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Don Lichterman, a Gold Medal Winning Coach gives us the Road to the 2025 Winter Games: Inspiring New Jersey’s Special Olympics Athletes

As a proud coach and past Gold Medalist at the Winter Games for the New Jersey Special Olympics (SONJ), I have had the privilege of seeing countless athletes achieve their dreams and break barriers. This season, athletes across the Garden State are gearing up for the 2025 Winter Games with a singular goal in mind: to compete and showcase their dedication, passion, and skill. Whether it’s in floor hockey, volleyball, alpine skiing, snowboarding, or figure skating, each athlete is preparing to shine on a statewide stage.

Training and Preparation: A Journey to the Winter Games

Across New Jersey, athletes have begun their training in earnest, focusing on honing their skills for the events coming up in January and February 2025. As a coach, it’s truly inspiring to witness the dedication and teamwork that goes into every practice, no matter the discipline. The athletes know that every minute counts as they prepare for their shot at glory at the state Winter Games.

The journey to the Winter Games is one of hard work, perseverance, and a passion for sport. The athletes will participate in a range of sports, from the fast-paced excitement of floor hockey and volleyball to the precision and technique needed in alpine skiing, snowboarding, and figure skating. The games will also feature cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and speed skating, with athletes competing at various venues across the state. Each of these events is an opportunity to not only compete for medals but also to bond with teammates, build confidence, and experience the joy of sportsmanship.

The 2025 Winter Games Schedule

The 2025 Winter Games are just around the corner, and the schedule is packed with exciting events. The first wave of competitions takes place on January 11-12, 2025, when floor hockey and volleyball will take center stage at Absegami High School and Galloway Township Middle School in Galloway, New Jersey. Athletes will compete for medals and the honor of representing their teams with pride.

  • Volleyball: Galloway Township Middle School
    100 S Reeds Rd., Galloway, New Jersey 08205
  • Floor Hockey: Absegami High School
    201 S Wrangleboro Road, Galloway, NJ 08205

In addition, the Young Athletes Program will also take place at Absegami High School on January 11, 2025, giving younger athletes a chance to get involved and experience the joy of the Special Olympics.

The next major event will be the February 3-4, 2025 competitions, which will feature alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and speed skating. These events will take place at Mountain Creek, National Winter Activities Center, and Skylands Ice World in Vernon and Stockholm, New Jersey.

  • Alpine Skiing & Snowboarding: Mountain Creek, 200 Route 94, Vernon, NJ 07462
  • Cross-Country Skiing & Snowshoeing: National Winter Activities Center, 44 Breakneck Rd, Vernon Township, NJ 07463
  • Speed Skating: Skylands Ice World, 2765 State Hwy 23, Stockholm, NJ 07460

Finally, the Figure Skating competition will take place on February 9, 2025, at Codey Arena in West Orange, New Jersey, where athletes will dazzle spectators with their precision and artistry.

  • Figure Skating: Codey Arena, 560 Northfield Ave, West Orange, NJ

A Personal Connection to the Winter Games

As a Gold Medal-winning coach, I know firsthand the dedication, hard work, and teamwork that go into preparing for these events. My experience coaching for the New Jersey Special Olympics has taught me the value of perseverance and resilience. Every athlete that steps onto the ice, snow, or court is a winner in their own right, and it is my honor to support them in their journey.

For many athletes, the Special Olympics is about more than just medals; it’s about building self-confidence, achieving personal bests, and showing the world what they are capable of. I am incredibly proud to be part of this community and to coach the athletes who inspire not only me but all of New Jersey.

Join Us in Supporting Our Athletes

As the 2025 Winter Games approach, I encourage everyone in New Jersey to come out and support these incredible athletes. The energy, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship on display are truly awe-inspiring. Whether you are a family member, friend, or a fan of sports, your support means the world to these athletes.

