Lauren and I are hosting a Heritage Sports Fundraiser on Wednesday May 23 from 7:30 - 9:30 pm at Pizzeta (62 West Mount Pleasant Ave., Livingston) It would be great if you can attend, the cost of the event is $50 per person, or if you cannot make the event it would still be extremely appreciated if you could make a donation to SUPPORT HERITAGE SPORTS.

For those of you who are not aware, nearly two years ago the sports program at Heritage Middle School was eliminated from the school budget. The background was that the town had lost $5 million in funding from the state and was immediately forced to make radical cuts. With a nearly $500,000 budget attached to it, the sports program at the Middle School became fair game. I and many others challenged the administration to find a way to save it and after a series of meetings and a lot of arm twisting, our local West Essex YMCA generously offered to take over complete control of the program.

The YMCA has done a wonderful job running the program the last two years. Without any funding whatsoever, however, they had to make some changes which included charging a $275 fee per student per sport, lowering coach's salaries, and moving from a 5 day-per-week practice schedule to a 3 day-per-week practice schedule. Unfortunately, due to the fee, poor economic times, and a litany of other reasons the number of participants across all sports has decreased from nearly 500 children per year to less than 400. With the lower number of participants, the YMCA has lost nearly $20,000. This presented a situation that was unsustainable.

The money that we raise from this fundraiser will hopefully put the YMCA back in the black, potentially lower the fee per participant, and go towards offering scholarships for those that are less fortunate. Many of us participated in youth sports and have fond memories of those experiences. Let's make sure that our children and the children who have not yet entered the Middle School have the same opportunities that we enjoyed.

Please RSVP to Executive Director of the West Essex Y, Helen Flores @ . Please remember your gift is considered a tax deductible donation as the Y is a charity.

Lauren and I thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you at the event.

Sincerely,

Lauren and Scott Scher