Jets Lend Helping Hands With New Playground In Parsippany

PARSIPPANY, NJ — H-E-A-D Start! Start! Start! Members of the New York Jets organization came to Parsippany on Wednesday to dedicate a new playground that the franchise played a part in developing.

The $75,000 playground at the Head Start of Morris County center came about through a collaboration from the Jets, United Way of Northern New Jersey and NRG Energy under the NFL "Hometown Huddle" philanthropy program.

“Hometown Huddle” is an NFL-wide day of service that provides NFL players, coaches, spouses and staff from each team the opportunity to participate in a variety of community service activities. For the past 23 years, the Jets have helped build playgrounds, fitness centers and weight rooms in underserved communities throughout North Jersey, including several locations in Morris County.

The Jets Womens' Organization volunteered to join work crews to assemble the playground on Monday and completed the job before the night's nor'easter. The playground is on the Head Start side lawn.

Head Start and the Morris County commissioners seized the event to rededicate the county-owned property. The commissioners unveiled a new plaque, dedicating the property to "the Children of Morris County." The building was also renamed the “Robert C. Grant Head Start Center of Morris County,” in honor of the organization’s long-time president.

“I am seldom, if ever, at a loss for words,” said Grant, who attended the dedication unaware the building was to be renamed in his honor.

The Morris County Commissioners initially dedicated the county-owned building for use by Head Start last year. It allowed the early education and childcare program for needy families to expand its services with the potential of doubling the number of children served to 90.

The mission of the Head Start Community Program of Morris County, founded in 1965, is to collaborate with families to provide comprehensive support for child development and school readiness, from prenatal through kindergarten ages, for the community’s most vulnerable children.

The organization serves 333 families, providing free programs for expectant mothers, infants, toddlers and preschoolers at sites throughout Morris County.

The Jets, of course, spend plenty of time in Morris County, with team headquarters and their practice facility in Florham Park.

“On behalf of the entire New York Jets organization, we’re just so excited to be here to unveil what has become an annual event here in Northern New Jersey … I think with this project we’ve actually gotten over the $1 million mark,” said Jesse Linder, the Jets' vice president of community relations. “Social and emotional learning is so important, and a lot of those skills can be learned out on a playground especially when you have safe-space places like this that normally they wouldn’t have.”

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