Summit Department of Community Programs

12/07/2023

Due to a plumbing issue resulting in water damage at the Summit Community Center, the Department of Community Programs (DCP) has canceled all programs on Thursday, December 7, 2023. On Friday, December 8, and Saturday, December 9, the Community Center will be open but all programs in the Investors Gym are canceled. The gym is anticipated to be open on Sunday, December 10, at 9AM. An update will be provided by the DCP at 3PM on Saturday if Investors Gym will be closed on Sunday, December 10.

The schedule for the Benson Room and youth lounge will remain unaffected on Friday, December 8, and Saturday, December 9.

Following is a revised schedule for activities in the Guida Gym:

Thursday, December 7 All activities canceled

Friday, December 8
9AM to 10AM: Yoga with Kati
3PM to 5:30PM: Share the Fun Club
5:30PM to 9PM: Basketball (all levels)

Saturday, December 9
7AM to 9AM: Basketball (men 50+)
9AM to 11AM: Basketball (men aged 20 to 50)
11AM to 1PM: Basketball (elementary school age) 1PM to 3PM: Basketball (middle school age)
3PM to 7PM: Gym closed

All volleyball, pickleball and badminton programs are canceled through Saturday, December 9. The TryCan holiday breakfast is being rescheduled

12/07/2023

***UPDATED***
Due to a flood at the Summit Community Center, the Community Center will be closed on Thursday, December 7, 2023. Then, from Friday, December 8, 2023 through the end of the day on Saturday, December 9, 2023, all programming in the Investors Gym will be canceled. There will be a modified schedule in the Guida Gym.

Please see below for the Guida Gym schedule:

Thursday, December 7, 2023 - All programs canceled

Friday, December 8, 2023:
· 9:00-10:00am - Yoga with Kati
· 3:00-5:30pm - Share the Fun Club
· 5:30-9:00pm - All Levels Basketball

Saturday, December 9, 2023:
· 7:00-9:00am - Men's 50+ Basketball
· 9:00-11:00am - Men's 20-50 Basketball
· 11:00-1:00pm - Elementary School Basketball
· 1:00-3:00pm - Middle School Basketball
· 3:00-7:00pm - Gym Unavailable

All volleyball, pickleball and badminton programming will be canceled during this time period.

Additionally, the TryCAN holiday breakfast will be rescheduled at a time TBA.

All Besnon Room and Youth Lounge Scheduling will remain unaffected.

We thank you for you patience during this time. We hope to be able to reopen at full capacity on Sunday, but please check for an update on Saturday afternoon.

12/06/2023

The Community Center will be closed as of 6:30pm tonight for building maintenance.

12/02/2023

Announcement of Summer 2024 Summer Camp Lottery

12/01/2023

Register for the camp lottery by 12:00 noon tomorrow! It's live (and has been) since 8:30am!
https://secure.rec1.com/NJ/summit-nj/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTI4MzgwMTg=

11/30/2023

Looking for something to do during Holiday Break? There will be a special Holiday camp over the break from December 26 through December 29 from 8:30am until 5:30pm each day. Lunch can be purchased each day. Camp is held at the Summit Community Center and open for children in grades 1-8.
Register today at https://secure.rec1.com/NJ/summit-nj/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTI3MTIyMjQ=.

11/30/2023

Huge thank you to the entire program staff of the DCP. Open Gym, Golf, Pool, Senior, Youth and TryCAN programs have so many talented and valuable team members. Tonight was our annual staff meeting, which is our one time each year to get the entire team together to reflect on this past year and prepare for the next. We had a great time with some team building. Thank you for all of your contributions all year long!

11/29/2023

LOTTERY REGISTRATION THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY!

