dedicated to making their sport fun, and educational and instilling a love of sport, and staying active, run the associations.

Coaches are trained by their association and must have a volunteer coaches training certificate details are on the website in the Coaches Corner. There are other online videos/certifications that coaches need to be familiar with. “We appreciate the dedication and enthusiasm the parent volunteers bring to their sports association,” Daggon said.

Mount Olive Baseball & Soft- ball Association Mount Olive Soccer Club

Mount Olive Athletic Club

(Track and Cross Country)

Mount Olive Basketball, Mount Olive Jr Lacrosse Club

Mount Olive Volleyball

Mount Olive Jr Wrestling

Mount Olive Jr Marauder Football Association

Mount Olive Cheerleading Association

These programs also serve as feeder programs to the Mount Olive High School sports programs. “These programs are fun and exciting for the kids and help them understand more than a sport, but also being role models, good sportsmanship, commitment, skill building and teamwork, which are life skills needed for careers, families and fun,” Daggon said.

An undertaking of this magnitude requires a team effort and Daggon offered kudos to Liz Meininger, Marketing Director;

Keith Knudsen, Program Coordinator and Bianca Marinelli, Recreation Assistant. She also thanked the Mayor and Town Council for supporting and challenging the department to bring out the best in everything they do.

“Mount Olive Recreation strives to provide fun, active, community programs for all ages, and I am proud to be working with a great team in our office to make our programming and ideas (and wish lists!) come to pass,” Daggon said.

Business and community support, which is vital to the operation of all Mount Olive Recreation events and programs, doesn’t go unnoticed. “We want to thank all of the sponsors and donors that help us provide activities and events for all to enjoy,” Daggon said. “We could not do this without their support.”

AREA - County College of Morris (CCM) President Anthony J. Iacono has gained another recognition from ROI-NJ, a highly recognized business publication in the state, which has included him as one of the prominent officials on its Influencers: Power List 2023 – Higher Education In its ranking, ROI-NJ credited Iacono for his “outof-the-box thinking” that has made CCM “better than almost everyone else.” Iacono was one of only two community college presidents included on this year’s list. ROI-NJ previously has named Iacono to its list of Influencers: Higher Education Top 25 Most Influential Presidents (2022), Influencers: Manufacturing (2020), Influencers Power List Higher Education (2022, 2021, 2020) and Influencers

Higher Education Community Colleges (2021).

“It’s such a special honor to be recognized by ROI-NJ as a respected higher education leader in the state and to be included on this list that includes such talented and influential people who have contributed so significantly to the success of students,” said Iacono. “CCM is proud of and grateful for the support it receives and the partnerships it enjoys in fulfilling its mission of helping people to improve their lives. One of the things I enjoy most about leading a community college is working with others and establishing the relationships that make it possible for people to fulfill their dreams.”

Among the other recent recognitions CCM has received are being ranked as Best Commu- nity College in New Jersey by Best Accredited Colleges and as Best for Transfer Students in the state by Intelligent. It also received a Good Neighbor Award from New Jersey Business Magazine for its Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Center, confirming the college as a frontrunner in preparing students for successful careers.

In addition to offering degrees, CCM has become one of New Jersey’s economic engines by offering industry-recognized credentials to provide a highly educated and skilled workforce for regional employment.

CCM’s Center for Workforce Development also operates a highly successful apprenticeship program in advanced manufacturing with a 92 percent employment rate.

BY DANA JACKSON

Q: Is Tina Fey working on any new shows? Did the one about the mayor get canceled? I really loved “30 Rock,” and I’m hoping she’ll do a reboot of it someday. -- S.L.

A:It was recently announced that Fey and her former “Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update co-anchor, Amy Poehler, will be going on a comedy tour together. Since they are very busy women, they only have time for four cities, at least for now. According to Deadline. com, they’ll kick it o with their rst performance on April 29 in Washington, D.C., then on to the improv capital of the world, Chicago, on May 29. From there, Fey and Poehler will appear at Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway on June 9 and will cap o their tour in Atlantic City’s Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena on June 10.

BY DEMI TAVERAS

“ e Peanut Butter Falcon” (PG-13) -- Although this lm released in theaters back in 2019, it was considered a “sleeper hit,” garnering more success in the years to come. Starring

Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson, this heartwarming indie lm is now out on streaming platforms, which might help give it an even bigger reach. In the lm, a young man with Down syndrome named Zak has dreams of becoming a professional wrestler, so he escapes from his assisted living facility to go chase his dreams. On the way, he meets Tyler (LaBeouf), who supports his venture and they begin to travel by water to Zak’s dream wrestling school in North Carolina. But Zak’s caretaker, Eleanor (Johnson), is close behind them to nd Zak and return him back to the fa-