Crossing Guard Mike Needs Your Help
Donation protected
Mike Dresslin is a crossing guard for the school children of Haworth, N.J. Whether it’s hot or cold, raining or snowing, Mike is at his post twice a day, making sure the children of Haworth get to school safely…and then return home at the end of the school day.
The weather can be bad and drivers can be impatient, but it’s a vital job, to the school and to the community, and Mike has done it well for just over 18 years (6 years in Haworth and 12 in Dumont prior to that).
Why are we telling you this? Because it’s time to thank Mike, and to help him. Mike Dresslin has lung cancer, a tough illness to fight—tougher still if you’ve run out of paid sick leave, if you don’t have the money for sufficient medical care, and if your income and social security checks barely cover your basic needs (much less the demands of a potentially terminal disease).
We’d like to give Mike a heckuva present for the holidays, something more than the gift card or box of candy that crossing guards usually get. We want to give him a generous check, a donation from the kids he helps across the street, the parents who trust him, the town that employs him, and the people who pass by his post every day.
We’ve all seen the outpouring of meals and support that happens when someone in town is in need. Mike is widowed and has no immediate family—so it would be great if his extended family, the people of Haworth, stepped up and helped, with any amount. Even if every child in school just donates a week’s allowance—that would make a difference.
This effort is being coordinated by Joana Penna (whose two school-age children met Mike at the corner of Schraalenburgh and Haworth Ave), Robin Sodaro (also mother of two Haworth school children, and co-president of the Home and School Association), Diane Holden (who knows Mike from working at borough hall and appreciates hearing him rave about how polite and respectful the children are), and Beth Potter (whom you might know from the library but who fondly remembers the crossing guards who helped her children cross Haworth Avenue several years ago).
The weather can be bad and drivers can be impatient, but it’s a vital job, to the school and to the community, and Mike has done it well for just over 18 years (6 years in Haworth and 12 in Dumont prior to that).
Why are we telling you this? Because it’s time to thank Mike, and to help him. Mike Dresslin has lung cancer, a tough illness to fight—tougher still if you’ve run out of paid sick leave, if you don’t have the money for sufficient medical care, and if your income and social security checks barely cover your basic needs (much less the demands of a potentially terminal disease).
We’d like to give Mike a heckuva present for the holidays, something more than the gift card or box of candy that crossing guards usually get. We want to give him a generous check, a donation from the kids he helps across the street, the parents who trust him, the town that employs him, and the people who pass by his post every day.
We’ve all seen the outpouring of meals and support that happens when someone in town is in need. Mike is widowed and has no immediate family—so it would be great if his extended family, the people of Haworth, stepped up and helped, with any amount. Even if every child in school just donates a week’s allowance—that would make a difference.
This effort is being coordinated by Joana Penna (whose two school-age children met Mike at the corner of Schraalenburgh and Haworth Ave), Robin Sodaro (also mother of two Haworth school children, and co-president of the Home and School Association), Diane Holden (who knows Mike from working at borough hall and appreciates hearing him rave about how polite and respectful the children are), and Beth Potter (whom you might know from the library but who fondly remembers the crossing guards who helped her children cross Haworth Avenue several years ago).
Organizer
Beth Potter
Organizer
Haworth, NJ
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