Mark your calendars for the upcoming events, and get ready to cheer on our Special Olympics athletes as they make their way to the 2025 Winter Games. It’s going to be a season to remember, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

For more information about the 2025 Winter Games schedule and how to support our athletes, visit the New Jersey Special Olympics website. Let’s make this year the best Winter Games yet!

Go Team SONJ!

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Blue Jackets’ Merzlikins Shines in Win Over Devils – The Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

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The Columbus Blue Jackets needed to find a better start if they hoped to defeat the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Thanks to an unreal performance by Elvis Merzlikins, they did just that.

Sean Monahan paced the offense by scoring two goals while Kirill Marchenko added two assists to help the Blue Jackets to a 4-2 win over the Devils. The story of this game was the performance of Merzlikins thwarting a historic effort by Jack Hughes.

Game Recap

The Blue Jackets were able to score first to help settle themselves down. A great play by Zach Aston-Reese helped create a scoring chance and a rebound. Ivan Provorov jumped up and converted the rebound to make it 1-0. The goal seemed to help settle the team down.

There were no penalties on either side and it was a pretty low-event first period with the Devils outshooting the Blue Jackets 7-6. The second period was usually one of the best periods for the Devils and one of the worst for the Blue Jackets. It was the Blue Jackets that outscored the Devils 2-0 in the middle frame.

On a power play, Zach Werenski scored his 11th goal of the season. That was his 334th NHL point which tied him with Nick Foligno for fourth on the all-time Blue Jackets’ scoring list.

The lead was then extended to 3-0 thanks to Monahan. He was in front of Devils’ goalie Jake Allen. A rebound came right to him and he roofed it. From there, Merzlikins stole the show.

Jack Hughes finished with a career-high 13 shots on goal, which was just one off the Devils’ franchise record. He was unable to beat Merzlikins on any of them. This included a couple 10-bell saves.

Elvis Merzlikins Columbus Blue Jackets
Elvis Merzlikins turned away Jack Hughes 13 times on Thursday night. (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Luke Hughes finished the night with six shots and was finally able to beat Merzlikins with Allen pulled. There was just 2:50 left in the game. The puck went to Luke after a couple bounces and had a wide-open net to finish.

Then 1:25 later, Jack’s shot was deflected by Timo Meier to pull the Devils within one. The Devils took timeout right after to keep their top stars on. This ultimately helped the Blue Jackets keep their best out there too. It also provided Merzlikins a much needed breather.

Monahan was then able to score his second of the game into an empty net to make the final score 4-2. Cole Sillinger disrupted Jack Hughes enough to create the turnover and the insurance goal.

The Devils outshot the Blue Jackets 42-20 on the night. Merzlikins finished with 40 saves. Meanwhile, Allen finished with 16 saves on 19 shots.

The Blue Jackets next play Saturday night in Philadelphia. The Devils head home to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.




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Projected Lineups for Devils vs Blue Jackets – 12/19/24 – The Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

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The New Jersey Devils take on the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.

DEVILS (21-10-3) at BLUE JACKETS (12-15-5)

7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, MSGSN

Devils projected lineup

Ondrej Palat — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Dawson Mercer
Paul Cotter — Erik Haula — Stefan Noesen
Tomas Tatar – Justin Dowling — Nathan Bastian

Brenden Dillon — Dougie Hamilton
Jonas Siegenthaler — Johnathan Kovacevic
Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce

Jake Allen
Jacob Markstrom

Scratched: Colton White, Kurtis MacDermid

Injured: Curtis Lazar (knee)

Status report

  • Lazar, a forward, returned Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues after missing 21 games following surgery on his left knee on Oct. 31. Coach Sheldon Keefe said Thursday that he has some swelling in the knee and Lazar likely won’t play again until after Christmas. … Dowling was recalled from Utica of the American Hockey League.

