Volunteers Needed To Paint Mural and Install Rain Garden at Hackensack High School

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF) is seeking volunteers to paint a community mural and to install a rain garden at Boost the Block Goes Green on Saturday, June 1, with the rain date scheduled for June 8. The event takes place at Hackensack High School, located at 135 First St. in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Volunteers are needed to help with the following activities:

• Assist artist Amrisa Niranjan with painting a mural.
• Work with landscape artist Dave Chalek, owner of Sprout Farms and Gardens, to plant or move plants. No gardening experience is needed.
• Provide information about green infrastructure or environmental justice. Volunteers will be provided with the details to disseminate to the public.
• Support other volunteers.
• Take photos.

The installation of the rain garden will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The painting of the mural will run from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Youngsters are welcome to participate. Children, under age 14, must be accompanied by an older guardian. Volunteers may sign up here, https://tinyurl.com/4kfuesc8, to participate in the installation of the rain garden and/or to paint the mural.

The rain garden is produced by the NNJCF and the Hackensack Public Schools. Boost the Block Goes Green is produced by Greater Bergen Community Action, in partnership with the NNJCF. To learn more about the painting of the mural and the installation of the rain garden, contact the NNJCF's executive director, Leonardo Vazquez, at leo@nnjcf.org or 201-568-5608, x2.

The Artists

Amrisa Niranjan, a Hackensack-based artist and muralist, has created public art throughout New Jersey. Previously, Niranjan painted the mural for the NNJCF's ‘Stories on Main Street' project and a rain barrel for the Barrels O' Art project. She is designing the community mural at the Boost the Block event and a logo for the Hackensack Environmental Justice Alliance. Learn more about Niranjan's art on her website, https://tinyurl.com/2vrbzxpr.

Landscape designer Dave Chalek, owner of Sprout Farms and Gardens in Teaneck, is creating and will lead the installation of the Hackensack Community Rain Garden. Chalek specializes in building sustainable, edible and biodiverse gardens with native New Jersey plants. He volunteers at Teaneck Creek Conservancy, leading efforts to restore a natural habitat there. For further information about his work, visit https://www.sproutnj.com/

Green Infrastructure for Environmental Justice

The development and installation of the rain garden are a part of the NNJCF's Green Infrastructure for Environmental Justice program. The program seeks to reduce flooding and improve environmental conditions for residents in central Hackensack and other parts of the city affected by flooding. More information about this program may be found at http://tinyurl.com/GreenInfrastructureJustice.

Donations Appreciated

The NNJCF seeks the public's support to create and install the rain garden. To date, sponsors of the rain garden include Champion Sponsor Suburban Consulting Engineers and Booster Sponsor The Jefferson/Garden Communities. Funders and supporters of the project include TD Charitable Foundation, M&T Charitable Foundation, The Funders Network, PSE&G, Columbia Bank Foundation and individual donors.

Donations of any size may be made online at http://tinyurl.com/SupportGreenInfrastructure. Contributions may also be sent by check and made out to 'The Northern N.J. Community Foundation', with ‘Hackensack Schools Rain Garden' entered in the memo line. Send checks to the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, 1 University Plaza, Suite 128, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601. For further information about the NNJCF, call 201-568-5608 or send an e-mail to nnjcf@nnjcf.org.

About Northern New Jersey Community Foundation

Founded in 1998, The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 organization based in Hackensack, New Jersey, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023. The NNJCF works with local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups to improve community life. Through collaborative partnerships, regional problems are identified and resolved. Opportunities are discovered and explored by talking and learning from each other and sharing ideas, best practices, services, and resources. The Foundation's primary areas of work are the environment, arts and culture, public health, education, civic engagement, and philanthropy. For more information, visit www.nnjcf.org, send an email to nnjcf@nnjcf.org, or call 201-568-5608.

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