Essex County Teens Inspire Smiles At Nursing Home In Montclair

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A group of high school students from different towns in Essex County recently joined forces to put smiles on the faces of seniors at a local nursing home in Montclair.

Glen Ridge High School student-athletes Kieran Leiber and John Leone – along with Katya Perchonok of West Essex High School in North Caldwell – teamed up to host a Fourth of July-themed arts and crafts event at Van Dyk Manor in Montclair.

The teens are each involved in local service organizations: Leiber and Leone as the co-founders of Athletes for Good, which creates volunteer opportunities for students, and Perchonok with Babulas Kitchen, a West Essex-based initiative that brings communities together through baking.

Together, students and seniors spent an afternoon creating artwork that evoked scenes of fireworks and other patriotic imagery.

“You made me forget I had surgery this past week,” one of the seniors told another volunteer, Lola Griffith. “Thank you so much for coming.”

Leone, a rising senior and varsity football and lacrosse player, said the goal of the event was simple: to show that “athletes can lead with heart on and off the field.”

“It’s amazing how something as small as painting or decorating cookies can start up a conversation,” Leiber agreed. “That’s what this is all about.”

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