Englewood Cliffs-based LG Electronics USA announced Tuesday that is making a donation of $50,000 in equipment and financial support to Paterson and Cresskill in support of first responders, educators and students who were hurt by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
Peggy Ang, senior vice president of marketing at LG Electronics USA, said the donation reflects the company’s longstanding efforts to assist local communities.
“New Jersey has been home to LG for decades, and it is natural to support our community to recover from the devastating disaster like Ida,” she said. “LG is committed to being a good corporate citizen especially focused on our next-door neighbor.”
Among LG’s efforts:
- Installing its new state-of-the-art, 86-inch smart digital whiteboard at the Paterson Fire Department headquarters to replace a smartboard that was damaged when flood waters inundated the facility on McBride Avenue. The department had used the smartboard for first responder training, as well as safety presentations for local students.
- Providing advanced new air purifiers and 65-inch 4K Ultra HD TVs for each of the city’s seven firehouses to further assist the firefighters.
- Providing a dozen 75-inch 4K UHD smart TVs to help Cresskill Public Schools equip temporary classrooms after severe flooding from Ida destroyed the building housing both the district’s middle and high schools. The flooding damaged everything inside and displaced over 1,000 students just before the start of the school year.
- Donating $25,000 to Cresskill schools to help further address teacher and student needs and make repairs to the damaged school, which officials say could take a year to complete.
- Providing its award-winning “Life’s Good: Experience Happiness” program to enhance social-emotional learning and mental wellness among Cresskill middle and high school students — in recognition of the toll on mental health.
The announcement, made during a ceremony at Paterson Fire Department Headquarters, included U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-9th Dist.), Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh, Paterson Fire Chief Brian McDermott, Cresskill Public Schools Superintendent Michael Burke and other local officials.
“New Jerseyans have seen the effects of climate change firsthand, from Irene to Sandy and now Ida,” Pascrell said. “There can be no question powerful storms have become more prevalent and their damage more severe. Ida’s record rainfall and flooding ravaged nearly every corner of our 9th District — from Paterson to Cresskill. It has upended families, displaced students, overburdened our first responders and put enormous strain on local resources.
“Our residents are still digging out, and this support from LG will help our communities get back on their feet that much faster.”
Sayegh said the help is much needed and much appreciated.
“Ida’s intense rain and flash flooding came so hard and so fast that the damage across Paterson was extensive,” he said. “Throughout, our brave firefighters and first responders put themselves at risk to save lives and help Patersonians in need. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the floodwaters out of fire department headquarters, and we lost a $10,000 smartboard that the firefighters and police officers use for training — something the city didn’t have in the budget to replace.
“We are so grateful for LG’s generosity. Not only did LG offer to replace the damaged smartboard with a brand new one, but when we told them that our firefighters could also benefit from new air purifiers and televisions in each of the city’s firehouses, LG didn’t hesitate.”
