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South Orange Villager of the Month
Michelle Butz, March 2026
How long have you lived in South Orange?
We’ve lived in South Orange for 7 years, and before that, we were in Maplewood for 12 years. I live with my husband, Norbert, who played the Stage Manager, and our daughter, Georgia. My stepdaughters, Clara and Maggie, grew up here and are living in Ithaca and Jersey City, respectively.
What inspired you to create and direct “Our Towns Read Our Town,” and why was this project meaningful for you personally?
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is my favorite play. It’s a play that I’ve read many times and think about often. I had a conversation with my friend and neighbor, Deb, some years ago. We were sitting in her backyard, watching our kids play, and she said, “You know, I drive around from practice to practice, rarely eat dinner before 8 pm, and fall into bed exhausted, but I just know this is what I’m going to miss in a few years when my kids are grown and out of the house. This is what I’ll think of as the “stuff of life’… the sweetest time.” I knew she was tapping into what Emily discovers in the third act when she goes back to relive her 12th birthday. My friend was “realizing life while she lived it.” That conversation stayed with me. Deb died unexpectedly two years ago, and I felt compelled to share what she was blessed to know and live.
How did you envision the production connecting with and reflecting the South Orange–Maplewood community?
To celebrate his 50th birthday, a friend from my hometown of Cleveland asked a group of our high school theatre friends to read Our Town. He asked me to read Emily. Despite the fact that I was like…100 years too old to play Emily, the thought of immersing myself in that role, in that play with those people was too good to pass up. We threw ourselves into it as if we were headed for Broadway. I was the only professional actor in the cast, but it didn’t matter. Thornton Wilder’s writing is so masterful that the play came across despite the reader's experience. After that, I began thinking about how I could produce a reading of Our Town in my current hometown. I began to look at the people around me in my daily life through the lens of the play, and a cast list started to form. I asked my husband, Norbert, to read the Stage Manager. Once he was on board, I knew I had something. I hand-chose every cast member, many of whom I had never met, but had heard speak, watched on stage at CHS, met through substitute teaching, or had worked with as an actor. Every person I asked said, “Yes!” I was struck by their openness and courage. Most had never been on stage before, but were willing to jump in. I found that humbling and inspiring. I had never directed or produced and knew I needed a partner. That’s when the idea of using the reading as a fundraiser occurred to me, and I contacted The Achieve Foundation.
Can you share how the collaboration with the Achieve Foundation began and why supporting their mission felt important for this effort?
My collaboration with Achieve was born out of my deep respect for our district’s teachers. I’ve worked as a substitute for 5 years and have had the opportunity to watch our dedicated teachers pour their creativity and intelligence into our kids. I wanted to support them in some way and knew many of them had won Achieve Grants. I approached Brad Schenker, Achieve’s Board President and my childhood friend, about producing the reading of Our Town as a fundraising event. My experience subbing has inspired me to pursue an Elementary Ed. Certification, and I am currently in school at William Paterson University.
Were there particular moments during rehearsals or the performance that captured the sense of community you hoped to build?
I rehearsed with some actors in my kitchen over the summer. Doing scene work with excellent actors at my kitchen table is my idea of a day well spent. Quincy and Marygrace are both in school for acting so working with them was very rewarding. They were vulnerable, creative and committed to their roles. They would leave, and Norb and I would look at each other and say, “We’ve got the play!” I also met with the nonactors at my house over the summer. I went over the basics of a reading, what to expect from rehearsal, and had them read the play out loud. It was beautiful to watch them dive in. The more we rehearsed, the more the play revealed itself to the cast and to me. I had incredible support from Achieve and my 2 stage managers, Missy and Sharon. This allowed me to continue to mine the connections between the play and our community. The idea to use the cast’s kitchen chairs as our set was a late-breaking addition to the reading, as was the idea of having the cast enter from the audience. My friend, Emily (Mrs. Webb) came up with that saying, “we should be sitting with our town, before reading Our Town.” As you can imagine, I cried a lot while working on this.
What do you hope the community took away from this production of Our Town?
I wanted our towns to experience a feeling of connectedness. By casting people from different pockets of our community, I hoped the audience (and cast) would viscerally relate to the power of our loose, daily ties that fill our lives with meaning. I hoped people would start to think about the people and things that make this place home to them. I wanted to celebrate the simple yet profound act of noticing our daily lives.
In your view, how can community arts continue to strengthen connections across South Orange and Maplewood?
MapSo does a great job utilizing the arts and the artists who live here to strengthen our community. Reading the play Our Town was my attempt to build community ties for the cast and the audience. My friend, Danny, wrote to me after the performance saying, “Time slowed down for a bit. We needed that.” I felt that too. Great art can suspend time. Just for a few hours, we were all somewhere else together.
