Office Of Volunteer Services

One Center Street

Newark, NJ 07102

Upcoming Events

JANUARY – ROYAL PHILHARMONIC Friday, January 8 at 8:00pm

FEBRUARY – DISNEY FANTASIA

Thursday, February 12 at 8pm

MARCH – WOFABE AFRICAN DANCE & DRUM FESTIVAL

Saturday, March 12 at 7:30pm

Volunteer Voices is your newsletter and welcomes material and ideas for future issues.

Send material to the Office of Volunteer Services, NJPAC, One Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102.

Volunteer Voices

NJPAC's community programming goes on 12 months a year finishing this year with a Kwanzaa celebration and opening next year with our annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., commemoration. Both pro-grams feature performances by renowned dance compa-nies. As part of the Newark 350 outreach (see page 1), the Kwanzaa celebration on Saturday, December 19, features performances at 2pm and 7:30pm by Newark's own Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, lauded for its incorporation of modern, traditional, West African, ballet, hip-hop and even martial arts styles. The celebration of Dr. King's legacy takes place Saturday, January 15, at 8pm with the “poetry in motion” of the legendary Dance Theatre of Harlem, founded after the assassination of Dr. King as an artistic means to turn despair to hope.

Letter from the Director Ginny Bowers Coleman

What is your favorite Season? Mine is Autumn. The time of year when the leaves turn colors, the air becomes crisp and it’s time to pull on boots and sweaters. It’s harvest time and the expectation of holidays is exciting! At NJPAC, Fall means Day of Swing, Volunteer Season Kick-Off, TD James Moody Jazz Festival, Kwanzaa Festi-val, hundreds of performances, a resurgence of Community Engagement and much more! We are also collecting used coats and new toys for community partners and non-perishables for the Community Foodbank of NJ. Just as farmers reap what was sown, squirrels gather food for winter, and families draw near to celebrate togeth-er, Fall at NJPAC is when our volunteers gather near -there is work to be done. This edi-tion of Volunteer Voices is bursting with the events in which volunteers have participated! From donating time on-site at Arts Education’s Open House, off-site at the Jewish Museum Jazz Exhibit or contributing as a Member (now you can staff the Membership table as well!), you are preparing us for the future. So enjoy this newsletter over steaming apple cider or a slice of pumpkin pie, then pull out the woolens and the boots because, Volunteers, we have work to do!

Newark: 350 YEARS IN THE MAKING

THIS ISSUE

Newark 350 P.1

2015-16 Season Kick-Off P.2

NJPAC’s Day of Swing P.3

Community Engagement P.4

Spotlight: Staff Changes P.5

Becoming a Member P.6

Family Fair in Theater Square P.7

F a l l / W i n t e r 2 0 1 5

NJPAC Newsletter Staff

Kaleena Berryman, Monique Jones and Ginny Bowers Coleman

Troyce Dunson

Duane and Kathy Turk at the Child’s Play station

FESTIVALS

Pumpkin Carving

Continued on page 5

SEASON KICK-OFF Team NJPAC has spirit

NJPAC ENHANCED

If “all the world's a stage,” then NJPAC is a stage for all the world even more so now with recent structural improvements to the Victoria Theater and the installation of a 40-ft.-wide screen and new digital projectors in Prudential Hall. The structural changes to the Vic include a redesign of the stairs and the addi-tion of rail-ways up and down both sides. Senior Director of Production Chris Moses, who oversaw implementa-tion of the project, says the changes were made for the comfort of our more diverse audiences. When the Vic was first designed, he explained, it was conceived as a showcase for young audiences. Now produc-tions and events are bring-ing in older audiences as well, and the redesign creates a "more consistent feel." The first official use of the refurbished theater was Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s Town Hall Summit on public safety on Sept. 9, co-hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown. The new screen and projectors lit up the Prudential on Oct.15 when Mel Brooks entertained a full house after a screening of his iconic Blazing Saddles.

