CRANFORDLIFE UNIONNEWSDAILY.COM
DECEMER 2022
VOL. 07 NO. 04
Man becomes Teen is tackling cancer with NFL coach senior airman
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An evening of Excellence
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Cranford gets crafty
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Nicholas Swandrak, 18, of Cranford, teamed up with retired NFL coach Tom Coughlin to raise money for local families facing pediatric cancer on Friday, Oct. 21, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. In a speech to a crowd of nearly 500 professional athletes, celebrities and supporters at the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund’s annual Champions for Children Gala, Swandrak shared his own journey of being diagnosed with and treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and his subsequent relapse earlier this year. The Jay Fund, the nonprofit founded by the two-time Super Bowl–winning coach of the New York Giants, marked its 17th year of providing financial, emotional and practical support for families tackling pediatric cancer in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area. Swandrak knows all too well the challenges families face when a child is diagnosed with cancer, and he is passionate about raising awareness and funds to support them. He has spent much of the last four years enduring grueling cancer treatments and being isolated from his friends due to his immunocompromised condition. His family has faced expensive medical bills coupled with rising inflation and record-high food costs. See TEEN, Page 5
Photo Courtesy of Mary Carnovale
Nicholas Swandrak, 18, of Cranford, right, teamed up with retired NFL coach Tom Coughlin to raise money for local families facing pediatric cancer on Friday, Oct. 21, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. Swandrak has spent much of the last four years enduring grueling cancer treatments and being isolated from his friends due to his immunocompromised condition.
Annual family event returns to Hanson Park By David Jablonski Managing Editor Don’t let those spooky-looking heads lit in the darkness scare you; it’s that time of year once again for the Great Pumpkin Carve Out at Hanson Park in Cranford. “It was awesome,” said Deb Leber, president of Jersey Central Art Studios, which runs the Great Pumpkin Carve Out, in an interview with Union County LocalSource on Monday, Oct. 24. “We had 3,328 people attend, a record! We had a person counting how many attended. It was really busy. We had great weather.” To put that into perspective, Leber said they had almost 2,000 people come out last year, and that was a really good number. The 2022 Great Pumpkin Carve Out returned to Hanson Park at 38 Springfield Ave. in Cranford on Saturday, Oct. 22, and it took
little time to realize why so many people were excited about this free event. Quite simply, it’s those carved pumpkins, of all shapes and sizes and spooky designs. Leber could barely contain herself. “We display them at night,” she said. “We collect them from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the crowds come in around 6 p.m. A movie will be playing at the same time.” This year, perhaps in anticipation of the crowds, the famous pumpkin stroll started a little earlier, kicking off at 5:30 p.m. and still running until 9 p.m. The earlier start time also accommodated those who preferred an earlier viewing of the displays. How did the Great Pumpkin Carve Out tradition get started? “I had the idea back in 2013,” said Leber. “I had just finished an art event that lasted a week, the plein air event, that had See GREAT, Page 14
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