Boonton Man Recalls 9/11 Victim: 'He Was My Best Friend'

Ron Dollard remembers the lessons his friend Martin Boryczewski taught him and honors him through an annual charity event.

Ron Dollard, who lives in Boonton, met his friend, Parsippany resident Martin Boryczewski, when they attended Morris Catholic High School together in the late 1980s and early '90s. "Marty was someone special," Dollard recalled. "He was a positive guy and a fun guy, and being around him, you wanted to be like him. "He was my best friend." Dollard lost his best friend on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists used planes to take down the World Trade Center in New York City and killed nearly 3,000 people. Boryczewski was a 29-year-old employee of financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald when his life was taken. Asked what he remembered most about his friend, Dollard grew quiet. "Just the camaraderie we had, and our ability to be upfront and honest with each…

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Delta Dental Golf Event Scores Hole in One for Special Olympics

The Parsippany-based dental benefits firm has sponsored a golf classic to raise funds for the event since 1990.

In its 22nd Annual Delta Dental Golf Classic held recently at Wild Turkey Golf Course at the Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, Parsippany-based Delta Dental of New Jersey raised $48,000 for Special Olympics of New Jersey. “Since our first tee-off in 1990, the Delta Dental Classic has raised more than $901,000 to help this wonderful organization provide year-round training and athletic competition for Olympic-style sports for children and adults with special needs," said Delta Dental of New Jersey President and CEO Walter VanBrunt. "We have learned through our more than 20-year partnership with Special Olympics that the participating athletes gain enhanced self-esteem that carries over into the classroom, home, job and the local community…

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Irene Flood Survivors Come Together for Anniversary

Volunteers put together an event celebrating "resiliency, hope, courage and deep, deep generosity" in many of those who suffered in last summer's unprecedented floods.

Wednesday marks one year since Hurricane Irene made its appearance in Parsippany and changed hundreds of residents' lives, perhaps forever. The anniversary was the reason for a picnic held at Lake Hiawatha's Volunteers Park attended by more than 50 flood survivors, township leaders and volunteers. "We wanted to have everyone come together to show their resiliency," said Wendy Chin of Project Recover, an arm of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson that offered support services to those in Morris and Passaic counties affected by Irene's devastation. "There is a hope and resiliency that I feel when talking to these people. They are finally starting to get into their homes or get the permits they need. That's something to celebrate!" …

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Roofer Hits Streets to Do Good & Do Well

Philanthropic businessman will ride into Parsippany in July seeking to repair roofs for those who can afford it—and for those who can't.

Chuck Anania is not a professional cyclist, but this month he will start a 500-mile bike ride covering New Jersey, New York and Connecticut in hopes of helping struggling homeowners.   On July 24, Anania starts his bike ride from Trenton, and after winding his way through more than 100 communities, he will land in New York City's Times Square on Aug. 7.  Along the way, he will make a stop in Parsippany on about July 29. "It's called 500 Miles for 500 Roofs, which is part of our Roof4Roof project," explained Anania, a veteran residential and commerical roofer based in North Arlington. "I started Roof4Roof to help people who are struggling in this economy and need roof repairs." "What we do is simple: For every new roof we install, whether …

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Provident Bank Gives Boost to Community Hope

Provident Bank steps up to help nonprofit help people with mental illness.

The Provident Bank Foundation recently awarded a $1,000 grant to Community Hope, Inc. , a Parsippany-based nonprofit that offers housing assistance to people recovering from debilitating mental illness. The funds will support the group's CHOICE Independent-Living Program, a supportive housing program for disabled individuals. “We are extremely thankful for the grant from the Provident Bank Foundation,” said Julia Bey Ahmet, vice president of development. "This funding will help subsidize affordable housing over a three month period for an individual in our program who is in recovery." Community Hope was founded in 1985 by Eileen Griffith and others related to  young adults whose lives were impacted by depression, schizophrenia and other …

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Rotary Gears Up for Run for Life

5K charity run takes place June 2.

The Parsippany Rotary Club is hoping for a big turnout for its upcoming Rotary Run for Life 5K. The fifth annual event takes place Saturday, June 2 at Mack-Cali Business Campus on Sylvan Way. Funds raised will benefit Child and Family Resources of Morris County and the Parsippany-Troy Hills Rotary Foundation. Rotary spokesperson Peggie Mader said this year's Run for Life is sanctioned by the U.S. Track and Field Association as a Grand Prix Event. The run will take place on a certified 5K course described as flat, fast out-and-back. Mader said awards will be presented for different age categories, and there will be plenty of water, refreshments and goodie-bags for those who register.   Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the race begins at 9 …

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CMS Raises $2400 To Help Cancer Patients

Money will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Young Parsippany Artist Wins Poster Contest

Janki Patel's poster creation will help raise awareness and funding for St. Barnabas effort for young burn victims.

An 11-year-old Lake Parsippany Elementary School student is the Morris County winner of the St. Barnabas Burn Foundation’s 23rd annual Burn Awareness Poster Contest. Janki Patel, whose poster cautions people to stay low in the event of fire, received a $25 gift card. The contest was sponsored jointly by St. Barnabas Burn Foundation and the Aluminum Cans for Burned Children project, a recycling program involving the voluntary efforts of more than 30 New Jersey fire departments, corporations and organizations. Money raised through the ACBC effort is used to purchase items and services essential to the recovery of pediatric patients at St. Barnabas Medical Center's Burn Center. These items, usually not covered by insurance, might include …

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Special Thursday Meeting for Flood Survivors

Owners of a Lake Hiawatha flower shop want to offer a helping hand to those still in need.

A special meeting takes place Thursday night for people still affected by the August floods. The gathering is being organized by Terry and Adam Checke of Landmark Floral Shoppe in Lake Hiawatha. Since Hurricane Irene's destructive trip through Parsippany last summer, the Checkes, along with fellow volunteer Ann Erdmann, have worked seemingly nonstop to provide assistance for people who were flooded out of their homes and who lost their possessions. The Checkes opened a flood donation center next door to their shop where they collected donations of cleaning supplies, clothing, school supplies, nonperishable foods and other items that they distributed to flood survivors. Terry Checke said the meeting would feature representatives from …

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Frank Drebin

4:41 pm on Friday, February 24, 2012

I was the gray haired guy standing next to "Norwood"   more ›

Holidays Are Giving Season for Area Faith Communities

Parsippany houses of worship maintain usual outreach programs while adding new ones for the holidays.

As we are reminded often, the holiday season is a time for giving in all its forms—in thought, in time and in material or monetary assistance. Houses of worship, which reflect the collective giving of a community, are often the center of efforts to give back to the communities they support. That is certainly the case in Parsippany. Serving others is business as usual for local faith communities, but during the fall and winter months, they kick it up a notch to embody the generous spirit of the season. Patch talked with leaders of a representative sample of the area's churches, mosques and synagogues to find out about their 2011 holiday activities. Perhaps their efforts, along with the efforts of other local faith communities, will inspire …

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