“Season Kick-Off Committee”

“ROOKIES OF THE YEAR”

Caroline Novobilski

Jennifer Reynolds

Vipul Kapadia Bundy Washington

“I never thought, when I applied to be a volunteer, how fulfilling and exciting it would be. Working in the NJPAC Volunteer Office has been a pleasure and a great learning experience.”

- Bundy Washington

By Theresa Brown, Anne Streater and Linda Fowler

(Editor’s note: this article was a "team effort")

FAMILY FAIR IN THEATER SQUARE

2

"It was a great event. I actually had the chance

to meet new people.

The theme was awesome and I will not forget it."

- Tamara Cooper

7

North Star Academy students

Photos from top: Steven Myers and committee, Warren Tranquada & Susan Arslaner,Brittany Blackwell &Theresa Brown, Wildred Wiggins & Marsha Bonner

Photos from left: volunteers enjoying the festivities & centerpieces

Jackson-Dumont's insightful guidance through the Met's collections, in-cluding the voluminous Costume Institute, especially impressed one of the guests, who was visiting the museum for the first time. The Reverend Kenneth Wakefield of St. Paul's Calvary United Church of God in Vauxhall, a member of the Faith-Based Advisory Committee, vowed to return that

very week with his family-and did!

GET TOGETHER AT THE MET

In June, Community Engagement said “thanks” to its valued advisors by hosting a free, private tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the museum's Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chair of Education, was on hand to greet the dozen visitors who arrived by bus from NJPAC.

By Amy Tenzer

Continued on page 3

By Mada Liebman

J e a n e t te M a ra b l e a n d T he re s a B ro w n

V i c to r i a T h e a te r

.

MEMBERSHIP FAQ’S continued

FAMILY FAIR IN THEATER SQUARE

Monique Jones

Jean Merrill

Douglas Munch

Larousse Pierre

Jessica Rademaker

Ruby Simmons

Bundy Washington

Andrew Watson

Ledell Watts

Rosa Wengryn Geraldine Whitaker

Vipul Kapadia *

* has transitioned to Guest

Services staff as of the printing of this newsletter

WHAT’S NEW WITH YOU?

Norman Lasser cruised to

Scandinavia this July.

Steven Myers traveled to

Lake

Tahoe

with

his

friend,

Jill

Mayra Fleitas was featured on

a travel blog, speaking about

Hoboken, NJ.

www.masymejor.com.

In January she will travel to

Cuba, where she was born.

Alice White spent the

summer travelling. July’s trip

was to Atlanta, GA, August

saw her in Chicago and

September took her to

Canada! (She still found time to

volunteer!)

Verdell Williams attended her

family reunion in Bermuda this

past July.

Jane Bowers recently attend-

ed the ordination of her cousin

as minister at Bethesda

Church of God in Christ.

Bonnie Sher traveled to

California this past July.

John Sowell former Irvington Town Council President, has joined Mayor Vauss’s Administration as the mayor’s Confidential Aide. Sowell also made his Pru stage debut during Mythbusters (below)where he donned a suit of armor for a paintball test.

What’s New

Joan Lowery and

Jeannette

Marable

vacationed

at the

Marriott

Surf Club

in Aruba

this past

September.

Douglas Munch completed a

113 mile bike event, riding

from Morristown, NJ to PA and

back. Doug and his wife,

Jean Merrill traveled to

Morocco this past October on

a National Geographic photo

shoot.

Mada Liebman and her

husband travelled to the

Norwegian fjords this

summer.

Fran Behrman visited her

family in San Francisco and

Marina DelRay, CA. this past

October.

Yvonne Littles attended her

family reunion in Atlanta, GA

this summer.

Doreen & Allen Mollenhauer’s grandson, Kyle Arestivo, graduated magna cum laude from the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY, where he was a star athlete & captain of the soccer team.

Tamara Cooper has

completed her Master’s

Degree in Computer

Science through Colorado

Technical University.

