b"lent Woods, Wagners Die Meistersingerbenefit WILO NJ, a nonprofit run byabsolutelygreatdealof Overture, Ippolitov-Ivanovs ProcessionMaplewoodianKendrickWright,thatappreciation.Theyarea of the Sadar and Gilieres Russian Sail- provides independent living opportuni- bridge into the commu-orsDance.MichaelStratechukwillties in Maplewood for those with spe- nity. Volunteers like Cur-conduct and there will be a cello solocial needs. For details and tickets, visittis are there every second byMaplewoodresidentLeoGrin- progressivetheater.com. they can be.hauz. For details, call 862-571-5279The Millburn Cooperative Nurs- When asked about the or visit metropolitanorchestranj.org. erySchoolisaddingaprivatekin- retirement of Chief Kelly, TheFourthAnnualAVHerodergarten for 5-year-olds beginning inSergeantWrightnotes Fund Gala will take place June 10 atFall 2019, taking over the Kinderen- the longevity of his time theMaplewoodCountryClubandr i c h m e n twiththeauxiliary.Hes includes golf, tennis and dinner withp r o g r a mhad a huge impact on the a live auction, tricky tray, raffle, priz- locatedatYou'll find the auxiliary police officers helping at reserves, he says. [Chief es and open bar. In honor of AngeloSt.Georgescommunity functions including National Night Out. Kelly]hasbeendoing Vayas (former owner of Village Tratto- Churchinthisfor13yearslon-ria), the AV Hero Fund was created toMaplewood.ger than Ive been alive. carry on his legacy as a philanthropicKinderen- The Millburn Coop- auxiliaries.Oh,heisgood,ChiefWhile theyll be losing a lot of experi-erative Nursery School communitylead- r i c h m e n twill take over theKellysaysofCaptainYacenda.Iveence, I think hes set them up to be well er. Proceeds fromwillofferaadministration of theslowed down over the years and hesprepared for it.Kinderenrichment pro-the gala will go tocurriculumgram in Maplewood inreally accelerated. You couldnt find aIf theres one example to effectively individuals withinthatempha- September. better guy. Hes better than I am. demonstrate the influence of the police ourcommunitysizes social and emotional developmentOriginallyfromJerseyCity,Cap- auxiliary, its the current MPD chief of whoneedfinan- and values interactive hands-on learn- tain Yacenda has been a Maplewoodpolice, James (Jimmy) DeVaul. A Ma-The Fourth Annual AV Hero Fundcialassistanceingandfun.Opentochildrenwhoresident since 1986. He became inter- plewood native, Chief DeVaul served Gala June 10 willwithmedicalex- turn 5 by January 1 of the year of entry,ested after spotting one of his neigh- with the police auxiliary for five years honor the latebors in uniform doing crossing guardbefore joining the MPD in 1993. I Angelo Vayas. pensesaswellasKinderenrichment is a bridge program HackensackUni- forthosewhomissthekindergartendetail after Sunday church. But it wasused my experience as an opportunity versity Medical Center. For details andage cutoff. Call 973-379-2778 or visitanincidentinvolvinghisfatherthatto serve my community but also to do tickets, visit AVHeroFund.org.millburncoop.org. reallyinspiredhim.Myfatherwasanything that I thought would help me ProgressiveTheaterofNewJer- PlanningisunderwayforMaple- re-roofing the garage and fell off, hebecome a regular officer, he says.sey, in collaboration with Maplewoodwoods117thFourthofJulyCel- recalls. Luckily, he did not receive se- When he became the police chief Township, presents two events this June.ebration.TheMaplewoodCivicAs- riousinjuries.Helaudedthepolicein April 2018, Chief DeVaul quickly The View Upstairs, a staged reading set insociationisseekinglocalcommunityforcesresponsetotheincident.Iexpressed his deep respect to the aux-a 70s gay bar in the French Quarter ofgroups interested in hosting an activitywent to headquarters and filled out aniliary. I told them that I wanted them New Orleans, will be at The Burgdorffor showcasing their work on the fair- application [for the auxiliary] about atoknowmyhistoryandhowmuch Center June 22 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. andgrounds.Applicationsarebeingac- week later. The rest is history. I appreciate them, he recalls. I told June 23 at 2 p.m. The Rainbow Tablecepted for the food court and adjoin- CaptainYacendahasbroughthisthem they have a special friend in my PopupDinner,aneveningofcharity,ing craft fair. The Fourth of July CarcareeracumenasaformerITcon- office so that way I can help them to communityandharmonyundertheshow early registration opens May 9.tractor to his time in the department.succeed by providing them additional stars that includes dinner, dancing, en- Residents are invited to volunteer withTheadministrativeworkisrigorous,training and resources.tertainment and giveaways will be Juneevent planning as well as on the day ofincluding keeping track of the hourlyWhile he recognizes the auxiliarys 28 from 6 - 10:30 p.m. at the Maplecrestthe event. For details, contact Tom Pas- reports and the weapon book, and in- vitalpositionwiththeMPD,Chief Park parking lot (adjacent to Maplecrestcuite at 862-205-3521 or email info@ terfacing with the MPD on upcomingDeVaul also accentuates the immense ParkonTuscanRoad).Proceedswillmaplewoodcivic.org.details. I created an excel spreadsheetrole they perform for the Maplewood withmacrosandusethemtokeepcommunity. The community may not track of all of our patrol categories andbeallthatfamiliarwiththem.They officers, he says. may just see officers directing traffic, SergeantAlexanderWrightserveshesays.Butourentirecommunity as a primary liaison between the aux- has come to rely on them.iliary and the Maplewood Police De- The Maplewood Police Auxiliary is partment. He cites his stepfather, whoalways looking for volunteers interest-retired as a chief of police in Sussexed in joining the unit. If you are at least County,asaninfluencefromchild- 18 years old and have a valid drivers hood. I assisted when he would runlicense, you are invited to fill out an theJuniorPoliceAcademyanddoapplication. You can visit the website events such as Special Olympics pro- at maplewoodpd.org/police-reserves. grams, he says. I had a lot of expo- Donny Levit is a writer, journalist, and sure to law enforcement. Maplewood resident. He is the author of According to Sergeant Wright, theRock n Roll Lies, 10 Stories. Follow him MPD view the auxiliary team with anon @donnyreports. 26/ matters magazine / spring 2019"