Latest for THW:

Blue Jackets projected lineup

Dmitri Voronkov — Sean Monahan — Kent Johnson
James van Riemsdyk — Adam Fantilli — Kirill Marchenko
Zach Aston-Reese — Cole Sillinger — Mathieu Olivier
James Malatesta — Sean Kuraly — Mikael Pyyhtia

Zach Werenski — Damon Severson
Jake Christiansen — Ivan Provorov
Jack Johnson — Jordan Harris

Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov

Scratched: Kevin Labanc

Injured: Yegor Chinakhov (upper body), Justin Danforth (lower body), Dante Fabbro (lower body)

Status Report

Fabbro, a defenseman, was injured against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Johnson replaces him. Coach Dean Evason said the hope is to have Fabbro back “sooner rather than later.” … Malatesta, called up from Cleveland of the AHL on Wednesday, makes his season debut and Labanc, a forward, comes out. … Voronkov and van Riemsdyk swapped lines.

Latest for THW:

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The ABCs of PBA Cards

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They’re called “courtesy cards” – at least officially.

Many New Jersey drivers know them as “Get Out of Jail Free” cards.

These are business cards doled out by various law enforcement officers to relatives, friends, and sometimes, just people they meet.

They generally show the name of the officer and his, or her, association – a police department, a sheriff’s office or a police union like the PBA or FOP.

These cards have one overriding purpose – to help a driver avoid getting a ticket.

A driver who is stopped by the cops shows, say, a PBA card, and is often on his way, no further action required.

There’s nothing new about this.

Nonetheless, the state’s Comptroller’s Office just produced a report highlighting and criticizing the practice.

Here’s how the executive summary of the report began:

“The New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) examined over 500 motor vehicle stops conducted by New Jersey State Police (NJSP) that ended with no enforcement. OSC looked at body-worn camera footage of stops that are rarely, if ever, watched – stops where tickets were not given, arrests were not made, and no one was even ordered to exit their vehicle.”

Hmm. Why was that?

Simple. The drivers had a police “Get Out of Jail Free” card.

“Sometimes, the motorist boldly handed over a courtesy card,” the report said with some degree of naivety. It then added that:

“The stop resolved relatively quickly with the trooper offering some version of ‘you’re good,’”

The report presented a number of video exchanges to prove the point.

Viewers saw a guy stopped for speeding who admitted to having “two glasses” of alcohol. No detail on what his drink actually was.

But after showing the trooper “his card,” he was told to move on. It is true that the trooper warned him not to speed after drinking on “my highway” again, but the driver was not ticketed.

Another video showed a woman stopped for driving in excess of 100 miles per hour. She proved to the trooper that her father was a police lieutenant and did not get a ticket.

“In short, this two-tiered system of justice that provides differing treatment for those with law enforcement connections and those without is unethical, discriminatory, and fundamentally unfair. It also contributes to making New Jersey roads less safe,” the report said.

It’s hard to argue with that conclusion.

The report, most seriously, noted that courtesy cards benefitted motorists suspected of serious offenses – like driving drunk.

Years ago, at least, the unwritten rule of thumb was that PBA cards worked only for such things as speeding or ignoring a Stop Sign.

Among the reforms recommended by the Comptroller are explicit orders to police not to consider any law enforcement cards when stopping a motorist. And then there is this:

“The Legislature should strongly consider whether to institute fines or other penalties for the distribution by sale or gift of any courtesy card or membership card, shield, or other device, where it can be reasonably inferred by the recipient that display of the item will have the result that the law will be enforced less rigorously.”

In plain language, that suggests a police officer could be fined or disciplined for handing out a business or PBA card.

Excuse the cynicism, but does anyone think that’s going to happen?

Follow New Jersey politics for a while and you learn that the distribution of “Get Out of Jail Free” cards is as common as high property taxes and the luxury of not pumping your own gas.

