William Paterson University to Host Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for Senior Citizens on November 15

More than 350 senior citizens from northern New Jersey are expected to attend William Paterson University's Sixth Annual Senior Citizens Thanksgiving Dinner on Saturday, November 15 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Machuga Student Center Ballroom on the campus in Wayne.

The event is hosted by William Paterson University, local community organizations and social agencies from the northern New Jersey area. The purpose of the dinner is to recognize the contributions of senior citizens in their respective communities and demonstrate the University's commitment to serving its surrounding communities.

This year’s dinner will be hosted by Della Crews, a reporter and anchor at News 12 New Jersey, and assisted by John Omachonu, Chair of the University’s Department of Communication. Featured during the dinner will be presentations of the William Paterson University Lifetime Achievement Awards to senior citizens who have made significant contributions to the community.

In addition to a traditional turkey dinner, guests will enjoy entertainment by the William Paterson Gospel Choir, the Wayne Senior Swing Band, and a local singer, Stacy Bautista and by dance experts Robert Sweeney and Rebecca Reid. More than 150 volunteers, including William Paterson faculty, staff and students, will assist with the event.

Members of the campus community are again donating gift baskets. As in other years, guests will receive a basket filled with items such as toiletries, paper goods or foods. All donations are to be sent to the University’s Office of Special Adult Programs at 973-720-3804.

Thirty-eight community organizations and social agencies from cities in northern New Jersey have been invited to send guests to the dinner. Transportation will be provided by individual organizations, as well as the Passaic County Freeholders. Emergency services will be provided by Wayne, North Haledon and the City of Paterson.

The dinner is organized by William Paterson's Office of the Provost and university volunteers. For additional information, call Valerie Marino at 973-720-3804.

William Paterson University, one of the nine state colleges and universities in New Jersey, offers 30 undergraduate and 19 graduate programs through five colleges: Arts and Communication, the Christos M. Cotsakos College of Business, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Science and Health. Located on 370 hilltop acres in Wayne, the University enrolls nearly 11,200 students. The institution’s faculty are highly distinguished and diverse scholars and teachers, many of whom are recipients of prestigious awards and grants from the Fulbright Program, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the American Philosophical Society.

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For Further Information, contact:

Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966

11/3/03