Chiaravalloti attends White House welcome for Pope
Thirty-first District Assembly Democratic candidate Nicholas Chiaravalloti attended the White House state ceremony honoring Pope Francis and praised the Pontiff’s message.
“As a Catholic who has been educated by the Jesuits, Pope Francis’s message of love, hope and dignity resonated with me,” he said.
Chiaravalloti felt he had to see the Pope, put out a call for a ticket and received an extra one from the office of Sen. Robert Menendez.
Kopko advocates for high-tech stretch in Hudson County
Matthew Kopko, 31st District Assembly Republican candidate, unveiled his jobs plan, proposing initiatives that he says will rebuild Hudson County’s economic foundation.
Kopko is proposing a research facility and tech park in Jersey City instead of casinos, and is calling for New Jersey’s own Silicon Valley, to be called “Robotics Road.”
His plan can be found at votekopko.com.
Charity art show at Manifest Comics next month
Comic Book Fans United (CBFU) and Narrow Bridge Films will be hosting the Charity Art Show at Manifest Comics, 762 Broadway, 2nd Floor, on Oct. 22, at 7 p.m.
This is the second annual show, with last year’s raising more than $1,500 for ArtWorks, the Naomi Cohen Foundation, and a CBFU member diagnosed with cancer.
“This year, we are hoping to raise even more for Autism Speaks,” said art show spokesman Sam Platizky. “The founder of CBFU’s oldest son has autism, so this is a cause that is near and dear to our hearts.”
There will be both local and professional artists contributing art to the event.
Works will include pieces from Kevin Eastman (co-creator of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”), David Mack (creator of “Kabuki” and cover artist for “Fight Club 2”), Chrissie Zullo (cover artist for DC Comics’ “The Wolf Among Us”), and Jim Cheung (“Young Avengers” artist).
There will also be pieces from local artists Steven Defendini, Paula Serrano, and Christopher Alarcon.
A suggested minimum donation of $5 will be requested at the door.
For more information, contact Platizky at splatizky@gmail.com.
Child advocate group holding informational session
The Hudson County CASA (court appointed special advocate) is recruiting volunteers to advance the best interests of abused and neglected children.
An informational session, addressing the program and the role of its volunteers, will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 13, from 6 to 7 p.m. in Room 901 of the Hudson County Administration Building, 595 Newark Ave., Jersey City.
For more information, call (201) 795-9855, e-mail mhull@hudsoncountycasa.org or visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org.
First-Sunday-of-the-Month Nature Walk at Meadowlands
Nature lovers can get their fill of what they like best on Sunday, Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to noon.
“During this free, two-hour walk around DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, we’ll look for shorebirds, raptors and other migrating birds,” said spokesman Brian Aberback.
The walk meets outside the Meadowlands Environment Center at the park, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza.
For more information, email greatauk4@gmail.com or call (201) 230-4983.
BergenPAC sponsors Arts Access Initiative
BergenPAC, the performing arts center that serves Hudson, Bergen, and Passaic counties and beyond, has created an Arts Access Initiative, which offers up to 200 free tickets for every show on the bergenPAC main stage to qualified nonprofit charitable organizations.
Over the last 10 years, bergenPAC has committed to providing access to the arts to underprivileged individuals and organizations by offering free tickets to performances, scholarships to its performing arts school programs, and arts education in schools where budget cuts have eliminated those programs from the curriculum.
“Part of our mission is to make the arts accessible to everyone in our community,” said Edmondo Schwartz, bergenPAC Board of Trustees chairman and program creator. “I believe we are the first organization to implement this kind of program on such a large scale.”
The program has no end date. To apply for the program, interested parties and organizations should email chood@bergenpac.org for an application or call (201) 816-8160, ext. 15.
BergenPAC is at 30 North Van Brunt St. in Englewood.