Project U.S.E. Trustees Elect New Officers

The Board of Trustees of Project U.S.E. elected Brian Kathenes to the top post in the forty year old not-for-profit organization that serves nearly 10,000 young people annually. Kathenes, a consultant and Warren County’s Business Person of the Year, has been associated with Project U.S.E. for more than fifteen years.

“Our mission to inspire personal growth through experiential learning in diverse, safe, and challenging settings, is more important now than ever before.” stated Kathenes in a recent press conference.

John Majeski, a Learning & Development Professional in the Financial Services Industry, will serve as President until Kathenes assumes the office in September. Mr. Majeski’s vast experience with Project U.S.E. and its mission will bring new energy to the organization.

Anthony Capone, a long-time member of the Project U.S.E. team, was elected Vice President and Treasurer. Mr. Capone brings more than twenty years of experiential training and business experience to his new position.

Michael Bagley, Executive Director of Project U.S.E. said: “I am very excited about our new executive team. They are extremely qualified professionals – dedicated to America’s youth and the mission of Project U.S.E.

Project U.S.E. provides the tools and the context that promote self-respect, strong character, and social and environmental consciousness that benefit individuals and their communities. They provide experiential education programs to public and private schools, state and municipal agencies, community groups and corporations. Their programs emphasize developing character, building community, enhancing curriculum, and connecting with the natural world. They deliver outstanding results in their single and multi-day outdoor adventures, challenge courses, after-school academic programs, and consulting services.

For more information on Project U.S.E. and their programs visit: www.ProjectUSE.org.

Project U.S.E.’s 40th Anniversary Celebration in the Mountains

This years marks forty years of Project U.S.E.’s history in education, service and adventure. Come help us celebrate! It will be an anniversary, alumni reunion and Christmas in the Mountains (a Project U.S.E. tradition), all rolled into one. Enjoy good food & drinks, camaraderie, ropes courses, and a surprise musical guest. Save the date! We hope to see friends—new & familiar there. Bring yourselves & the family!

For those new to Wildcat Mountain Wilderness Center, it is Project U.S.E.’s outdoor headquarters nestled deep within a 50,000-acre natural area in the The Kittatinny Mountains of northern New Jersey. Thousands of young people and adults come here to backpack, camp, challenge themselves using team initiative activities, rock climb and rappel, experience a ropes course, and canoe in the beautiful surroundings. If you haven’t explored this area of New Jersey, this celebration would be a great opportunity for you and your family to take it in with people who know and love it well.

DATE August 21, 2010
WHERE Wildcat Mountain Wilderness Center
RSVP Please RSVP by August 1, 2010 to: development@projectuse.org
DIRECTIONS 1575 Clinton Rd., West Milford, NJ, 07421
FEE $0; No fee – just bring yourselves.

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A Benefit Concert with Steve Poltz May 2, 2010

Lou & Rain’s House Concerts present an afternoon with musician and legendary performer Steve Poltz. Proceeds from the concert will benefit Project U.S.E. Join us for this afternoon of music and fun.

DATE
May 2, 2010

TIME
2 PM

HAVE A LISTEN
MP3s & CDs:Steve Poltz’ Website

RADIO: Listen for Steve Poltz the week before the show on WNTI 91.9FM

VIDEO: View Steve Poltz live in concert on YouTube

VENUE
St. Benedict’s Preparatory School Auditorium
520 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Newark, NJ 07102

TICKETS
$20 in advance – general seating
$25 day of show – general seating

Be a Polzette!
$50 for on-stage seating; well worth it! Limited seating so purchase in advance.

All tickets will be held at will call.

HOW TO PURCHASE
1) Make an online credit card purchase/donation on Project U.S.E.’s website and in the comments section write “Steve Poltz” and the number of tickets you’d like.

2) Make a check payable to Project U.S.E. with “Steve Poltz” and the # of desired tickets in the memo, and mail to:
PO Box 837
Red Bank, NJ 07701

DIRECTIONS
For GPS: 74°11.34′ W 40°23.45′N

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Steve Poltz is not normal. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) but has lived most of his life in Southern California and those geographic poles are quite likely responsible for his unhinged genius.

Over the course of his life he’s met Elvis Presley (who hugged his sister for far too long), trick or treated at Liberace’s house (each finger had a diamond ring), was Bob Hope’s favorite altar boy (according to him), bravely traveled the world busking before he knew how to do it, famously co-wrote “You Were Meant For Me” with Jewel, ticked off David Cassidy and can count some of the world’s coolest people as fans.