Join us for RECREATION SUMMER CAMP in 2024!
As the popularity of the Recreation Summer Camp continues to grow, our registration process continues to evolve.
This year we will continue to use the lottery system. Registration to be placed into the Summer Camp lottery will take place over two days in December. At the conclusion of the second day, there will be a drawing to determine the camp participants – totally by chance.
Last year’s camp hosted 350 campers. This year, we will increase our capacity to 420 campers.
Camp will run from June 24, 2024 through Friday, August 16, 2023. Camp will be held Monday through Thursday from 8:00AM until 3:30PM and Fridays from 8:00AM until 12:30PM.
Cost per participant: $825 per camper for the entire eight weeks
Summer Camp 2024 Changes:
·During the summer of 2024, we will be introducing two co-camp directors, Mattie Azurmendi, an elementary school teacher and Summit resident, and Tara Corigliano, a staff member for Summit’s ABA program and our Share the Fun Club supervisor. We are excited to welcome Mattie and Tara aboard! We wish Becca the best of luck as she plans to move out of state.
·In an effort to continue to accommodate more campers we will also be utilizing Cornog Field House. One day per week, the following groups drop off and pickup location will be at the Cornog Field House/Soldier’s Memorial Field (5 Myrtle Ave). They will spend their entire camp day utilizing these facilities. The assigned groups will NOT go to the pool on these days. Making this change will allow for us to increase our camper capacity.
·Entering Grade 2: Mondays drop off and pick up to be at Cornog Field House
·Entering Grade 3: Tuesdays drop off and pick up to be at Cornog Field House
·Entering Grade 4: Wednesdays drop off and pick up to be at Cornog Field House
·Entering Grade 5: Thursdays drop off and pick up to be at Cornog Field House
·This year, camp registration will occur by the grade. We will be taking 60 campers entering each grade and 60 campers entering the CIT program.
-Entering Grade 1 – 60 campers
-Entering Grade 2 – 60 campers
-Entering Grade 3 – 60 campers
-Entering Grade 4 – 60 campers
-Entering Grade 5 – 60 campers
-Entering Grade 6 – 60 campers
-Entering Grade 7-9 – 60 campers
Note: Should a group not have enough campers to fill the 60 spots, we will create a hybrid group with campers in the grade below the level not filled. For example, if not all spots are taken by campers entering grade 6, campers entering grade 5 will be added to the entering grade 6 group once grade 5 has maxed out.

Registration Days: Friday, December 1, 2023 from 8:30 AM until 9:00 PM and Saturday, December 2, 2023 from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM

Being the first person to register for the lottery will not grant any higher chance of securing a spot in camp. You may register for the lottery at any time over the two days and have an equal chance.
Registration options:
1. Register in person at the Summit Community Center, 100 Morris Ave, Summit, NJ
2. Register online –this link will be made available prior to registration.
3. Register over the phone by calling the Department of Community Programs at 908-277-2932.

Document requirement – the Civic Rec platform will have a Document Upload option. For any registration to be considered complete and to be placed into the lottery, both up to date immunization records and proof of grade must be uploaded. If these items are not in your registration, you will be disqualified from the lottery. Anyone on free and reduced lunch or looking for financial assistance must also have required paperwork.
Siblings: Siblings will be grouped together in the lottery. However, it is possible that as grade levels start to fill up, one sibling may secure a spot while another is placed on the waitlist.
For example Smith Child A is in Grade 2 and Smith Child B is in Grade 4. If Grade 2 is on a waitlist when the Smith family is selected but Grade 4 still has spots, Smith Child B will secure a spot and Smith Child A will be placed on the waitlist.
After registration closes on Saturday, December 2, we will do a drawing and announcement of all of the 420 individual who secure a spot in the camp. Once the 420 campers are selected, we will continue to do an additional drawing to determine the order of the waitlist. Spots on the waitlist will be given out by grade level as other campers drop out.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Department of Community Programs at 908-277-2932 or email David Guida at [email protected].

11/28/2023

Learn about Mabie Playground's Giving Tuesday Campaign

11/27/2023

The Department of Community Programs will kick off a fundraising campaign on Giving Tuesday, November 28, 2023 for the Mabie Playground Transformation Project.

The DCP Advisory Board and subcommittee have been working with city staff and engineers to develop a playground site plan for Mabie Playground that will:
-Create the City of Summit’s first fully ADA accessible and sensory-friendly playground;
-Build an intergenerational park to serve the needs of all community members; and
-Maintain compliance with the Village Green Master Plan and the history of the park.

Currently, the project is funded at approximately fifty percent with city capital funds, a New Jersey Local Recreation Improvements Grant, and Union County Kids Trust Grants. There are still substantial grants outstanding including a 2024 Green Aces Jake’s Law Application.

Additional funding will be required to complete the project and the DCP is providing an opportunity to donate a bench or game table or purchase an inscribed brick paver. Future fundraising events and initiatives will be announced.

To donate, or for full project information and to view the preliminary plans that are subject for revision, visit https://summitcommunityprograms.com/261/Mabie-Playground.

Donation link: https://secure.rec1.com/NJ/summit-nj/catalog/index?filter=Y2F0ZWdvcnklNUIzMjEzNiU1RD0xJnNlYXJjaD0mcmVudGFsJTVCZnJvbSU1RD0mcmVudGFsJTVCdG8lNUQ9JjAyMTcwZTA4NmFjYjZhZjg5MWUwY2VkOTM5ZTFjZjM4PWZlMDEzYjlkOWE3NmExOWI2OGI1ZWRlYTY0ZjUzMTA0.

