‘Totally 80s’ Bash In South Orange Raises $110K For Library

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Leg warmers, neon spandex and sky-high hairdos were among the accoutrements of the evening at South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum’s “Totally 80s Birthday Bash,” which raised $110,819 for the South Orange Public Library.

Held at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club and attended by more than 200 guests, last week’s event blended nostalgia, humor, community pride and a “shared commitment to South Orange’s future,” organizers said.

Former and current elected officials from South Orange, Maplewood, and the South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education were among those in attendance, donning “full retro style” to celebrate and support the initiative.

“When I celebrated my birthday in 1983, I was doing absolutely nothing except floating around in my little domicile, unaware that one day I’d be standing here as your mayor, telling a room full of grown adults dressed like Cyndi Lauper and Run-D.M.C. to support the library,” Collum remarked.

“Life is funny like that,” she quipped.

“South Orange is a community that believes in equity, access, and democracy—and our library is where those values live every single day,” the mayor told attendees. “It’s where curiosity is welcomed, information is free, and book bans have absolutely no home here. Your generosity tonight is an investment in future generations who will one day say, ‘They cared about us. They invested in us. They built something lasting.’”

“Tonight was a powerful reminder of how deeply this community cares about its library and its future,” agreed Laura Epstein, president of the South Orange Public Library Foundation Board.

“While tonight’s success moves us significantly closer to our goal, we still have important work ahead,” Epstein added. “There are many naming opportunities and additional ways to give, and we invite everyone to be part of this legacy.”

For more information about the South Orange Public Library’s Building Connections Campaign, including naming opportunities and ways to contribute, visit www.soplfoundation.org/donate.

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