Tony Ortiz owns Atlas Drugs on Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen and enjoys when the youngsters who attend nearby Horace Mann School come into his store to purchase items.
“They come in for school supplies or other things,” Ortiz said. “I always want to look out for the kids.”
With that in mind, as well as the spirit of the holiday season, Ortiz wanted to do something nice for the children of Horace Mann School.
“I felt like I should do something,” Ortiz said. “I’m a businessman in the neighborhood. I should do something to help. I think it started when I heard Paul Newman speak about his charity work. Hearing Paul Newman speak put the idea in my head, to do something that is pro-active and pro-serving the community. I felt like something was missing in my life and that was giving back to the community.”
So Ortiz contacted Horace Mann principal Jorge Prado, who definitely had a plan in mind.
For years, the school’s Parent Teacher Association used to purchase instructional notebooks for the students to use, but decided this year not to donate the money to purchase the books.
“The PTA has always been very generous, but they decided to go in another direction,” Prado said. “We have also relied upon fund raising to purchase the books. This year, we needed to find another option.”
And that option came in the form of Ortiz, who donated more than $2,500 to purchase the notebooks for each and every student in the school.
“I want the students to get every opportunity to learn,” Ortiz said. “Every little bit helps. I just felt it was the right thing for me to do. I really didn’t think much about the cost. I’m a business owner and I’m stepping forward. I would like to see if there are other businesses that can step forward as well.”
Prado was especially impressed with Ortiz’ generosity.
“It’s not a small contribution by any means,” Prado said. “He took on a big responsibility and we’re very grateful. I spoke with the mayor [Nicholas Sacco] and the Board of Education and everyone thought it was an excellent idea. They agreed that it was wonderful that a member of the business community is willing to step forward and make such a contribution.”
Ortiz doesn’t look at it as a gigantic contribution.
“It’s no big deal to me,” Ortiz said. “It fits the need that the school had. If the kids need it, then I’m willing to help.”