Call to Action! Bring Englewood's Liberty School Back to Life

Project LIBERTY, an initiative of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF), invites all residents of Englewood, New Jersey to attend a public forum to discuss the possible uses of the vacant Russell C. Major Liberty School. The forum takes place on Wednesday, November 7 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Dwight Morrow High School, located at 274 Knickerbocker Road in Englewood, New Jersey.

In 2017, Project LIBERTY was launched by local residents of Englewood interested in preserving and repurposing the historic Russell C. Major Liberty School into a center for the community. The initiative calls residents from each ward in the city to be involved in the decision-making.

“The NNJCF’s mission encourages collaboration to address important community issues. The Foundation believes all Englewood residents should be involved in finding a solution for repurposing the Russell C. Major Liberty School," said Michael Shannon, President, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.

Interactive Discussion

Two prominent firms skilled at organizing public projects -- Project for Public Spaces and Public Agenda -- will lead an interactive discussion at the high school. They will assist with planning and ensuring all residents' voices are heard and their concerns considered.

The Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit planning, design, and educational organization, has helped communities and cities worldwide improve how public spaces serve people. Using groundbreaking tools for community planning, they work with people to create and sustain public spaces that build stronger, more vital, and prosperous communities.

Public Agenda works with municipalities to increase their effectiveness and efficiency. Costs can be lowered when residents, schools, and local governments work closely together. Such civic engagement builds mutual trust and understanding. With greater trust, policy deadlocks are broken and underrepresented voices are amplified.

The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization based in Hackensack, New Jersey, focuses primarily on civic engagement, education, public health, the arts, philanthropy, and the environment. NNJCF works with local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups in Northern New Jersey to improve community life. The Foundation's partners identify and resolve regional problems and opportunities by talking and learning from each other, by sharing ideas, best practices, services, and resources.