Community Corner

Maplewood Bids Farewell to HK Project

HK Project will dissolve by the end of the year, founder and president says in Letter to the Editor.

Eric Goodman's profile picture
Eric Goodman, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

Dear Friends,
 
The HK Project has worked hard to realize our mission of creating a sense of belonging by staying true to our tag line: "Engaging Community."
 
We are enormously proud that over the past four years we have supported people in need; provided educational extra-curricular and volunteer opportunities for our youth; and supported initiatives in philanthropy, the arts, education, youth programs, and the environment.  We truly believe that these accomplishments will have a long-term impact on our community. Despite our success at realizing our mission, we have decided to wind down the operations of HK Project and will dissolve the organization by the end of the year. 

A recap of our accomplishments include:

  • Coordinating hundreds of community service hours annually for community youth
  •  Raising over $300,000 from the community to help local families in crisis
  •  Hosting numerous educational seminars for youth, including photography, financial literacy, SAT prep, and other programs
  • Supporting top-notch cultural entertainment through Studio B
  •  Awarding scholarships to graduating high school seniors for excellence in community service or softball totaling an amount close to $30,000
  • Funding the launch of both the Maplewood and South Orange Community Gardens
  • Providing and managing funds for need-based awards for recreational activities for South Orange families
  •  Raising and managing funds for need-based awards for summer camp for community children
  •  Lead sponsor of Maplewoodstock since 2009
  • Primary sponsor of Rent Party since its inception in 2009
  • Sponsoring and supporting community initiatives and programs including Green Recoverings, Green Day, Midnight Madness, Columbia High School Boosters, Maplewood Library, the Achieve Foundation, and more 
It has been an honor to serve the community of Maplewood/South Orange.  We have been moved by our community’s generosity and eager participation.  Without your participation and generosity, HK Project would not have been possible. 
 
We are confident that you will join us in remaining actively engaged in our community.  We trust that you will continue to support the initiatives that will go on even as HK Project closes, such as Studio B, which will continue with its mission of providing creative, fun and high quality cultural arts productions. 
 
From my heart, and on behalf of the entire HK Project staff, thank you.

Tom Kerns
Founder and President of HK Project

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Maplewood