It’s been a hectic couple of months in the Main Street Vineland office, with events following events and all the planning and execution that go with them as well as several grants we are wrapping up for the year. It’s been weeks of multi-tasking, e-mails, phone calls, meetings—live and virtual—and the regular day-to-day business.
All that is pretty much behind us now and even though the holiday season is still very much here, it’s time to take some time to acknowledge people, groups, and organizations that helped us tackle these projects. So, here are some well-deserved shoutouts.
I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all the Main Street Vineland staff and volunteers, departments and officials at the city, county, and state levels, media partners, financial partners, donors, and grantors, and our downtown and local businesses. It’s been said that “it takes a village” and all of these made up the village, which also contains the most important segment—and that is you. You’re the ones who live here, come to our events, and patronize our businesses. Without you Main Street Vineland would merely be a mutual admiration society and our events and initiatives would just be run-throughs and rehearsals. You’re the ones that make all these events worthwhile and special.
To surround yourself with dedicated, talented people is a key to making an organization move forward smoothly and I’m blessed to have many such people as my partners and associates.
Let’s start with the Main Street Vineland staff. To have an associate director like Robert Scarpa makes this organization run like a well-oiled machine. I’ve known Robert for years, as he served on our Board of Directors for a time. He’s a hard, aggressive, and thorough worker. Many of our events come together because of his tenacity, persistence, and attention to detail. He is also our Business Development Director and chairs our Economic Vitality Team. I couldn’t ask for a better colleague in the office.
Thanks also to our other team chairs—Design Team Chair Vanessa Sosa, Promotions Team Chair Andre Rivera and Organization Team Chair Donata Dalesandro.
I also want to thank Robin Barbetti, whose experience in our office and skill in grant-writing have been valuable assets over the years.
I want to thank our Board of Directors, which plays such a large part in approving programs and initiatives that chart the course of Main Street Vineland. They are Chair Brian Lankin, Vice-Chair Dennis Ingraldi, Secretary/Treasurer Lizzy Kennedy, City Council Liaison Paul Spinelli, as well as Justin White, Macleod Carré, Richard Dixon, Vanessa Sosa, Robin Adams, and Board Solicitor Jeff Medio.
To keep The Ave looking clean and attractive is a full-time job in itself, and Geoff Dash and Chris Crowe have helped in innumerable ways as our maintenance and support staff—out on the street, at our events, and in many other ways.
For more on Main Street Vineland, call the office at 856-794-8653 or visit TheAve.biz. or check us out on Facebook. You can also e-mail me at [email protected].