(Congratulations!)

5

NJPAC Welcomes New Volunteers!

Sue Alipanahi

Roxie Beasley

Tonya Bruton

Charlie Cao

Robin Couch

Marjorie Crump

Victoria Dixon *

Eyon Grant

Rosa Gutierrez

Narissa Mae Harvey

Everlyn Hay

Joseph Henley

Jeff Hrusko

Shene James

Vanessa Johnson

NJPAC BROADENS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

4

SPOTLIGHT: Staff Changes

By Mada Liebman

Continued on page 5

P l a yw r i te s : David Lee White, Nikkole Salter, and Chisa Hutchinson,

R o s s R i c h a rd s

C h a d S p i e s

“I’ve connected with

wonderful people here,

both employees and

volunteers.”

-Bundy Washington,

volunteer

NC350 continued

A b o v e : P ro g ra m M o n i to r a n d C oa t C h e c k T ra in i ng

B e l ow : C u s to m e r In fo rm a t i o n C e n te r T ra i n i n g

MEMBERSHIP FAQ

How do I know if a guest is joining or renewing? - Let them complete the information on the form. We are happy to accept both NEW & RENEWED membership donations. The minimum donation for a Thank You Gift (hat, tote bag, CD, etc.) is $75. What payment methods can we accept? - Major credit cards (Visa, Master Card, American Express or Discover); checks payable to NJPAC; or cash in exact amounts. We cannot make change at the Membership Table. What if the credit card machine is broken? - Guests using credit cards should write the number on the Membership Contribu-tion Form and we will process it the next day. What if a guest wants to give less than $75? - We happily accept dona-tions at any level but they do not qualify for a Thank You Gift under $75. What if a guest just wants to buy a hat? - Tell them the items are Thank You Gifts for donations of $75 or more. If they need to pay in installments or have ques-tions about membership they may email membership@njpac.org or call the Membership Hotline, 973-297-5809. So I can't give away a hat? - Unfortunately, no. We need a strict inventory of the Thank You Gifts at the Membership Table so it matches the number of completed forms. Do donors get receipts? - A receipt will be mailed within a week of processing the donation. Please make sure their addresses are written clearly.

DAY OF SWING

The Center for Arts Education was "swinging" on November 15, at the TD James Moody Jazz Festival's Day of Swing. In rooms all over the building, there were little ones from age 3 banging xylophones, 8 year-olds learning Creative Movement Jazz Style, families swing dancing together and participating in jazz-themed art classes, and teenage student musicians taking master classes from acclaimed bassist and NJPAC Jazz Advisor Christian McBride and world renowned Brazilian jazz guitarist Romero Lubambo. “This was,” said Alison Scott-Williams, VP of Arts Education, "an opportunity for the whole family." And many families took part. Attendance was up 5% over last year, with 750 children and their parents attending this free event that included 15 different workshops, a concert by the Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens student per-formers and a Kids Swing Concert led by the Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens faculty. NJPAC volunteers were out in full force to make the day run smoothly. Lead volunteers Jennifer Reynolds and Vince Wells organized a group of 15 people to staff a variety of positions from lobby registration to 3rd floor hall monitoring and every-thing in between. Others like Sirena Terr and Anne Streater instructed children in how to make paper gardenias, and lent their own artistic talents to the Day of Swing, which has become an annual Moody Festival highlight.

3

Being an NJPAC Volunteer & Membership: Perfect Together!

6

Celebrating Billy Holiday at Day of Swing

By Hi l lary Cohen, Membership Coordinator

Hillary Cohen at NJPAC Membership Table

SEASON KICK OFF continued

"NJPAC does so much for the city of Newark that it makes sense to put your charitable

contributions here."

Cathy Cvetovich, joined NJPAC

9-months ago, stopped by the Membership Table before the Neil De Grasse Tyson event

December 3, 2015

MARK YOUR SPRING CALENDAR FOR RIVERDANCE

Continued on page 7