The Morristown Neighborhood House has organized Community Family Days for 11 summers, but Saturday’s affair at the Cauldwell Playground was different.
It served as a birthday celebration and coming-out party, too.
Cornerstone Family Programs, the new parent organization of the Neighborhood House, was marking its bicentennial and its first public event with the Nabe.
“Today’s special, a coming-out party for the Neighborhood House and Cornerstone Family Programs,” said Steve Neblett, assistant director at the Nabe.
“A lot of people are trying to figure out: Who is Cornerstone? It’s a new name. We thought it would be great for people to see our unified position.”
Please click icon below for captions.
The day included a barbecue and ethnic foods, catered by the Aramark Corp., and live music, games for kids, and information booths staffed by an assortment of agencies, including Cornerstone.
Crayons were arrayed for children (and adults) to color cardboard candles, which were pasted onto a cardboard cake commemorating the founding in 1813 of Cornerstone’s forerunner, the Female Charitable Society.
Established by ladies from the Presbyterian Church, the society began as a safety net for Morristown families affected by the War of 1812. Over the years it went through many changes and names, the most recent being Family Service of Morris County.
It became Cornerstone in June, when the nonprofit merged with the Neighborhood House, an institution that has helped immigrants and working families since 1898.
Our thanks to Craig Schlosser for these photos:
“We’re loving every minute of this,” Cornerstone CEO Patrice Picard said at Saturday’s event, on a warm, dry August day that felt good after a week of rain and high humidity. “We love getting out and talking to the community.”
So far, she said, the merger has gone fairly smoothly.
And fun was the order of Community Family Day. Steve summed it up:
“Forget your worries, come out and have a good time,” he said. “All those problems will be home waiting for you.”