11/26/2023

Event is on rain or shine with tree lighting at 5pm!

11/25/2023

Our annual Miracle on Elm Street is tomorrow on the Village Green, we hope to see you there!
⛸️ Ice skating the the Elm Street parking lot from 1-6pm.
🔥 Bonfires
🍬 Marshmallow Roasting
🍪 Cookie Decorating
🖊️ Write a Letter for Santa
📸 Pictures with Santa from 3-4:30pm & after tree lighting
🎶 Caroling performance by Performing Arts 5678
🧑‍🎄 Santas arrival
🎄 Tree Lighting after performance

This special event sponsored by Summit PAL and Overlook Medical Center.
The event is free and open to the public. Skates are provided.

11/23/2023

Thank you to all who made today’s community Thanksgiving such an amazing day to come together in community!
GRACE - Giving and Receiving Assistance for our Community's Essentials and Oakes Memorial were our co-presenters for today.
Huge shout out to PizzaVita, Overlook Medical Center, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Zappias Delicatessen for supplying all of the food.
Also thank you to all of our amazing dedicated volunteers who made today possible!
Also thank you to The Gottesman Family, Sue Adler Group, LuxeLife Real Estate Group for their support.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!

11/22/2023

ALL ARE WELCOME!
Join us for our Annual Community Thanksgiving meal, hosted by the City of Summit Department of Community Programs, and sponsored by GRACE and Oakes Memorial Center.
Thursday, November 23, 12-3pm
at the Summit Community Center, 100 Morris Avenue
The catered meal will include roast turkey, traditional side dishes, pies, and other desserts, as well as coffee and a beverage service. Plus, join us for a game of touch football, open gym activities, a Thanksgiving-themed family movie, and arts and crafts for children. FREE and open to all community members!
Pre-registration is not required. The Senior Connections Bus will provide transportation for seniors and individuals with disabilities. To schedule transportation, call 908-277-2932 or contact [email protected]

11/17/2023

Happy to house this new art display at the Summit Community Center.

11/17/2023

Due to this weekend's Recreation Basketball skills evaluations, there will be no open gym programming in the Investors Gym on Friday, November 17 from 5:30-6:30pm, Saturday, November 18 from 3:00-9:00pm or Sunday, November 19 from 12:00-5:00pm.

Please note, there will be no open gym programming from 3:00pm on Wednesday, November 22 through Sunday, November 26 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

11/15/2023

Last call - registration open until 11:59pm

Register today to secure your spot at https://secure.rec1.com/NJ/summit-nj/catalog/index?filter=Y2F0ZWdvcnklNUIyODMxNSU1RD0xJnNlYXJjaD0mcmVudGFsJTVCZnJvbSU1RD0mcmVudGFsJTVCdG8lNUQ9JjgyZTE3ODQ5NDZkNGFjYTM0MjU1MTNkY2VjY2U1MDI5PTI4YjkxM2U2M2ZlMDQzMzFjN2EzNzczYzI5ZTk4ZjA1

11/14/2023

Last night we hosted our annual TryCAN Thanksgiving Dinner. We hope everyone had a great time and we are very thankful for our special TryCAN community.

11/11/2023

Today we honor all who have served or continue to serve our country. Thank you for your sacrifice and service to our nation. Happy Veterans Day.

11/11/2023

Yesterday we also launched a new series of art classes for the Summit Seniors with the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey. We are super happy to have this new collaboration to provide new programs to our senior club members.

11/11/2023

What a great couple days we had with our “School Out: Teachers Convention Camp.” We did cooking activities, arts and crafts, team building activities, sports and more!

Remember - camp lottery registration is on December 1 and 2.
And, we will be offering another Schools Out: Winter Break Camp from December 26-29. Register today!

11/10/2023

In an effort to constantly offer the most robust and diverse schedule of programming, the Department of Community Program is currently seeking programming proposals for 2024.

This year the city has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for some of our sport programming – golf, pickleball, tennis, multisport and soccer – as well as our movie screen and DJ service rentals for citywide movie events. The link to the RFPs opened today at: https://www.cityofsummit.org/bids.aspx. Please note the due date of Tuesday, November 28, 2023.

