North Bergen celebrated the 10th anniversary of its annual L.E.A.D. Day on Wednesday, May 28 with a full roster of fun for sixth-grade students from the township’s middle schools. The event was held at the Stan Newman Field on 64th Street and honored more than 500 students for their completion of the Law Enforcement Against Drugs program. Supporting the event were over 50 high school volunteers and staff.

This year’s celebration featured 10 inflatable attractions, a rock-climbing wall, dunk tank, mechanical bull, photo booth, snow cones, pizza, and free ice cream. To mark the program’s 10th year anniversary, 10 brand-new bikes, five for boys and five for girls, were raffled off to lucky winners, courtesy of the police.

Lori Michaels, the founder of PEAK Performing Arts Center and longtime supporter of the youth program, made a guest appearance and invited township commissioners to select students for a short dance break during her performance.

The day was hosted by Officer Joe Sitty, who runs the L.E.A.D. program. He welcomed Commissioners Hugo Cabrera, Allen Pascual, Anthony Vainieri, and Claudia Rodriguez, Assemblyman Julio Marenco, Police Chief Robert Farley, Superintendent Dr. George Solter, and County Commissioner Robert Baselice, all of whom congratulated the kids for their achievements.

The North Bergen EMS, NBPD, and North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue were all on-site helping to celebrate a decade of commitment to drug prevention education and the power of positive community engagement.

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