Parent Teacher Guild of Montclair Immaculate

The Montclair Foundation (TMF) is pleased to have awarded $65,000 in grants to seventeen nonprofits as part of our Fall 2023 grant cycle. We are honored to support the incredible work of our recent grantees and all they do to enrich our community.

Education:
AAPI Montclair
Friends of the Howe House
Good Success Academies
Immaculate Conception HS Montclair
Montclair Art Museum
Oasis - A Haven for Women and Children

Seniors and Vulnerable Populations:
Family Service League/SAVE of Essex County
HOMECorp-Homes of Montclair Ecumenical Corporation
KinderSmile Foundation
Montclair Community Farms
Montclair Gateway to Aging in Place

Mental Health and Well-Being:
Main St Counseling Center
Montclair Ambulance Unit
We've Got Friends


Arts, Culture & Community Service:
Luna Stage
Pushcart Players
Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts


The Montclair Foundation has awarded more than $3 million to over 100 local nonprofits and looks forward to continuing to help Montclair and surrounding communities.

Grant seekers, please save this post as a reminder for spring grant opportunities. More details will be added to our website as applications open. Because of you, our communities can thrive.

To donate to our Annual Fund, which helps support our grant giving, visit www.montclairfoundation.org/donate

What I Won't Do for My Friends by Don Meyer
"I won't steal for my friends.
I won't cheat for my friends.
I won't act dumb for my friends.
I won't do drugs for my friends.
I won't disrupt the class for my friends.
I won't disrespect, laugh at or ridicule others for my friends.
I won't intentionally fail for my friends.
I won't behave irresponsibly for my friends.
I won't knowingly hurt others for my friends.
I won't destroy my life or anyone else's for my friends.
Anyone who would ask me to do any of these things, is not my friend."

Pretty sure this story translates to a football, softball or basketball…

If you give a boy a baseball, he will want a bat to go with it.

You’ll buy him the best bat you can find, and then he will probably want a bucket of balls and a glove and some cleats too.

Then, he will probably spend hours begging you to go out in the yard to play with him, even though you may want to sit on the couch and watch tv. He will insist. And his insistence will win.

And when a boy gets a jersey, he will need pants and socks and a belt to go with it. And a TEAM…..
And then life as you know it will end.

There will be no more lazy weekends watching tv. You will see more sunrises than you ever thought possible. Every spare minute of your time will be spent hauling buckets and bags and stinky cleats and crazy boys all over tarnation for hours to practice for a game.
THE GAME.

And your house will be a mess. And your car will be dirty. All because you gave a boy a baseball.

Your weekends will be spent freezing or burning to death on a fold-up chair. And his weekends will be spent gaining confidence and friends, and learning new skills and having fun and getting dirty. So dirty in fact that you will have to learn how to do laundry in a whole new way, like maybe at a carwash using the pressure washer.

And you will be there the day he hits his first home run, first strikeout, and his first double play. And he will make you SO proud. The other moms will congratulate you. But you feel weird saying thank you because it's not you at bat or on the mound. It's everything him. He did this.

And right before your eyes, your little boy will be transformed from the baby who spun around with his head on the bat, (because he loves attention), into a pitcher. Because he loves attention still.

When you give a boy a baseball, you give him more than just a ball. You give him a sport, and talent, and hope, and dreams, and friends, a new family, a place to learn about the life, room to grow as a person where he can push his limits, and bravery, and courage and LIFE, and memories. And he will have ALL of these things, simply because you gave a boy a baseball.

Because you gave a boy a baseball, you too will develop new/lifelong friendships, developed solely from the same passion for the game and love of your team. You will root together. And spew PG-13 things out of your mouths together. Because you gave a boy a baseball.

Then one day, many years from today….he will be in his room and a baseball will roll out from an old dusty bat bag underneath his bed. And he will pick it up and realize instantly that when you gave that boy a baseball, you also gave him a childhood that he would never forget. And then he will hug you, and your eyes may leak – because you realize that everything YOU gave up along the way…..was worth it!

All because you gave a boy a baseball ⚾️ …….

(My 3 year old Crosby pictured)

Love this… sorry we missed it tho…

.

Actor, 98, picks N.J. for his final gig. You may remember him from F Troop. Fans of Larry Storch will have one last chance Sunday to see him at Wild West City.

As Congress looks to be wrapping up deliberations this week on COVID-19 Relief, please let your members of Congress know that Catholic Schools should NOT be excluded from education relief! Nonpublic schools, including Catholic Schools, educate approximately 10% of ALL students in the U.S., many of whom are from struggling communities. Please ask Congress to include our students in COVID-19 Relief Aid using this link: http://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BbCnSAsdACpJTAj6HbX7FAA This pandemic has seriously affected all students and families; please tell your Congressional Representatives that ALL STUDENTS need COVID-19 Relief, and they should not leave Catholic and other nonpublic school students out in the cold!

Tell Congress to Act Now to Provide COVID-19 Relief Before Christmas It has been nearly eight months since Congress passed a COVID-19 aid package. Much of the aid from that legislation has already expired and more will stop at the end of this year. Congress must act quickly to pass a new COVD-19 relief package that...