‘Shop Hamilton’ and ‘Shine and Inspire’ Surprise Bromley CYO Summer Campers with Bikes & Helmets
Children at the CYO Summer Camp at the Hamilton Township Bromley Neighborhood Center got a big surprise today.
New bicycles, equipped with bells, and helmets were given to the 50-plus summer campers thanks to the generosity of Shop Hamilton – a group that represents Hamilton’s local businesses – and Shine and Inspire, Inc., along with Doctors Express Urgent Care Center.
The idea started from Shop Hamilton member, Carol Feldman, who is the founder of a Mercer County non-profit organization, Shine and Inspire, Inc. The organization seeks to enhance the quality of life of local residents with the help of charitable gifts.
“Shine and Inspire is based on the premise of ‘paying it forward’,” explains Feldman. “And that is exactly what this effort was all about.”
Through her involvement in Shop Hamilton, Feldman became familiar with the Hamilton Township Bromley Neighborhood Center, a local government facility that is operated by another non-profit, the CYO of Mercer County.
One of the programs that the CYO of Mercer County conducts at the Bromley Center is a summer camp that serves many local youth. Feldman thought it would great idea if bicycles could be provided to the summer campers, especially since many may have never had one of their own.
So Feldman brought the idea to Shop Hamilton; and thanks to the generosity of its members along with various individuals contacted about this effort, the necessary funds were raised to purchase 55 bicycles for the summer campers, equipped with bells.
And true to its ‘Shop Local’ mantra, the bicycles were purchased from a Hamilton-based business, Economy Bicycle & Skateboard Shop. Additionally, another Shop Hamilton member – Doctors Express Urgent Care Center – helped to provide the bicycle helmets.
“Time and time again, the members of Shop Hamilton have given back to our community in so many ways. This charitable project, thanks to the idea of Carol Feldman and support from our members, shows exactly what Shop Hamilton is all about,” says Joyce Cantalice, Chairperson of Shop Hamilton.
Mayor Kelly Yaede, whose leadership led to the CYO of Mercer County operating the Township’s Bromley Neighborhood Center (a local government facility), has long worked to enlist help from the community’s local businesses, including Shop Hamilton, to address various needs across the town – which is New Jersey’s 9th largest municipality by population.
“This effort illustrates the very best of our community,” says Mayor Kelly Yaede. “The generosity of our local businesses and the compassion of our local non-profit organizations never ceases to amaze me. Thanks to their combined efforts, today was a very special day for our Bromley summer campers.”
And the CYO of Mercer County is gracious for the support from Hamilton Township, Shop Hamilton, Shine and Inspire and Doctors Express.
“We are grateful to the continued support we receive from Mayor Yaede and the Township Council; and we cannot thank Shop Hamilton, Shine and Inspire and Doctors Express enough for their generosity,” says Thomas Mladenetz, Executive Director of the CYO of Mercer County.
Residents can learn more about the following organizations by visiting them at:
Hamilton Township Bromley Neighborhood Center: cyobromley.org
Shop Hamilton: shophamiltonnj.com
Shine and Inspire: shineandinspire.org
Doctors Express Urgent Care: doctorsexpress-hamilton.com