For all other sports and enrichment programming, the DCP will request program offering description proposals from interested vendors. The DCP will review all class description proposals and select classes to offer with the potential to solicit quotes from multiple vendors. DCP will notify vendors of selected programs.
For the winter 2024, spring 2024 and summer 2024 we will follow the below timeline.
•Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 11:59pm – Deadline to submit programs you company can offer to the Google Doc
-Winter Submissions: https://forms.gle/sJKTGhnwrj7CqGAW9
-Spring Submissions: https://forms.gle/AZz2CPoyH6mjMr517
-Summer Submissions: https://forms.gle/Zf1p3udn9GG2CcMc6
•Tuesday, November, 21, 2023 – email to be sent via email and posted on summitcommunityprograms.com with the DCP’s selected program schedule.
•Tuesday, November 28, 2023 – deadline to submit quotes for the DCP’s selected program schedule.
•Friday, December 1, 2023 – Award Notifications provided to vendors, and registration opens.

Please contact David Guida at [email protected] or at 908-277-2932 with any questions.

11/09/2023

Our annual Miracle on Elm Street event is just a few short weeks away! Be sure to join us on Sunday, November 26 for ice skating the the Elm Street parking lot from 1-6pm.
There will also be bonfires, cookie decorating, marshmallow roasting, music and more! All free and open to the Summit community.
We will have pictures with Santa from 3-4:30pm. There will be a performance by Performing Arts 5678 at 5:00pm. Following the performance, Santa will be arriving on the fire truck to light the City's tree.
We hope to see everyone at this special event sponsored by Summit PAL and Overlook Medical Center.

11/07/2023

We are happy to be a drop off location for the Toys For Tots Toy Drive between November 14 and December 15!

Starting next week, Summit PBA Local #55 and Summit's Firefighters - FMBA 54 are kicking off the annual United States Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots holiday toy drive beginning Monday, November 13, through Friday,
December 15.

To participate, please bring new and unwrapped toys to the donation boxes at the following Summit locations during normal business hours between November 13 and December 15:

• Summit Police Department at City Hall (512 Springfield Avenue)
• Summit Fire Department (396 Broad Street)
• Summit Department of Community Programs (100 Morris Avenue)
• Summit Public Schools - Summit High School (125 Kent Place Boulevard)
• Bouras Properties (25 Deforest Avenue)
• Douglas INFINITI (430 Morris Avenue)
• Douglas Volkswagen (491 Morris Avenue)
• The Little Gym (545 Morris Avenue)
• Serra Doce Summit (21 Union Place)
• Village Trattoria (103 Summit Avenue)

The PBA and FMBA will drop off donated toys to the Marine Corps Reserve. The toys collected through this program are distributed to children throughout Union County and the surrounding area. Since 1947, the Marine Toys for Tots program has collected and distributed more than 604 million toys to 272
million deserving children in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands.

11/07/2023

The Recreation Basketball league registration deadline is exactly one week from day. Register today to secure your spot at https://secure.rec1.com/NJ/summit-nj/catalog/index?filter=Y2F0ZWdvcnklNUIyODMxNSU1RD0xJnNlYXJjaD0mcmVudGFsJTVCZnJvbSU1RD0mcmVudGFsJTVCdG8lNUQ9JjgyZTE3ODQ5NDZkNGFjYTM0MjU1MTNkY2VjY2U1MDI5PTI4YjkxM2U2M2ZlMDQzMzFjN2EzNzczYzI5ZTk4ZjA1

11/07/2023

Reminder - due to the Community Center being a polling location for Election Day, all programming is canceled today.

11/06/2023

Looking for something to do afterschool today and Wednesday? Join us at the Share the Fun Club - the fully supervised afterschool program at the Summit Community Center.
All you need is the annual open gym membership.
The program runs every day afterschool for children in grades 1-8 from 3-5:30pm and on half days from 12:30-5:30pm.
We hope to see you soon at the Share the Fun Club.
Learn more at https://summitcommunityprograms.com/347/Open-Gym.

11/03/2023

Two awesome TryCAN Events for children and the families of children with special needs are coming soon!

TryCAN Thanksgiving
Monday, November 13, 2023
Summit Community Center, 100 Morris Ave
5:30-7:30 PM
Join us for an evening of fun with the TryCAN community! We are inviting all TryCAN families and mentors to enjoy a fully catered Thanksgiving meal. There will be games, arts and crafts, and we will practice social skills. This is a perfect way to practice social skills ahead of the holiday season!
Register: https://secure.rec1.com/NJ/summit-nj/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTI4MDAxNjU=

TryCAN Pictures with Santa and Pancake Breakfast
December 9, 2023
9:00-11:00 AM
Summit Community Center, 100 Morris Ave, Summit, NJ
Join us for a morning of fun with the TryCAN community! We are inviting all TryCAN families and mentors to enjoy a pancake breakfast. There will be , arts and crafts, pictures with Santa and we will practice social skills.
Register: https://secure.rec1.com/NJ/summit-nj/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTI4MDAxNjg=

10/31/2023

Check out what's going on this November with the Summit Seniors at the Summit Community Center!