As a recording artist, he’s fronted the semi-legendary Rugburns and is responsible for a critically acclaimed body of work on his own (One Left Shoe, Chinese Vacation, Traveling, Unraveling, Tales From The Tavern and his latest Dreamhouse), along with some stuff that positively defies categorization (Answering Machine, The Barn). Unlike many artists, Steve simply gets better and better the longer he lives; his shows are the stuff of legend – no two are the same – and can take an unsuspecting audience from laughter to tears and back again in the space of the same song. He is quite possibly the most talented, and engaging, solo performer on the planet.

He’s also one of the most prolific. Any live show aficionado can attest to the fact Steve has a ridiculous amount of fantastic, not-yet-recorded material that deserves to be heard. If Dreamhouse becomes a huge hit, it will no doubt make him happy. If it doesn’t, he’ll be happy anyway and the folks who come to see him at any of the 200+ shows he’ll do to bring the album to the world will be happy too. Guaranteed. If the Padres win the World Series and the Chargers win the Super Bowl this year, ironically, Steve will be happy even if the world ends as a result.

Of course, none of that is “normal” – on THIS planet…

A hearty thank you to Steve Poltz, Project Trustee Lou DeMarco & his wife, Rain, and to St. Benedict’s.

Project U.S.E.’s Rooftop Garden Design on YouTube

Thanks to a grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Project U.S.E. will be creating a garden on the roof of its Newark office building.

This spring (2010) we begin the exciting construction process. The rooftop garden space will serve as a classroom in which we can help students learn about agriculture and horticulture, earth science, and other important aspects of the food production cycle. The garden will produce a large quantity of vegetables and fruits that will be available to the students who work on the roof. We will also have a bee hive as part of the garden, and will use the hive to share with young people the amazing world of bees and, especially, the way the bees can set an example for us about how to live in community.

The design and movie was created by Project U.S.E.’s Marie Pasquariello.

View more videos on our YouTube Channel

Project U.S.E. & Wharton School of Business Set Sail

In March Project U.S.E. will set sail on a new venture.  Literally!

Beginning March 6 we will lead a program in the British Virgin Islands with the Wharton School of Business. Twenty MBA students sailing on four vessels will have the opportunity to practice leadership, communication, project management, and other critical business skills. The seven-day voyage will be led by Executive Director Mike Bagley and three other Coast Guard licensed captains as well as four second-year MBA candidates. Throughout the week participants will be exposed to leadership models, case studies and other academic materials and will be challenged to apply those to their shipboard performance.  Participants will complete the experience with a clear understanding of their own strengths as leaders and team members, as well as areas in which they can improve.  They will return better prepared to complete their MBA studies and, more importantly, better prepared to become leaders in business.

If your company or institution is seeking innovative professional development opportunities, please contact Mike Bagley at mbagley@projectuse.org or (732) 219-7300.

50 Mile Hike – Join Us on the Appalachian Trail May 1st

The 50 mile hike challenge takes place each year on the first Saturday of May. Participants are given the opportunity to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail starting at the Delaware Water Gap, NJ (Route 80), traveling north and concluding at High Point State Park, NJ (Route 23). The actual hiking mileage between these two points is about 44 miles, but if you can make it that far, we give you the last 6 miles for free.

We start this unique challenge at 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning and end when each participant has finished their experience. Support vans will be stationed at resting spots along the way. Please note we start as a team, and though hikers will travel at different paces, we finish as a team. Some participants will travel one mile, others will complete the entire course. Each person decides on how far, he or she wishes to travel.

This year’s 50 mile hike will take place on Saturday May 1st. We will be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of this event, so mark it on your calendar, dust off your hiking boots and start stretching. Last year we had 32 participants, this year we are shooting for at least 50-75 hikers.

REGISTER
To register, send an email to 50 Mile-Hike Founder and Project U.S.E. Trustee, Anthony Capone at: mr.anthonycapone@gmail.com

You can pay the fee via check or online credit card donation (see details below). You will be added to the list and included in 50 Mile Hike email updates.

FEE-A DONATION TO PROJECT U.S.E. & SPONSORSHIP FOR YOUR FEAT
The fee is $25 + $40 in sponsorship(s)= $65.

In light of Project U.S.E.’s 40th Anniversary, we are asking each hiker to raise $40 in sponsorship(s) in addition to their $25 entrance fee. Friends and family can support you per mile hiked or donate an amount of their choosing. You can download the sponsorship form here. Of course, if you wish to pay the full $65 yourself, that’s fine too. Either way—we hope you spread the word! If you have any questions, please contact Anthony Capone at: mr.anthonycapone@gmail.com.

