NUTLEYJOURNAL

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Nutley Public Schools teacher Jainine Gambaro will be named the Nutley Jaycees’ Educator of the Year at a banquet where four other township residents will receive “Distinguished Service Awards” from the organization.

The awards are presented to individuals who live or work in Nutley and are given for distinguished service to the community in the fields of business, education, civic affairs, public health and safety and to an individual between the ages of 21 and 40.

Announcement of the award recipients was made by former Nutley Commissioner and past state president of the New Jersey Jaycees, Walt Smith, who was also chairman of the panel of judges that determined the honorees.

The winners will be honored at a dinner on Thursday, April 13, at The Valley Regency, 1149 Valley Road, Clifton. The event opens at 6:30 p.m. with a cash bar cocktail hour followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m.

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In addition to Smith, the judges’ panel included Steven Clarke, superintendent of the Nutley Schools, Kent Bania, former director of special education and community volunteer Barbara Hirsch, local attorney and former Outstanding Young Man Award Winner Andy Garruto and former Board of Education Trustee Michele Fleitell.

Gambaro, who has served the education community for over 35 years, has lived in Nutley her entire life. Gambaro has worked with Nutley’s grade school children as an elementary school teacher, a teacher of speech arts and dramatics as well as teacher of nursery school. At Radcliffe Elementary School, she served as library media specialist, a literacy coach and in 2013 was selected as district teacher of the year. Gambaro currently works as the K - 6 literacy coach for the district.

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Nutley Public Affairs Commissioner John V. Kelly III was named the Outstanding Young Man for 2023. Each year the Jaycees name a citizen age 40 or less as the Outstanding Young Man or Woman of the year.

Kelly was born and raised in Nutley as were his parents and some of his grandparents. His grandfather was former Mayor John Kelly and his father is a physician practicing locally.

An Army veteran, Kelly was deployed to the Middle East as well as Puerto Rico during the time that Hurricane Maria struck. Locally, Kelly served on the Board of Directors of the Nutley Family Service Bureau, the Nutley-Belleville Columbus Day Parade Committee and with the John V. Kelly Memorial Foundation, which provides scholarship money.

As Commissioner of the Public Affairs and Health Department, he oversees a wide range of health-related areas that impact the Nutley community. Kelly has worked to modernize Nutley’s Health

Department by creating a health app for ease of access with a cell phone and streamlined various policies and procedures. He resurrected the CARE Committee, which has focused on helping vulnerable Nutley citizens get assistance when needed.

For distinguished service in “Public Health and Safety,” the Jaycees will honor Nutley’s Public Health Nurse Supervisor, Patty Cruz, a 10-year veteran of the Department.

When the Covid-19 crisis become a part of everyone’s life in early 2020, Cruz and the Health Department staff jumped into action, getting a better understanding of what the community needed and providing valuable information to allay fears.

Cruz has spent decades tending to the sick and those in need of care. Cruz originally started working in a busy inner-city hospital then continued to become a visiting care manager, where she provided nursing care to all types of individuals on the socio-economic scale.

Nutley’s “Business” award for 2023 goes to Frank Turano, Jr., founder and president of American Made Custom Cabinet Co. Turano is active in many community organizations, especially the Nutley Family Service Bureau where he serves as a trustee.

A lifelong Nutley resident, Turano knew he wanted to give back to local veterans so when he sold a kitchen, he also made a donation to local veterans. In 2016, Turano was awarded the Military Civilian Appreciation Award from the Amvets National of the United States. An accomplished author, Turano writes for Nutley Neighbors Magazine. He is a supporter of the Nutley American Little League, a member of Nutley Unico, the Nutley Chamber of Commerce, and was elected to the board of trustees for the Nutley Family Service Bureau.

The “Civic Affairs Award” will go to Rev. Pamela Bakal, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Nutley.