“At do good marketing we measure our success by our ability to use our marketing talents to do good marketing for our clients and use those skills to do good for others,” said Haviland. “What better way to do that in a coordinated effort than to get as many people as possible to do something nice for someone else on do good day?  Imagine what it would be like if everyone in the world decided to do something nice for someone else all on the same day?  Who knows, maybe the world would break out in peace?”

Last year’s response to the first annual do good day was overwhelming. Participants were not only located in New Jersey, but all over the nation.  “The stories were touching,” said Haviland.  “One woman donated her car to a needy family for six weeks and another paid the toll for a vehicle behind him on the Garden State Parkway!”

While the inaugural event generated nearly 1,500 participants with very little effort, for this year’s event, do good marketing has established an integrated communications plan to maximize participation.  In addition to traditional public relations strategies, do good marketing will be using social media platforms to disseminate information to participants before, during and after the event on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. A dedicated do good day page has been established on do good marketing’s Facebook page (search Facebook: Do Good Day 080410) where volunteers can register, post messages or photos; a Twitter hashtag has been created so all participants can monitor do good day activities prior to, during and after the event (#dgd0804); and Haviland will be posting video blogs or vloggings about do good day to the Facebook page and YouTube sites.  All participants are encouraged to join the conversation leading up to the annual event, post pictures, videos and encourage their friends to join in.

With more than 400 million active users on Facebook these days, Haviland wants to fully utilize the social media platform to increase participation in do good day, hoping that the message will go viral to friends of friends, colleagues, and families all over the world.

“To date, we have over 1,000 people registered for do good day,” said Haviland.  “The number one question I get is, ‘what if I’m not here on do good day?’ Anyone can participate and do something nice for someone else and it doesn’t matter where you are!”

The offices of the do good team marketing team will be closed on August 4^th to enable all to participate in various philanthropic activities.

Do good marketing, llc, established in 2008, is a virtual marketing/advertising firm.  While the do good world headquarters are in Glen Rock N.J., the virtual structure draws upon people and organizations located across the country. Do good clients receive top talent, but only pay for what they need.  Michael Haviland, 49, is the founder and managing partner and has over 25 years’ worth of advertising experience including some of the big firms in New York City and New Jersey. Current do good marketing clients include: Aurora Energy, Bergen Catholic High School, Children’s Aid and Family Services, Lenox Hill Hospital, Makai Events, Morris County Surgical Center, NAPA Auto Parts, Nutley Auto, Nyack Hospital, onebaddecision.com, Saint Dominic Academy, the Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources, Tuxedo Park Library and Tuxedo Park School. For more information, visit www.dogoodmarketing.com.

How many of you were once aspiring musicians? Wannabe rock stars?

The opportunity to create a roster of willing musicians with large enough garages or basements to hold monthly jams is too good to pass up. Use the comments section to let us know who you are and what you play. In addition give yourself a quick rating so the right folks can get together (e.g., I play trumpet and am an intermediate level player).

As more comments come in, this blog and the comments section can serve to connect those folks together and hopefully spur some new Glen Rock parent bands.

Rock on!

Not surprisingly, many residents are not thrilled with this decision. Some have gone so far as to put up a website and petition to attempt to halt this plan here: http://www.keepbergenbluelaws.com/ .

Where do you stand on this issue? Should we keep our blue laws or should we repeal them and open businesses up on Sundays? Tell us in the comments.

Central School is nearing it’s 100th day of classes this year. To commemorate this milestone the kids at the school have split into groups and are putting together efforts based around the number 100. One group has decided they would like to raise funds for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. This group of 1st graders are focusing their efforts on building shelters and new homes for the residents of Haiti.

The group has chosen Habitat for Humanity as their charity to support focusing specifically on their Disaster Response arm. According to their web site, the mission of Habitat’s Disaster Response arm is:

To develop innovative housing and shelter assistance models that generate sustainable interventions for people vulnerable to or affected by disasters or conflicts. In addition, Disaster Response builds the capacity of the global Habitat community in the areas of disaster mitigation, preparedness and recovery through education, training and partnerships.

To symbolize their support for the organization, the group from Central School is nailing 100 nails into 4 boards (one for each child) to kick off the building of new shelters and donating $1 per nail for a total of $100.

If you would like to help the team please consider donating to Habitat for Humanity as well.

Depending on the age of your kids, the decision on which local restaurant to patronize can be a tedious one. In this post, there are some suggestions for where to go locally based on the editors’ experiences. However, the surprisingly large number of places to dine in Glen Rock (and surrounding towns) means that there is always room for more reviews. Here are 5 options:

