Lieutenant Governor to Address Mahwah Academy Grads

New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno will be in Mahwah on August 2 to address the seventh graduating class of the Mahwah Municipal Alliance’s Youth Leadership Academy, and the community, Mayor Bill Laforet announced in a release Monday.

The YLA graduation ceremony is happening at the Ramapo College Bradley Center at 4 p.m. August 2, and is the culmination of a weeklong sleep-away camp for incoming 8th through 12th graders in Mahwah. The Academy is meant to build leadership skills, and is run by officers of the Mahwah Police Department each summer.

Laforet said he was very pleased that Guadagno accepted his invitation to guest speak at the graduation ceremony.

“We are thrilled she decided to come to Mahwah,” Laforet, a longtime member of the MMA, said. “She is a woman of great accomplishment who we thought would be a good person to talk about the core value of leadership.”

Each year, students at YLA work on a community fundraising activity. This year, they will work on a project donating to the New Jersey Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund.

Because of Guadagno’s appearance, the MMA – a volunteer organization made up of township parents, police officers, and business owners – is opening up the graduation ceremony to everyone in town, not just YLA grads and their families.

“The entire town is invited to come hear what she has to say, enjoy the graduation ceremony, and see the drawing for the new car raffle [fundraiser],” Laforet said. "I think it'll really be a great Mahwah event."

Sign up for the Mahwah Patch newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.