Hard to see that changing,

 

 

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Morris County Unveils $35 Million 2025 Capital Plan – Morris County, NJ

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Published on December 19, 2024

Investments Target Infrastructure, Education and Public Safety

(front row, l-r) Jigar Shah, Mayor James Barberio, Commissioner Deborah Smith and Douglas Cabana, Commissioner Director Christine Myers, Commissioner Deputy Director Stephen Shaw, Stu Lasser, Commissioner John Krickus, Betty Cass-Schmidt, Sen. Joe Pennachio, Sen. Anthony Bucco, Casey Parikh, Dave Helmer (back), Parsippany Councilman Justin Musella and Matt Manzi of the Morris County Park Commission. The Morris County Board of County Commissioners tonight presented a $35 million capital spending plan for 2025 to maintain the critical infrastructure supporting the education, public safety and human services programs that enhance our residents’ quality of life.

The Capital Budget Committee, led by Commissioners Tayfun Selen, Deborah Smith and Stephen H. Shaw, chairman of the committee, outlined the proposal during a public meeting in Morristown. The total spending plan is $48,585,406 but will be offset by $13,183,294 in various grants.

The capital spending plan focuses on continued investments in facility upgrades, maintaining infrastructure from roads and bridges to dam safety and intersection improvements, and investing in our future, including support for the County College of Morris’s construction of a Center for Health Professions.

“Months ago, the Capital Budget Committee and our administrative staff began reviewing capital investment proposals from all county departments, constitutional officers and related county agencies. It is a long-standing practice that has enabled us to plan our capital expenditures early each year and, as we will in 2025, move forward on adopting a complete county budget so that our capital projects may be put out to bid early and get underway,” said Commissioner Deputy Director Shaw.

Morris County’s inventory of capital responsibility, which requires regular maintenance and upgrades, is extensive and diverse. It includes much more than the Morris County Administration & Records Building in Morristown and the Human Services and Law & Public Safety complexes in Morris Township and Parsippany-Troy Hills Township.

The Morris County infrastructure responsibility also includes, in part:

  • 287 miles of county roadsin all 39 Morris County municipalities

  • 1,000 bridges and culverts throughout all Morris County municipalities

  • 3 Freight Railroads

  • 1,200 vehicles and or pieces of equipment used by various county agencies

  • 3.4 million square feet of buildings and structures

  • 20,450 acres of parkland & 38 recreational facilities

The County of Morris also is responsible for:

  • Maintaining all trees within county road rights-of-way

  • Facilities required by the judiciary, sheriff, law and public safety

  • Mosquito Control services throughout all Morris County

“Our 2025 capital spending plan allocates $8.58 million for bridge and culvert replacements, including heavily traveled spans in Montville, Mount Olive and Jefferson Township, continuing Morris County’s leadership in bridge upgrades. We also anticipate resurfacing another 20.6 miles of county roads this coming year,” said Commissioner Selen.

The plan designates $11 million for resurfacing roadways in 11 municipalities next year, bringing the total to more than 230 miles of roads resurfaced since 2016.

Click Here to View the Slideshow Presented by the Capital Budget Committee

The 4.8-mile Pompton Valley Rail Trail will be completed and fully open Spring 2025. The plan also includes a $4.46 million investment in the County College of Morris ongoing plan to construct an 80,000-square-foot Center for Health Professions on campus to support educational excellence and workforce development.

 “We are dedicated to strengthening education, enhancing public safety, and supporting human services,” said Commissioner Smith. “These investments will provide vital training and equipment for public safety personnel, and ensure our park system, which is the largest county park system in New Jersey, remains safe and accessible.”

The 2025 Capital Spending Highlights

Improving Our County Road Network

  • $2.56 million for intersection improvements, including:

  • Ridgedale Avenue and Garfield Avenue in East Hanover

  • Main Street Improvements in the Town of Boonton

  • Guide Rail upgrades and installations throughout the County

 

  • $11 million for roadway resurfacing in 11 municipalities, including:

  • 3.3 miles of Green Pond Road (CR 513) from Jacobs Road south to Upper Hibernia Road in Rockaway Township

  • 2.5 miles of Spring Valley Road (CR 601) from Village Road to Blackberry Lane in Harding Township

  • 2.5 miles of Sussex Turnpike (CR 617) from West Hanover Avenue to Dover Chester Road in Randolph Township

