(CAMDEN) – Senator Donald Norcross and Assemblymen Angel Fuentes and Gilbert “Whip” Wilson (D-Camden/Gloucester) have announced $329,651.80 in Clean Community Grants to help beautify the Fifth District. The funding is designated for litter cleanup and graffiti removal programs, clean communities education and the enforcement of anti-littering laws.

“Clean Community Grants fund important local programs that improve quality of life and remove public eyesores,” said Senator Norcross. “These grants demonstrate our state’s commitment to keeping New Jersey beautiful for our residents and future generations.”

“These programs are a great way to engage members of the community in the effort to keep their towns beautiful, and to educate young people about the environmental benefits that even the smallest efforts can have,” said Assemblyman Fuentes.

BY SENATOR JAMES BEACH & ASSEMBLYWOMAN PAMELA LAMPITT

Courier-Post

Five years ago, a Monday morning that began quietly erupted quickly into unimaginable horror and unspeakable tragedy.

On April 16, 2007, a gunman went on a murderous rampage across Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus, killing 32 students and faculty members while wounding another 25. The tragedy of that day ripped apart dozens of families, bringing campus communities across our country together: first in horrified shock, then in mourning and solidarity.

As parents, siblings, neighbors and friends, we often assume our loved ones who leave home to pursue the dream of higher education live in sheltered islands of safety. As we were reminded just five years ago, tragedy can unexpectedly strike our campuses at any time — and the human costs can be devastatingly high.