• Jalapeno’s (930 Prospect St.)- what was once a Mexican restaurant, then a Greek place and now, back to Mexican is pretty much the only Mexican place around here. Given that fact, one could say it is the best Mexican restaurant in the area. The food here is fairly good. The kids like the tortilla chips and, as a bonus, those same kids eat free on Sunday.
• Mangia (918 Prospect St.) – Italian food with great variety is not hard to find in Northern New Jersey but Mangia adds a nice home-cooked feeling to their food. The strip mall location (a stone’s throw away from Jalapeno’s) takes a bit of the authenticity out of the experience but the quality of the pizza and the food make up for it. Service is typically very good though their recent 50% price hikes have made it a far more expensive night out than it used to be.
• The Glen Rock Inn (222 Rock Rd.) – A local institution, the Glen Rock Inn serves up classic American fare in a familial setting. Those who go there seem to continue to come back. Add in the Cheers-style “everybody knows your name” vibe when you step in, and this nets out to be a pretty good place for a family dinner.
• Rock Fuji Sushi (186 Rock Rd.) – Local, authentic and delicious – not to mention they cater to the little kiddies with spring-loaded chopsticks and other treats. The prices are reasonable and the proprietor, waitstaff and chefs are so friendly, it’s worth going just for that.
• Chicken Kebab (898 Prospect) – This mom and pop Mediterranean place focusing on Turkish foods is short on table space but long on flavor and value. The food is homemade and prepared in an open kitchen format. Again, a strip-mall location doesn’t help the atmosphere of the place but it does allow you to relax and let the little ones run around a bit should they get restless. The pita, hummus and, well, chicken kebabs are fantastic and the price is absolutely reasonable. Toss in the warmth of the owners and it’s an easy choice for a casual dinner out.

Who did we leave out? Put it in the comments.

Regardless of what your profession, hobbies or interests are, there is likely a group here in town that’s meeting on that very topic. Here are just a few examples:

Glen Rock Fan Page on Facebook – connect with folks on Facebook who live here now and who used to live here.

Glen Rock Network on LinkedIn – professionals live right here in “the Rock.” Reach out and connect.

Glen Rock Triathlon Club – the premiere group for triathletes in Northern NJ.

Glen Rock Newcomers and Neighbors – new in town? want to reconnect with folks here? This is the group to join.

MOMS Club of Glen Rock – stay at home moms unite! This group helps you get to know each other and do fun things together.

There are many informal (read: without a web site) groups of folks that get together who share common interests, professions or other traits. Getting in touch with people on the networks mentioned above and asking some questions should easily lead you to those folks as well.

What have we missed? Add it in the comments.

On Friday, March 12, 2010, the Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation will host their first major fundraising event, a Men’s Night Texas Hold ‘Em tournament.  The fundraiser which will be held at St. Catherine’s Church Community Hall in Glen Rock will start at 8 pm.  All proceeds will benefit the Foundation’s community outreach programs, as well as further its mission.

Tickets cost $100 and include your “buy in” and unlimited food, beer and wine.  Players will compete to win three top prizes which include a Flat Screen TV and four New York Giants tickets with a parking pass to a game in the upcoming season.

The Christopher Barron Live Life Foundation, a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was established in February 2009, in honor of Christopher Barron who died in 2007 from leukemia.  The Foundation’s mission is to instill Christopher’s compassion and zest for life by offering children in underserved communities unique opportunities to live life and pursue interests Christopher of which was most passionate.

With Christopher’s passion for creating comic books in mind, the Foundation has created a comic book writing program and contest which will be lead by professional comic book writers and illustrators.  The Foundation will launch the comic book writing program on January 14 ^th with fifth graders at School 21 in Paterson, NJ. 

For more information about the event or to purchase a ticket, please visit the Foundation website at www.christopherbarronlivelife.org or contact the Co-chairs of the event, Tracy Reed at 201-248-4908 or Mike O’Hagan at 201-248-3809.

We’d like to start a monthly feature where we highlight one extraordinary Glen Rock parent. Each month we’ll profile someone who you, our readers, feel should get the spotlight. They don’t have to be doing anything unusually remarkable or amazing – just being good parents (in our community). At this time we’d like to solicit nominations for the inaugural post – February’s Glen Rock Parent of the Month.

Who do you know that deserves the spotlight? You can put suggestions in the comments below or email info@glenrockparent.com to submit your nomination directly. All nominations must be in by January 31, 2010.

You’re older. You’re not dead. It’s creeping up on New Year’s Eve. In the past you were all over planning, scheming and figuring out just how to ring in the new year with fun, friends and style (ok, not always style). But now, you’re a parent. Your kids are school-age and you live in suburbia. Again, you’re not dead!

What will you do New Year’s Eve?

Here in Glen Rock, the options are likely not that plentiful though if you stretch a bit, you can find a good night out.

First, there’s the fun run scheduled for 11:45pm on December 31st at “The Rock.” Why not eschew traditional activities, put on your Nike’s and get outside in the freezing cold to run a long distance? Ummm…..ok, next option.

I can only assume the Glen Rock Inn is planning some NYE activities and then there’s always the community, friends/family party idea. Get a bunch of your friends together, bring the kids, hire the older kids to watch the younger kids but keep them all under one roof and then spend time with other adults who, like you, would like to live it up but are constrained with the same responsibilities you have.

Finally, there’s the romantic night “in” with your special someone. The kids go to bed early (and even the elementary school ones who swear they’ll make it to midnight often crash by 10pm). As soon as that happens, break out the champagne, delicious cheese (from the Fairway – because that’s where the good cheese is “at”) and spend some time in front of the tube or, better yet, a roaring fire (if you’ve got that option) and enjoy quality, quiet one-on-one time with the person who’s made this year special for you.

So, what else is going on in Glen Rock this New Year’s Eve? What are you planning? Can we come? Tell us in the comments.

New Jersey is heaven on earth.

http://bit.ly/6sFjZf

Happy Thanksgiving (again).