South Orange and Maplewood owe some big thanks to their neighbors in Livingston at the accounting firm Sobel & Co. LLC.
On Monday, July 27, 86 employees of Sobel & Co. expended 300 man hours at the South Mountain YMCA, painting, lifting, hauling, and mulching through the summer heat and humidity.
Perhaps inspired by the Sobel & Co.’s accounting expertise, South Mountain YMCA Executive Director James Goodger itemized their efforts as follows:
- Decorated seven 18 foot long ‘crowd scene’ banners to beautify of sports field
- Painted the Early Learning Childhood Center staff Conference Room
- Loaded two 30 yard dumpsters with junk from storage areas, closets, attics, sheds and rooms
- Painted the playground fence complete with decorative chalk board panels
- Mulched the entire premises to enhance the beautiful gardens
- Painted the interior of the historic Civic House
The day’s activities concluded with a pizza lunch and the award of a certificate presented by Goodger and South Mountain YMCA Assistant Director Eric Stoddard.
With the help of Sobel’s Ken Bagner, Stoddard and Goodger calculated that Sobel provided services and donations that added up to about $30,000. The fundraising and volunteer activities were organized by Sobel’s summer interns — Dan, Vincent, Daniella and Tenzin.
Richard Gorab, Metropolitan YMCA of the Oranges’ CEO, said that the day indicated that Sobel & Co. Inc. looks after its employees, as well as the greater community.
“It was a great experience to see people give their time to help a place like the Y that exists to help others,” wrote Goodger in a thank-you note to the Sobel staff, “and it was inspiring to see the spirit in which the work was carried out.”