All proceeds go towards Project U.S.E.’s mission. Thank you to all those who have already signed up!

PAY BY CREDIT CARD
Use our Google checkout to make a donation via credit card. Select $25 (or more if you choose) in the amount box. In the comments section, please write “50 Mile Hike”, your t-shirt size, and a cell # to so we can reach you for last-minute updates.

PAY BY CHECK
Make payable to Project U.S.E.
Please add in memo: “50 Mile Hike 2010″
Mail to: Project U.S.E., PO BOX 837, Red Bank, NJ 07701

DATE
Saturday, May 1, 2010

GEAR LIST
Download the Gear List here.

MEETING PLACE
Best Western Hotel Parking Lot
14 Green Pond Rd. / Rt. 513
Rockaway, NJ 07886

You can park your cars there and pile into the support vans. We will be heading from the parking lot to the mountains as a group.

MEETING TIME
2:00 AM (Yes, that’s right – we start before the crack-o-dawn!).
The support vans will leave for the trail head at 2:30 AM sharp.

DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACE

Coming from the East
Take route 80 east to exit 37
(Hibernia/route 513 exit)
Take left at the end of the exit ramp onto 513 north
Travel one tenth of a mile best western parking lot is on your right

Coming from the West
Take route 80 west to exit 37
(Hibernia/route 513 exit)
The exit ramp will send you in the right direction 513 north travel one tenth of a mile best western parking lot is on your right


View Larger Map

FOR MORE INFO.
Email 50 Mile Hike Founder & Project U.S.E. Trustee, Anthony Capone at: mr.anthonycapone@gmail.com.

We hope to see you on the A.T.!

Fundraising Party at Murphy’s Tavern in Rumson Jan. 23

Please join us for an evening of post holidays fun and cheer at Murphy’s Tavern in Rumson, New Jersey on January 23, 2010 from 7 to 10p.m. Tickets are $50 and include a wonderful prepared meal as well as passed hors d’oeuvres. A cash bar is of course provided and all proceeds of the evenings events will go directly toward Project U.S.E.’s capital goal!

Murphy’s is located at 17 Ward Lane, Rumson, New Jersey. It is quite literally a surviving speakeasy in the basement of a house in a residential district of town. Complete with shuffleboard table, jukebox and darts – it’s a one-of-a-kind place for us to get together for a great cause – Please join us!

This is a small venue so if you can join us, please act without delay!

Tickets / RSVP
Price: $50
Contact: Mike McMahon
michael.emmett.mcmahon@gmail.com

Directions to 17 Ward Lane, Rumson, NJ

24 hr. Challenge—Join iGive.com & They’ll Give up to 5K to Project U.S.E.!

 

iGive.com is offering Project U.S.E. $1 for every new member that signs up with iGive and completes a search on their website. They will do this for the first 5,000 new members that sign up.

All you have to do is become a member of iGive here and complete one search on their website. Do these simple steps between now and noon on Thurs. & Project U.S.E. will benefit from your efforts! Please pass this along to friends—Let’s see how much support we can generate for living education in 24 hours. Thank you!

Giving the Gift of Living Education

Project U.S.E. gratefully acknowledges a recent gift of $5,000. The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, noted Project U.S.E.’s ongoing good work and the challenge that nonprofits are facing due to current economic conditions. We are grateful for the support.

Give the Gift of Living Education; As the holiday season and the end of a tax year approach, we appreciate donations of any amount to help further our mission.

Project U.S.E. [urban suburban environments] is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Project U.S.E. Welcomes New Board Trustee

Project U.S.E. is pleased to announce the addition of Maria Pillar Paradiso to our Board of Trustees. Maria is currently the Interim Head of School at Link Community School in Newark having served at the school in other capacities since 2002. Prior to joining Link Community School, Maria practiced family law with the Middlesex County Legal Services Corporation and consumer law with the Passaic County Legal Aid Office after clerking for United States Magistrate Judge John J. Hughes. She began her fundraising experience with the campaign office of former United States Senator Bill Bradley, where she successfully managed major events for the Senator’s 1990 Re-election Campaign. She then served as Coordinator of Educational Programming and Coordinator of Corporate and Foundation Relations for the New Jersey State Museum. While at the State Museum, she helped launch and secure funding for after-school programming for Trenton youngsters and weekend family programming. Maria holds a J.D. from Rutgers Law School-Newark and a B.A. in Political Science from Montclair State University. She lives with her husband and four children in Cranford, New Jersey. She is a native of Argentina and is fluent in Spanish.