Community Outreach
BACK HOME
We lived in Los Angeles for a little over two years, taking in everything the city could offer. But alas, we knew our stay in Los Angeles would be brief and returned to our home in New Jersey. Once we were settled back into the burbs, I joined a local organization called the Women of Smoke Rise.
Women of Smoke Rise is a nonprofit organization started in 1951 as a social and charitable organization for women residing in Smoke Rise, a beautiful little community tucked into a forest in New Jersey in the town of Kinnelon. When the group started, Morris County wasn’t as built up as it is today, and women were mostly stay-at-home moms giving rise to a need for getting together and getting out into the community. As years passed, these moms became employees and business owners. Today the organization continues to raise money for local groups, charities and the Women of Smoke Rise Scholarship Fund. The Scholarship Fund presents scholarships to graduating Kinnelon students who demonstrate good community outreach and good grades. Currently, Women of Smoke Rise is comprised of women of all ages and from all walks of life, including many small-business owners.
FIRST RESPONDERS
The other organization benefiting from this event is the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad. Like many towns in New Jersey, our first responders are volunteers. Our first-aid squad is funded by the towns it servesButler, Bloomingdale and Kinnelonand by private donations from residents. Each town gives a set amount to the squad. From there, the squad is responsible for raising all moneys needed for day-to-day expenses, like gas and uniforms, as well as long-term needs such as defibrillators and other life-saving equipment. Its a matter of life and death for our community to have its first-aid squad and for the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad to have the equipment it needs during an emergency.
Being a small-business owner isn’t just about paying the bills and working hard to turn a profit. Its also about reaching out to our community and building friendships. Im happy to say that the benefits from my friendship with Kiki Melendez has crossed the nation and landed right here in northern New Jersey. That friendship won’t just serve my purposes as a writer and small-business owner, but also the community I call home.
MORE INFORMATION
For tickets to see Kiki Melendez and The Hot Tamales Live in Kinnelon, New Jersey, please contact Lyn at mccali2010@yahoo.com. The show is Friday, October 18t from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Smoke Rise Village Inn, 9 Perimeter Road, Kinnelon, New Jersey. For dinner reservations at the Smoke Rise Village Inn before the show, please contact the inn directly at 973-838-7770.