M t . O l i v e’s H o m e t o w n N e w s p a p e r
MOUNT OLIVE LIFE Vo l . 1 9 • I s s u e 7
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Member of Mid-Atlantic Community Papers • Association of Community Publishers • Mt. Olive Chamber of Commerce AUDITED BY CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL (CVC), ST. LOUIS, MO.
Tinc Road School Sweetens Year-End with Lemonade Fundraiser
BY CHERYL CONWAY STAFF WRITER
MOUNT OLIVE - Tinc Road School in Flanders ended their year on a sweet note. On June 7, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the elementary school held its final event of the year- Picnic on the Groundwith food, music, inflatables, ice-cream and lemonade. Not just any lemonade, but Alex’s Lemonade Stand with proceeds going to help find cures for childhood cancer. The initiative was the last of four Give Back events sponsored by Tinc Road School for the 2023-2024 school year. “We hosted an Alex’s Lemonade Stand and raised $600 to donate to helping find better treatments and a cure for childhood cancer,” shares Nikki Ottoson of Flanders, Tinc Road School PTO president. Held on the Tinc Road School playground, the school hosts “a family friendly event to
end the year for our Tinc families,” says Ottoson. “We have inflatables (this year DAM event rentals donated one and we rented the other), DJ, food truck, Marty’s Ice Cream truck stops by, and we sell concessions and Branda’s Pizzas.” The Tinc Gives Back Committee decided to add Alex’s Lemonade this year. The committee is comprised of Ottoson, two first grade teachers and a school counselor. “We work together to decide what initiatives we want to put forth for the school year,” says Ottoson. “Our principal, Mark Grilo, has been very supportive of these initiatives as well as the rest of the TRS teachers and staff.” Ottoson says that the committee chose Alex’s Lemonade Stand as its final Give Back initiative this year because the non-profit is celebrating its
20th anniversary this year. “It is a fantastic organization that I have had the pleasure of hosting another lemonade stand in the past,” she says. “It felt like a perfect fit for our TRS families and Picnic on the Playground. A lemonade stand is a right of passage for
a lot of children and the cause - helping find better treatments and cures for childhood cancer - kids helping kids.” The Tinc Gives Back Committee ran the stand at the event with “family volunteers,” she adds. “Families could sign up for a time slot (30 minutes) to
help facilitate the sales. We wanted to have opportunities for families to volunteer together so that the students can see directly how their efforts help others. The family volunteers made the lemonade with the help of the staff.”
Lemonade was sold for $2 per cup. Ottoson is “not sure how many cups were sold,” but adds that “families were very generous and donated a lot of their change.” As sweet as the lemonade PLEASE SEE LEMONADE FUNDRAISER, PAGE 2
Local Teen Advocates Community Fundraisers Saving Grace For Softball Star’s Invite To National Pitch for Anti-Bullying BY CHERYL CONWAY STAFF WRITER
BY CHERYL CONWAY STAFF WRITER
MOUNT OLIVE - Through conversation and discussion, one Mt. Olive teen is trying to make a difference by talking to youth about bullying. As a member of PACER National Bullying, 14-year-old Kaylee Dezart, of Budd Lake, has been going out to different schools, groups and troops to speak about bullying. The rising freshman of Mt. Olive High School recently spoke to Girl Scout Troop #8285. A Girl Scout since she was in kindergarten, Dezart is a member of troop #97628 and volunteered to speak to other Girl Scouts about bully prevention through PACER Nation Bullying. Founded in 2006, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention
Center actively leads social change to prevent childhood bullying, to promote safety to all youth and support to schools, communities and online, according to its website. PACER provides innovative resources for students, parents, educators and others, as it recognizes bullying as “a serious community issue” that impacts education, physical and emotional health, and the safety and well-being of students. As residents of Budd Lake for more than 15 years, the Dezarts decided to get involved and help in this cause by supporting their daughter as an advocate for anti-bullying. “She speaks to different
MOUNT OLIVE - When it comes to softball, this local teenager is hitting the scene as a top player. An opportunity has been thrown her way and she is catching it! Grace Varua, 14, of Flanders, has been invited to play in the NL Cup set for Jan. 1522, 2025, in Schiedam, Netherlands. The recent 8th grade graduate of Mt. Olive Middle School is a catcher and also plays third base for Stars National 14U VOAK & Malgradi based out of Charleston, S.C. Playing softball since she was 7 years old, Varua has turned into one exceptional player and has some home hitting plans to continue playing the sport she enjoys. “I love playing softball because it gives myself an opportunity to challenge myself,” she says. “I love being on the field with the other players and doing my part as a catcher to help
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PLEASE SEE SAVING GRACE, PAGE 4
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by being an incredible defensive catcher in her ability to block and frame balls. Grace hits for power and for average. But her greatest attribute is her
MOUNT OLIVE - It’s heating up outside as summer is here and so are some local updates on a new local cannabis shop, giant warehouse and more renovations to the historic Seward Mansion. The Mt. Olive Township Council will be considering an ordinance for second reading at its June 25 meeting and if approved the township will allow the sale of cannabis in its borders. The council voted six to one at its June 11 meeting to approve the first reading of ordinance #19 which will permit
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Varua. “Grace has an incredible arm for her age,” he says. “She has been complimented by other coaches as having one of the strongest arms for her age. She has also been complimented
BY CHERYL CONWAY STAFF WRITER
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Grace Varua
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my teammates. Ever since I started softball, I loved competing. “I also love what the sport of softball can teach you,” she adds. “It teaches you a lot of life lessons like working hard, being respectful, loving, consistency, respect. My dream is to make the Olympic Team in 2028. I always want to give back some way, somehow. If I have the opportunity to go far in softball, I promise to figure out how to give back to society. God has given me so much. My job is to serve, help and love others.” Every year Extra Inning Softball.com announces some of the best players around the country in specific age groups. In 2023 Grace was announced as being the 18th ranked overall player in the country for her age group and ranked eighth in the country for catching, according to her father Bobby
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