South Orange Comedian makes it to the finals in NYC contest

Though comedian Andy Kaufman died before Brett Druck was born, the younger comedian has been inspired by Kaufman's sense of humor and is now a finalist for the Andy Kaufman Award in New York Ctiy.  Druck performed last night as one of 18 semi-finalists and made it to tonight's final round of six comedians.

The six will perform tonight at Gotham Comedy Club in Manhattan for a chance at a $2,500 prize and in front of talent scouts and a booking agent for Late Night with David Letterman. Tickets are $20 and Druck says he's hoping for some hometown support.

Good luck, Druck!

Hoisting the sail

Senior and ambassador Girl Scout Troops of South Orange and Maplewood hoisted a bra sail at The Baird on Sunday to raise Breast Cancer Awareness and celebrate those who have been touched by the disease. The bra sail was part of the troop's Bra Project, a several months' long community art project that involved collecting bras and tying them together into a colorful sail.

The girl scouts hoisted the sail on the last day of Breast Cancer Awareness month because it was also the 150^th anniversary of the birth of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low, who died of breast cancer.

"We're hoping to do a bigger version with scouts for the Susan G. Komen run May 14, and will hopefully make it a regular project for high school scouts for Juliette Low's birthday in October as part of breast cancer awareness month." 

The girl scouts also plan to raise the sail soon at Kent Place School in Summit, where one of the scouts goes to school. Since hoisting the bras attached together as a sail does not damage them, the bras will later be donated to women's shelters, Phillips said.

School food bank 

Clinton School has its own food bank for families who are in need of a little extra help during this economically challenging time.

Clinton started the Food Bank last year, letting students drop food off all year long, and discreetly distributing the food to identified families each Wednesday.
Clinton started the Food Bank last year and it serves anywhere from five to 20 families, said Ann Bodnar, assistant to the principal.

"We felt there was a need," she said. "We felt sure there were students who were not having breakfast. There might be people we're missing so we do send notes home saying 'If you or someone you know are in need, we can help."

On Wednesdays, students donate fresh produce or other perishables.  The school also partners with the PTA to distribute turkeys at Thanksgiving and other holidays.

"It has been amazing," Bodnar said. "We've used it to help families who've had fires. We have a very close knit community here at Clinton and people feel comfortable talking to one another, so that helps us identify the needs."