Youthful enthusiasm is no joke for
West Essex Local
n PHOTOS BY ED CARATTINI, JR.
Youth is serving West Essex Local 81.
Or judging by the turnout for the annual Comedy Night Beefsteak
Sept. 29 at The Brownstone in Paterson, Local 81 has found a foun-
tain of youth. More than 400 people attended the event, or more
than three times what it has drawn in past years, according to Local
81 State Delegate Brett Keepers.
Keepers took over as State Delegate in March, and to get more
support and participation for the comedy night and the Local 81
golf outing this past spring, the executive board encouraged in-
volvement from its younger members. What has resulted is raising
a plethora of money to support the Local 81 scholarship fund, the
Law Enforcement Torch Run and other local charities. Funds raised
at the beefsteak also enabled a donation to hurricane relief efforts
in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.
“We’ve had some younger guys get involved, which has helped us
form a really strong committee to run our fundraisers,” said Keep-
ers, whose Local includes Caldwell, Cedar Grove and Essex Fells. “A
lot of people have really stepped up and, at first, it was a lot of hard
work. But they have come together at crunch time.”
Comedy Night featured Retired NYPD Detective Mark DeMayo as
the headliner. You can imagine some of the punch lines about cops
coming from a cop, and the best ones are not fit to print. Comedy
Night Committee Chair Rob Adams has seen DeMayo’s routine and
booked him for this event.
Keepers credits the work of Adams and committee members
George Henderson, Ray Cassella and Joseph Ligas for staging such
a premium event. He noted that the more members are getting
involved, the more the Local has been able to provide support for
many organizations. The Local’s fundraising recently helped pur-
chase new turnout gear for a local first-aid squad.
“We want to be a staple in the community, a one-stop shop for
any charity that needs assistance,” Keepers adds. “We’re getting
members involved from our junior patrol officer to our chief and
captain who come out and enjoy themselves. The most important
thing is building a strong team. When you have a strong team that
has deep roots in the community, it helps you with a successful
event.” d
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