Categorized | Carousel, Editorial

EDITORIAL: It Never Gets Old

Director of Perth Amboy Office of Recreation, Kenny Ortiz (far right) poses with some of the members of the Office of Recreation Youth Alliance Group.      *Photo by Carolyn Maxwell

Director of Perth Amboy Office of Recreation, Kenny Ortiz (far right) poses with some of the members of the Office of Recreation Youth Alliance Group. *Photo by Carolyn Maxwell

One of the most pleasant aspects of Perth Amboy’s Caucus/Council Meetings to me are when our City’s youth come to speak.  At the 3/23/15 Caucus Meeting, the topic for discussion was the Youth Alliance Group Mission, Goals and Objectives. I was very impressed with the Youth Alliance Group pictured above.

Although the Dept. of Recreation Director Kenny Ortiz was on tap to speak, he felt that the members of this group would be the best spokespersons — and he was right!

The following are some of the highlights of what they had to say. One young woman started out as a summer camp counselor. She stated that one of the purposes of this group was an  initiative  to help prevent under aged drinking.

Another group member spoke about prevention programs which would bring awareness to liquor store owners and bartenders.

They related how their participation in the program brought a positive change to their lives. This enabled them to help the people in the community.

Some of the participants have already been accepted into college.

They also are heavily involved in Community Events with all age groups. One event a basketball game between the Fire and Police Departments held at PAHS. They are planning on participating in the Community Cleanup.    Funding  this program will help the group get the word out.

They invited the Council to come to their meetings which are held on Saturdays. Councilman Irizarry was impressed by the speakers and he said  “The evidence presented today shows that this program is working.” He urged the Council to appropriate funds for the Youth Alliance Program. “It’s an investment in the youth of our City.” Irizarry wanted to thank the group for coming and he was really proud of them.

Finally, Irizarry thanked Kenny Ortiz for the work that he’s done with this program and the City’s youth.

I would encourage everyone to look at the Perth Amboy Youth Alliance Facebook page for more information.

I would like to congratulate Kenny Ortiz, who I personally think was the right choice to run the Office of Recreation. Any time Mr. Ortiz has come before the Council to explain any of the programs run by his department, he is very thorough. If he doesn’t have an answer right away, he makes sure that he gets back to them promptly.

The Recreation Department runs programs for the youth, and the general public. The programs are well run and either free or easily affordable.

Perth Amboy’s Waterfront is the gem of the City. Kenny Ortiz and his staff are the gems of the Recreation Department. C.M.

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