Is there anything you hope to work on next regarding community engagement?
Thornton Wilder has a play called The Long Christmas Dinner. I’d like to give that a read and see if it’d work for a community reading. I will keep my eyes and ears open for another opportunity.
Other Online Articles
- The Village Green - ‘Our Towns Read Our Town’ Brings South Orange-Maplewood Together
- The Miscellany News - Broadway comes home: A unique production of ‘Our Town’
South Orange Elks Rent Party Garden, January 2025
Website: https://www.southorangeelks.com/
How long has your organization been involved in South Orange?
The South Orange Elks Rent Party Garden was established in 2012.
Can you describe your work or involvement in the South Orange community?
The South Orange Elks Rent Party Garden raises approximately 2,000 pounds of fresh produce each summer, all donated to local hunger-fighting initiatives within the community. The produce has been distributed to food pantries at Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Joe's in Maplewood. Additionally, the organization has partnered with SOMA Justice to assist local families in need. The garden is also home to a Little Pantry and a Little Free Library, further serving the community.
Who came up with the Rent Party idea?
Chris Dickson and David Wagner created Rent Party in 2009. Originally, Rent Party was a series of live music events held at the South Orange Elks. Recognizing the potential of the Lodge's front lawn, they proposed starting a garden, and the Elks enthusiastically agreed.
Why did your organization choose fighting hunger as its top initiative?
The organization saw a clear need to support local families in South Orange and Maplewood, leading them to focus on combating hunger as their primary mission.
What other initiatives does the Elks Club support?
The South Orange Elks has served the community for over 115 years. In addition to the Rent Party Garden, they sponsor and support initiatives like the Maplewood-South Orange Girls Softball, South Orange Maplewood Little League Baseball, the Special Olympics, Maplewood Glee Club, SOMS, MMS, and CHS music programs, as well as the South Orange Rescue Squad, among other local causes.
What are your favorite things about South Orange?
Rent Party has strong ties to live music and loves the vibrant live music scene in South Orange. Additionally, they cherish the sunsets over South Mountain and the picturesque view from the garden.
In what ways has the South Orange community supported you?
The South Orange community has shown incredible spirit and support, enabling the Rent Party Garden to thrive for 13 seasons. The initiative has also significantly benefited from the backing of Mayor Collum and the Village Council, who have been particularly supportive of their work.
The Scouts of Troop 5 Maplewood, June 2024
Troop 5 Maplewood BSA is an active Boy Scout troop serving Maplewood, South Orange, and surrounding communities since 1920. While the troop meets in Maplewood at the Seth Boyden Elementary School, Troop 5 scouts and adult leaders are evenly split between Maplewood and South Orange families. The troop is youth-led and is open to boys aged 11 to 17. Troop 5 has a strong outdoor adventure program including two weeks in the Adirondacks every summer, monthly outings during the school year, and periodic high adventure trips to places like Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and the Virgin Islands National Park on Saint John. Troop 5 also provides many opportunities for community service on projects organized by the troop and by individual scouts.
Troop 5 is sponsored by the Maplewood Rotary Club. Follow them on:
- Facebook (troop5.us)
- Instagram (troop5maplewood)
- Website at troop5.us.
For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.Scouting.org.
Recent Scout Led Service Projects
Scouts working on Eagle Scout rank requirements must plan and lead a project that is helpful to a local community organization. The scout will typically raise funds for the project and organize volunteers from the troop and the broader community to complete the project. Scouts often choose organizations and projects that are meaningful to them personally. The following Troop 5 scouts have successfully completed their Eagle Scout projects since January 1, 2022.
- Jack Barnett of South Orange worked with South Orange Rescue Squad in 2023 to provide the squad with new custom-built indoor and outdoor wooden furniture for their Sloan Street Headquarters. Jack was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on December 20, 2023.
- Rome Brachfeld of Maplewood worked with the South Orange Department of Public Works in 2024 to clean and restore several memorials in South Orange including the column in Founders Park and the Veterans Memorial Rock in Meadowland Park. Rome is currently a candidate for the rank of Eagle Scout.
- Max Coey of Maplewood worked with the South Orange Department of Public Works in 2022 to build dugouts for historic Cameron Field in South Orange. Max was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on April 24, 2024.
- Henry Donat of Maplewood worked with Wyoming Presbyterian Church in 2023 to repair and repaint the exterior of the historic cottage that the church uses as additional space for meetings and counseling. He also repaired the floor in the building’s utility room and replaced the bathroom sink and faucet. Henry was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on December 20, 2023.