  • 2.5 miles of Berkshire Valley Road (CR 699) in Jefferson Township

 

  • $8.58 million for bridge and culvert projects, including:

  • Replacement of Bridge #433, Old Bloomfield Avenue in Montville Township

  • Bridge #1138 Pleasant Hill Road in Mount Olive

  • Bridge #927 Cozy Lake Road in Jefferson Township

 

Strategic Investments in Human Services and Public Safety

  • $1.5 million for the replacement of workstations to maximize usable space in the Office of Temporary Assistance in the Department of Human Services

  • $4.87 million for the replacement of Sheriff’s K-9 Unit Offices and Kennels

 

(l-r) The Capital Budget Committee: Commissioners Deborah Smith, Stephen Shaw and Tayfun Selen.

###

Photos

Photo 1: (front row, l-r) Jigar Shah, Mayor James Barberio, Commissioner Deborah Smith and Douglas Cabana, Commissioner Director Christine Myers, Commissioner Deputy Director Stephen Shaw, Stu Lasser, Commissioner John Krickus, Betty Cass-Schmidt, Sen. Joe Pennachio, Sen. Anthony Bucco, Casey Parikh, Dave Helmer (back), Parsippany Councilman Justin Musella and Matt Manzi of the Morris County Park Commission.

Photo 2: The 4.8-mile Pompton Valley Rail Trail will be completed and fully open Spring 2025.

Photo 3: (l-r) The Capital Budget Committee: Commissioners Deborah Smith, Stephen Shaw and Tayfun Selen.

 

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Korean-Inspired, Zen-Focused Café Opens in Fort Lee; More Food News

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Openings

Cheongsu, Fort Lee

From the creators of the Korean wellness restaurant Oncheon in Manhattan’s Koreatown, this stunning café is billed as a serene retreat from the everyday hustle and bustle. A press release explained that the name Cheongsu—meaning “clear water” in Korean—symbolizes purity, flow and the rejuvenating calm of nature; the café “invites guests to reconnect with nature and savor moments of quiet reflection.”

The menu centers on brunch, desserts and afternoon tea, offering items like French toast, soufflés, sandwiches, soups, bingsoo (a shaved ice treat), seasonal pies and warm caffeinated beverages.

Masseria Italian Steakhouse, Morristown

This new steakhouse is the vision of longtime restaurateur and Morristown resident Joseph Cetrulo (who lives in a sprawling Tudor castle he restored!). Masseria blends Old-World Italian charm with an upscale steakhouse experience.

Chashni Chai Co., Montclair

This eatery is a commingling of Pakistani ingredients and American culture. Drinks include chai as well as latte flavors ranging from honey cardamom to rose saffron. The menu consists of salads, toasts, egg dishes and more. This is Chashni Chai’s second location; its original is in Chatham.

Kreme & Krumbs, Montclair

This artisanal ice cream shop closed its brick-and-mortar location on December 8 and is shifting its business entirely to online. Customers can get ice cream—a rotating selection of monthly flavors, plus hand-rolled waffle cones—delivered to their doorstep.

J.Bone’s Barbecue, Westfield

This barbecue joint, opening Friday, December 20, is the brainchild of Jordan J. Mallari, a former TV producer and director who worked on the reality series BBQ Pitmasters.

No one knows New Jersey like we do. Sign up for one of our free newsletters here. Want a print magazine mailed to you? Purchase an issue from our online store.



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Mobile Museum of Tolerance: Effort to bring vehicle of education around antisemitism to N.J. comes to Trenton

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Rabbi Meyer May, standing outside the Statehouse in Trenton and next to the $1.2 million Mobile Museum of Tolerance, a traveling exhibit that the teachings of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles on the road, couldn’t rattle of the numbers fast enough.

