The mission of the Moorestown Parks and Recreation department is to serve the needs and interest of Moorestown Township residents.
As you fill your calendars this fall, be sure to make room for the numerous community events and fundraisers that are being held. The Department of Parks and Recreation is pleased to support the generous organizations whose special events and fundraisers benefit Moorestown Parks and Recreation programming. Looking at the next few months, the Department is please to support (in chronological order) the following fundraisers.
On Friday, Oct. 7, The Monica Buckley Foundation will host its first local fundraiser. The first annual Rock The Rec Fundraiser is designed to help build awareness and support for special needs programming in Moorestown. Tickets are available at: http://monicabuckley.org/index.html. Funds from this event will be used in part to fund the S.M.A.S.H. Program at the Department of Parks and Recreation, a social skills forum for individuals with special needs.
The following Sunday, Oct. 9, the 4th annual Sean Fischel Connect 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run will be held at the Moorestown High School. This event has been created in honor of Sean Michael Fischel, who lost his life after battling a rare disease called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The proceeds from this run are shared with the Department of Parks and Recreation to help fund the Special Needs Summer Camp. This camp has been able to double its scope by opening enrollment to individuals with special needs up through age 21 thanks to the generosity of Sean Fischel Connect. Race registration is found at: https://www.runtheday.com/registration/race_info/sean-fischel-connect.
The First Annual Live Civilly Harvest Festival will be held Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Browning Hess Farm on Lenola Road. This inaugural family-centric event will be a celebration of community service and volunteerism. The funds raised from the Harvest Festival will be shared with the Department of Parks and Recreation through healthy snacks for the Open Gym program (more than 28,000 snacks to date), the Summer Lunch Program that provides lunches for at-risk youth during the summer months (more than 650 to date) and nutritional support through its new Make-N-Take program. Event information and tickets are available at www.livecivilly.org.
The Annual MoorArts Gala, scheduled for Jan. 28, 2017, is a celebration of performing and fine arts. This event will feature delicious fare and a variety of exceptional musical entertainment as well as the opportunity to view and purchase current works by professional artists who live in the area. Support of this event helps to support the on-going collaborations between MoorArts and the Department of Parks and Recreation. MoorArts mission, to expand arts awareness and appreciation in our community (and funds arts-based teacher grants and student scholarships in the Moorestown School District) is evident through the many partnership programs hosted between MoorArts and the Department.
The Empty Bowls Dinner, hosted by the Friends Enrichment Program (affiliated with the Friends Monthly Meeting) has been held in late winter each year. While a date for Winter 2017 has not yet been set, this annual event features handcrafted ceramic bowls and soups that fill them, all made by the youth who benefit from the program. The FEP has been one of the longest standing sponsors of scholarships to local children to enjoy enrichment programs — programs including the Department’s Summer Parks Programs and Camps.
The Department of Parks and Recreation encourages Moorestown residents to support these local organizations and the fundraisers that allow them to benefit the Department of Parks and Recreation. For more information about Parks and Recreation programming and the organizations that help to support it visit us at: http://www.moorestown.nj.us/253/Parks-Recreation.
