In The Vicinity By Jackie Schatell
Millburn Teens Create Board Game
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iya Tyagi, grade 10, and Tanish, grade 11, of Millburn, have created a board game for people ages five and above, called “Who Wants to Be a Billionaire,” which will soon be available on Amazon for purchase. They first launched it on Kickstarter and raised more than expected, which will help fund production of the game. To play the game, you start out as a Silicon Valley startup founder racing to reach a unicorn status of a $1 billion valuation. You begin hiring your Scrum Team and strategically acquiring technologies. With resources in place, you build products and drive user growth. Tanish says, “Words cannot describe how it feels to have taken this game from a drawing on paper to a fully manufactured game. I look forward to seeing where we go from here.” “I am so proud I was able to have an impact while creating something of my own,” says Riya. To learn more, go to billionkidscode.com.
Summit Teen Wins Scholastic Arts Awards
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obert Welton, a junior at Summit High School, recently won three 2022 Scholastic Arts Awards for animations he created that are available for viewing on his YouTube channel, titled “Robert Welton’s World of Animation.” The channel, which he created during the pandemic, includes stop motion, cut out, puppetry, experimental, traditional, and mechanical animations, as well as claymation and live (combination of animation and live action). He has over 1 million views. Robert says, “I feel very proud and accomplished after winning the Scholastic awards, since it gives me some recognition for my creative work as a bronze and silver medalist.” He also says, “I use my animations, and also my graphic design work, to express my creative ideas and give my unique perspective. ”His mother Cynthia says, “Robert is the most creative person I have experienced in my life, who just happens to also be my son.”
Florham Park Memorial First Aid Squad, Inc., Holds Easter Fundraiser
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hanks to the Florham Park Memorial First Aid Squad, Inc., families in Florham Park, Madison, East Hanover, Chatham, Whippany and Cedar Knolls who signed up for the “Egg My Yard” fundraiser will be waking up to find their yards filled with candy-filled eggs on April 9, 15 or 16! The fundraiser will directly benefit the Squad. Participants signed up for packages of 30, 50, 70 or 100 eggs and had the opportunity to add on a letter from the Easter Bunny and/or a Golden Egg with a prize. If it rains, the alternative will be to have a basket of eggs arrive on the doorstep from the Easter Bunny. “I am very excited for this event as Easter is my favorite holidays, says Jessica Marie Bartelloni, chairperson of fundraising. “It will be very successful. In just one week, 30 families signed up and we raised over $3000.”
Chatham Family Plans Renegade Ride to Help Fund Cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
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illy Lester, of Chatham, and his family have founded a non-profit called Rare Disease Renegades, and are planning an event, the Renegade Ride, on June 11th. Rare Disease Renegades helps scientists get the funding they need to accelerate research, and cures for rare diseases, like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a disease afflicting Billy’s son, Caffrey, 11. Billy explains, “DMD renders muscles unable to recover from activity, so the body can’t rebuild them and by the age of 10-12, boys lose ambulation and by their mid-20s, lose lung and cardiac function leading to premature death.” Billy says there is cause for optimism, “Progress is being made, but as with other rare diseases, we have to do everything possible.” That’s why he’s planning the event. “We are very excited to involve the community in the Renegade Ride. The ride goes through Morris County, people can participate multiple ways: riding, attending the party, or donating,” says Billy. Visit rarediseaserenegades.org to sign up and to donate. If you or someone you know in Essex/Morris County are doing something interesting, send an email to Jackie.subessex@gmail.com 6
Vicinity Magazine
April 2022