Dennis Committee Seeks to Organize Annual Community Events, Helpers

DENNISVILLE – The Dennis Township Committee met Aug. 16 with several resolutions on its Consent Agenda. 
One authorized the submittal of a grant application for special funding from the county Open Space program to fund the township’s portion of the countywide bikeway.
Another authorized entering into a contract with the county to provide animal shelter services for animals from the municipality. These and a couple of others were unanimously passed with no public comment.
Committee member Julie Fry-DeRose brought to the attention of the governing body an initiative to start a volunteer group to explore how to make township events more sustainable so that they can be held annually.
“We would like residents to volunteer so that the Christmas parade and National Night Out, for example, can be organized and sustained on a regular basis. We’re thinking that if we have representatives from the variety of organizations that would like to support these events as well as the vendors we can do them each year,” she said.
“It’s great to see who will volunteer and hopefully get the group to grow. The important thing is to see how to make it grow and get it started so that we have a good idea of who will volunteer. Everyone who wants to should be part of this effort,” noted Mayor John Murphy.
“It’s true that numbers have gone down for groups who will support these events so let’s see how we can provide structure and take it step by step. Organization of the Christmas parade will be a good barometer of the interest out there and get people involved,” added Deputy Mayor Brian O’Connor.
Fry-De Rose and O’Connor are organizing a meeting Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Recreation Center to gauge interest and how to proceed. All are welcome to attend and participate.
Committee member Lisa Salimbene reported that the Safe Driving program held for seniors at the Senior Center was informative and a success.
“They learned from our troopers everything about how to be safe in an automobile including the right way to fasten a seat belt and adjust the car’s mirrors,” she said.
Salimbene announced that the Dennis Township School PRIDE Committee, as part of the township’s Education Association, would be commemorating Sept. 11, known as Patriot Day, to honor the municipality’s emergency responders, including fire departments, throughout Dennis.
“We’re setting up collection boxes at the school and here at Town Hall so that the community can show its appreciation by dropping by and donating snacks, gum, and the like, which will then be distributed to our emergency personnel,” explained Salimbene.
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.