A local organization hosted area foster kids for a day outdoors with special guests.
The third annual Help-A-Child-Smile Field Day took place Aug. 28 at Veteran’s Field. Resident Maureen Holtje established the organization after visiting the Holley Center in Hackensack with her husband’s fire company in Fort Lee. She met other people interested in doing something else for the kids and created the organization.
Professional bodybuilder Bill Scarnaty showed kids how to make muscle poses and took pictures with them. The staff used Polaroid cameras so the kids could take the pictures home. Scarnaty is also a teacher at Fair Lawn High School.
"As a teacher I’m always involved with kids," he said. "It’s definitely nice when you can do something to help out."
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Staff Photo by Roy Caratozzolo III
Professional body builder Bill Scarnaty shows a girl how to make a muscle pose.
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Some other guests included Edgewater Police, Fire departments and First Aid Squad. Kids climbed around the ambulance, turned on the police car lights and took pictures sitting on the police motorcycle. A fireboat on the Hudson River put on a water display.
Mike Fittizzi from the Holley Center said it was nice bringing the kids down to Edgewater.
"We make sure the children stay busy all summer long," he said.
The kids stayed busy that day with a barbecue, popcorn, cotton candy, basketball and potato sack racing. One of the most popular events is always karaoke, Holtje said.
"We saw a girl who has such a beautiful voice," she said.
The organization hopes to grow so that it can provide the kids with more programs like sponsorships for science, math and art camps. Another goal is to have college scholarships available for them.
Holtje said it’s a sad reality that many foster kids will spend time in prison.
"We want to give them the tools and education so when they leave the foster homes they can be productive," she said. "A lot of these kids are very talented."
Eddie Young from the local Outback Restaurant was one of the sponsors and agreed that it’s important to invest in children’s futures.
"We always want to give back to the community and do what we can to make people happy," he said.
Holtje said the organization is working with four other charities for a major event next spring in Overpeck Park in Leonia. She hopes that more sponsors can get involved with Help-A-Child-Smile’s other programs.
