Moorestown Man Invests In Self, Gives Back To Community

MOORESTOWN, NJ — John Ginley was looking for a change. He had worked in the mortgage industry for 30 years, and had grown weary of the business. He wanted something new, and he wanted to give back to the community.

So, the 20-year Moorestown resident turned his focus to his hometown. A volunteer in community sports, being a father of four boys, Ginley decided he wanted to help many of the young people he had interacted with over the years.

Young people need to learn how to drive. Ginley knows how to drive. And that’s how All Jersey Driving School was born.

“We work with all ages, but predominantly with 16-year-olds,” Ginley said. “The local high schools are a large percentage of my business.”

He starts with many of his students when they are 16, and need to have six hours behind the wheel. He follows up with them when they are 17 and are getting ready to take the test.

But it’s not the entirety of his business. Ginley also works with older people who are learning how to drive. They may have grown up in the city, relying on public transportation. When they moved to New Jersey, they realized it was time to learn how to drive.

“Everyone’s a little different,” Ginley said. “Sixteen-year-olds learn well because it’s new to them. The older they are, the more experience they have just being in a car. The ones who have more experience also do well.”

Giving back goes beyond just teaching residents how to drive. Over the summer, All Jersey Driving School teamed with Mill Street Tire, Moorestown Police and Pat Lynch of Allstate Insurance for a car care clinic, with proceeds benefitting the St. Matthew Food Pantry.

In addition, they are proud to support arts and sports programs in Moorestown, as well as many of the neighboring communities in which their students reside.

“I’d like to do more of that because I think it’s important,” Ginley said. “We live in the communities we work in.”

Ginley and Lori Sacalis opened the school, located at 250 West Main Street, in April 2019. A year later, it wasn’t able to celebrate its one-year anniversary because the coronavirus pandemic had resulted in a statewide shutdown. The school was closed for a little more than three months, but it immediately returned to serving the community upon its reopening.

“It was not the way we hoped to celebrate our first anniversary,” Ginley said. “We had to lean through it, and once we reopened, there was a lot of pent-up demand.”

They were essentially faced with two years’ worth of prospective drivers, with those who missed the chance to take their driver’s test due to the shutdown joining a new class of potential drivers that would’ve existed anyway.

“It was especially busy in the summer,” Ginley said. “We hired more instructors, we brought in new vehicles, and we survived the craziness.”

Instructors include teachers, coaches, retired police, and full-time workers looking for some part-time work. They all live within a half-hour of Moorestown.

Ginley said the rush from the pent-up demand has slowed down, but All Jersey Driving School still stands ready to serve the community.

For more information on All Jersey Driving School, call 833-353-7483 or visit alljerseydrivingschool.com.