10/30/2023

We are less than two weeks out from Teachers Convention. The DCP is happy to offer this Schools Out Camp on Thursday and Friday from 8:30am until 5:30pm.
This is fully supervised with lots of fun summer camp style activities scheduled for the two days. To register please visit https://secure.rec1.com/NJ/summit-nj/catalog?filter=c2VhcmNoPTI3MTIyMjM=

10/29/2023

Today marked the official end of our 2023 Field Hockey League. This was our second year participating in the league and all players developed friendships with kids from other schools, public and private and they played with a ton of heart. All players improved, had fun, and really came together as a team, and improved their skills.

Thank you to all of our players!

Also a huge shout out to all of our coaches for all of their hard work, dedication and effort toward making the season a success!
Maroon: Coach Sankowich and Caldwell
Gold: Coach Flack and Bryant
Sage: Coach Riley
Plum: Coach Joinnides, Reed and Berk
Red: Coach Sheridan and Luke
Blue: Coach McCarter, Rosen and Mattar
Teal: Coach Klobucar, Oldendorp and Soffer

10/29/2023

Congratulations to all of the winners from yesterdays Halloween Parade with the Summit PAL!

Scariest
1 - Scarecrow (Cameron)
2 - 2 Headed Monster (Rishim)
3 - Pumpkin Monster (Kovacs)

Funniest
1 - Spaghetti and Meatballs (Zoey)
2 - Tweedle Joe and Tweedle Dave
3 - Michaelangelo (Kralovich’s)

Most Original
1 - Cereal Family
2 - Hungry Hippo Family
3 - Penguin Village

Most Creative
1 - Birthday Party (Polina, Asher, Allie, Bella, Lilly, Aria, Mila, Rebecca, Natalie and Valentina)
2 - Vending Machine (Spiros)
3 - Sesame Street (Sullivan Family)

Cutest
1 - Hot Dog and Hamburger
2 - Elsa (Penny), Devil (Caroline), Cheerleader (Teddi) and Ariel (Lucy)
3 - 3 bears (Sophie)

Best Group
1 - Dinosaurs (Oliver Family)
2 - Construction Workers (Joostema family)
3 - Alice in Wonderland (Chismark family)

Best Pair
1 - Alice and Queen of Hearts (McCray and Juliet)
2 - jasmine and Aladdin (Harrari family)
3 - Dunkin’ Workers (Eliza and Aviva)

Judges Choice
1 - Police Officers
2 - Daddy’s Little Girl
3 - Skeletons

10/27/2023

We’ll see you tomorrow at 3pm with LOTS of candy at the Halloween Parade with the Summit PAL.

10/25/2023

Great night with our TryCAN High School and 18+ social skills program. We had a great community outing at Benihana’s!

10/24/2023

Finally a Saturday with gorgeous weather AND 78 degree weather! Join us for the Annual Halloween Parade with the Summit PAL this Saturday!

10/23/2023

Here’s another reminder - Thanksgiving is one month away.

Mark your calendars for the 16th annual Frozen Turkey Drive hosted by the Other Fellow First Foundation that will take place on Sunday, November 19 from 1-4pm.

10/23/2023

Thanksgiving in one month from today! On Thursday, November 23 the City of Summit will host the third annual Summit Community Thanksgiving!

On Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23, from 12PM to 3PM, the Summit Department of Community Programs will host a free Thanksgiving meal at the Community Center on 100 Morris Ave. in Summit. The catered meal will include roast turkey, traditional side dishes, pies, and other desserts, as well as coffee and beverage service.
It is co-sponsored by GRACE and Oakes Memorial Center. All members of the community are welcome. Besides the holiday meal, the event will include a touch football, open gym activities, a Thanksgiving themed family movie, and arts and crafts for children. This event is free and open to all Summit community members and no pre-registration is required, please join us!
The Senior Connections Bus will provide transportation for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Please call 908-277-3932 or email [email protected] to schedule transportation. Additional information on the Department of Community Programs is available on the city website.

10/22/2023

A dance party, s’mores, and Hocus Pocus 2! What more could you ask for at Scream on the Green? Thank you to everyone who joined us this evening.
We hope to see everyone next Saturday at the Halloween Parade with the Summit PAL!

10/21/2023

Thank you to everyone who came out to learn more about the Mabie Playground Transformation Project.
For more information, visit http://summitcommunityprograms.com/261/Mabie-Playground.

10/21/2023

It’s a busy Saturday on the Village Green. Join us from 3-5pm for the Mabie Playground Open House. Then be sure to stick around for Scream on the Green beginning at 6pm.