Consider:

  • The center already has ten of these mobile museums going across the country and is looking to get Legislatures to fund 40 more (hence the stop in Trenton);
  • The mobile museums have an hour-long program that can educate up to 30 students at once;
  • The mobile museums have proved to be so popular that one (based in Illinois) already has a waiting list that goes into 2027;
  • And, perhaps the most impressive, the mobile museums are meant to serve the non-Jewish community – and do so in great numbers.

“The Simon Wiesenthal Cener, now in its 47th year, has had more than 8 million visitors since it opened, including 3 million kids in school groups,” he started. “Remarkably, 93% of them are children of color, and 98% total are not Jewish kids.

“We are the largest diversity training program the United States. We’ve trained more than 180,000 frontline criminal justice professionals and almost 90,000 frontline educators in California on the Holocaust and related subjects.”

Rabbi Meyer May

Meyer, however, knows it’s not enough.

“While we do things to great scale, we realize that not everybody can get to a big museum,” he said.

Therein lies the creation of the ten mobile museums, two of which are stationed in New York.

Meyer now spends much of his time traveling around the country, extolling the virtues of an education factory on wheels, trying to get more.

In Trenton, he was able to give Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and other legislatures are tour.

Meyer said they came away impressed. Of course, the true test will come during budget season. The mobile museum not only comes with an initial $1.2 million price tag – he said approximately the same amount of funding is needed for its annual operation.

Meyer said he knows budgets are tight, but he also knows that a wave of antisemitism in this country – unlike anything he has seen in his lifetime – is upon us.

“Oct. 7 unleashed the most illogical and metastasizing antisemitism that any American Jew has seen since the Holocaust,” he said. “And it’s so counterintuitive. Any fair-minded, objective person seemingly should think there’s no place in this world for murdering 12,000 people, including 300 kids, murdering grandmothers, raping women and mutilating them.”

The nonsensical acceptance of hate goes beyond the Jewish community, he said.

“We’re in a world where half the people are lauding what this kid did to the CEO United Healthcare,” he said. “How has that not been universally condemned? There are people who want to make movies about this barbarism.”

That’s why Meyer wants to teach acceptance – and about turning away from hate. He feels he can do it from these mobile museums.

“We can bring our teachings to the people,” he said.

Mobile Museum of Tolerance, a traveling exhibit that the teachings of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Doing it in New Jersey would have special meaning. Meyer moved to Lakewood when he was 10 and graduated high school from a Jewish Day School in the area. And while it has been years since he has lived here, Meyer said he still has extended family in the Garden State.

Now, it’s just a matter of raising funds.

Meyer said the Center will gladly take private donations to help fund the program. But he said he’s learned from experience that a steady budget line from the Legislature is the best way to ensure continuity.

“Hopefully, they’ll find the funding in the budget,” he said. “Antisemitism and hate are percolating. Everyone’s looking for a solution: How do we address it? How do we counteract it? How do we stem the tide?

“Our answer is education, through our Mobile Museum of Tolerance.”

Meyer has seen the impact the mobile museums can have – see how it extends beyond just the kids taking a tour.

“As we drive through the cities and along the highways of New Jersey, everybody’s going to say, ‘Wow, what’s that: How did I get that to my school?” he said.

It’s a first step. One that is so desperately needed.



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Jerry R. Dempsey – Star News Group

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MLK Day In-Person Volunteer Opportunities

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The 2025 MLK Day of Service offers a variety of ways for individuals, families and groups to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy by giving back to their community.  The township of Cherry Hill will be working alongside various local organizations to make a greater impact locally. Below are different ways to participate and serve.  Please note, all volunteer opportunities must be registered for in advance.

Volunteer Opportunities at Croft Farm on 1/20:

Croft Farm is located at 100 Bortons Mill Road, Cherry Hill 08034

  • Trail Maintenance/Clean-Up (Led by Cherry Hill Environmental Board)
    Age requirements: 14+
    Maximum Volunteers: 40
  • Greeting Cards for Troops Overseas (Led by Healing Heart for a Hero’s Heart)
    Age Requirement: Grades 1 & up (School age children under 14 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian)
    Maximum Volunteers: 10-15 volunteers
  • Donation Receiving/Sorting (Led by Cherry Hill Township)
    Age Requirement: Grades 6 & up (School age children under 14 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian)
    Maximum Volunteers: 10-15 volunteers
  • Origami Kit Assembly (Led by Paper Playground Inc.)
    Age Requirement: Grades 6 & up (School age children under 14 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian)
    Maximum Volunteers: 10-15 volunteers

Volunteer Opportunities offsite:

  • JFCS Food Pantry (Cherry Hill): 10-15 volunteers to sort, shelve & make bags of food with donations
    January 20, 2025 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Pantry, 6 E Miami Ave., Cherry Hill 08034
  • BookSmiles (Pennsauken): 15-20 volunteers to sort books on 1/20
    January 20, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. at BookSmiles, 7300 North Crescent Blvd., #10, Pennsauken 08110
  • Camden County Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center (Blackwood): 10-15 volunteers for service project
    January 20, 2025 from TBD     at Homeward Bound, 125 County House Rd., Blackwood 08012
  • Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Pennsauken): 15 volunteers to unload donation trucks, organize furniture, rugs & other donations on sales floor, assembling furniture & more 
    January 20, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at ReStore, 7937 S. Crescent Blvd., Pennsauken 08109
  • The WOW Center (Merchantville): volunteers (# TBD) to sort, organize, clean their center
    January 22, 2025 from TBD at WOW Center, 44 W. Chestnut Ave., Merchantville 08109

Registration is required for all volunteer opportunities. Please click the button below to register. Once registered, you may be contacted to complete additional registration forms with the hosting organization.

Register Here

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The start of a proud new TCNJ tradition

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student wearing a red coat touches a bronze lion statue with her pointer finger

Members of the campus community started a new tradition in advance of finals week this semester, and it involves getting up close and personal with a lion — our bronze lion, to be exact.

On the last day of classes this semester, students gathered around the bronze lion for hot cocoa, lion-shaped cookies, and a little bit of good luck in the form of a “boop” as they lined up for a little rub of the lion’s nose. 

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Officially known as the William M. McLagan ’87 Lion, the 3,000-pound bronze sculpture arrived on campus in 2017 and proudly surveys campus from its den next to the Brower Student Center.

This generous gift quickly became a cherished part of the campus community, and now, rubbing its nose symbolizes receiving the luck and spirit of generations of TSC/TCNJ community members. This new tradition connects current Lions to Lions of years past, along with the college’s vibrant history. 

“Starting a new tradition on a college campus, like rubbing the lion’s nose, creates a shared sense of connection and pride, linking current students to the spirit and history of those who came before them,” says Kelly Hennessy, associate vice president for student development at the college. 

Some good times to rub Roscoe’s nose include: 

  • before a big test or final exam
  • in advance of a presentation
  • as you sit down to start writing a paper
  • on your way to a big game
  • before a program/event
  • before a first date
  • on commencement day 

… and any time you could use a little luck on your side! 

“Traditions like this become lasting symbols of community and inspiration, carrying the heart of the campus with students long after they graduate,” says Hennessy.

tcnj students crowd the bronze lion statue and touch its nose for good luck

AnnMarie Ekladious, a junior political science major and student representative to the Board of Trustees, hopes for luck on her finals and to ingrain this tradition into the campus culture as soon as new Lions begin their TCNJ journey.   

“It’d be awesome to make it part of the convocation experience, like rubbing Roscoe’s nose to start the semester on a positive note. Then, at the end of each year, students could do it again to celebrate getting through and starting fresh,” Ekladious says. 

Rest assured, the good vibes aren’t limited to current students — alumni are encouraged to give the nose a rub whenever they return to their alma mater, too.

“It is my hope that this lion statue will continue to promote school spirit in the student body and encourage alumni to become more engaged with the college,” McLagan said in 2017.

— Emily W. Dodd ’03

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