- Ola Fawole of Bound Brook (formerly Maplewood) worked with South Orange Maplewood School District in 2022 to build and install two wheelchair-accessible picnic tables at Seth Boyden Elementary School. Ola was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on May 27, 2023.
- Grant Huebner of South Orange worked with Maplewood Civic Association in 2022 to rehabilitate seven public bulletin boards in Maplewood parks including a complete replacement of the bulletin board in Milo S. Borden Park. Grant was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on May 27, 2023.
- Alexander Lopos of South Orange worked with South Orange Maplewood School District in 2023 to repair orchestra instrument storage shelving at Columbia High School and raised funds for the professional repair of three cellos owned by the district. Alexander is currently a candidate for the rank of Eagle Scout.
- Jacob Pross of South Orange worked with Friends of the South Orange Library in 2023 to build and install four new Little Free Library book boxes around MAPSO. Jacob is currently a candidate for the rank of Eagle Scout.
- Aidan Sheridan of Maplewood worked with Meadowland Park Conservancy in 2023 to beautify the area around the South Orange Veterans Memorial Rock by removing old asphalt and installing a new circle of paving stones as the first phase of a larger improvement project planned by the conservancy. Aidan is currently a candidate for the rank of Eagle Scout.
- JacobTinkelman of New Vernon (formerly South Orange) worked with the Winston School of Short Hills in 2021 and 2022 to provide the school with three custom-built bookshelves and run a book drive to further the school's mission of educating students with learning differences including dyslexia. Jacob was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on June 6, 2022.
- Lukas Wurster of Maplewood worked with South Mountain Conservancy in 2023 to build and install six new trail maps in the South Mountain Reservation. Lukas was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout on December 20, 2023.
Two additional Troop 5 scouts are currently working on their Eagle projects.
- Chris Ferrell of Livingston is currently working with the 102nd Cavalry Regiment Association ("The Essex Troop") to clean, de-rust, and repaint the M60 battle tank on display in front of the West Orange National Guard Armory in honor of those who have served in the unit since its founding in 1890 including his father. He also hopes to improve the site by installing solar lighting and a raised planter around an existing sign. Chris is currently a candidate for the rank of Eagle Scout.
- Tim Van de Northof Maplewood is currently working with Durand-Hedden House & Garden Association to renovate two existing teak garden benches and install a third. He is also building six Eastern Bluebird nesting boxes and installing two in the garden and four on other properties around Maplewood. Tim is currently a candidate for the rank of Eagle Scout.
SOMA Fox Running Club
Jessica Lituchy & Stephanie Shiau
How long have you lived in SOMA or MAPSO?
Jess has lived here for 20 years and Steph for a little over 2 years!
Describe why you chose to begin the SOMA FOX Running Club for the community?
There was a convergence of many factors that led us towards starting this club. The reason we started it WHEN we did was partly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We had wanted to create a friendly, supportive, structured group for all adult runners to share the joys and benefits of running. And during the pandemic, most social activity was curtailed, but running together outside at a distance was still safe! The runners we knew were hungry for running and for the social connection it brings. And it seemed very likely that the runners we did not know yet needed the same thing, as quickly as it could happen, because there was very little else that people could safely do together.
What motivates you personally to run?
Jess: I love the mental clarity I get from any good workout, and I especially love that running is also so very social! Running starts my day on the right foot (pun absolutely intended), with a good sweat and some great friends.
Steph: I definitely run for both mental and physical benefits. I love the way that I feel after a good run. It also provides me with a sense of accomplishment. There are some days when I am working on projects that have no end in sight, but I know if I can get a 20 or 30 minute run in, I have accomplished something that day!
How and why did you choose your charity?
In a country with such abundance, it is truly unfortunate that people go hungry every day. MEND’s hunger relief efforts go beyond calorie needs, and we as an organization identify strongly with that. MEND brings the food that people actually want - the nourishment that they need - and deliver it in a respectful, culturally appropriate way to the communities they serve. Runners eat mindfully. They eat to fuel their goals, to optimize their performance, and honestly just for pleasure! It is the most natural fit in the world for runners to want the same thing for everyone - regardless of their financial situation.
What is your best feel-good story about the people that are part of your organization?
We don’t have one feel-good story, so much as this club IS a feel-good story! We put this thing together thinking maybe 70 people would want to join. And then we passed 100. And then we passed 200. We finished out 2021 with over 250 members! They came to workouts, they came to events, they helped at races, and we all supported each other. We are a community of people defined by the love of an activity, but also so much more! During our first year, our club members had births, deaths, triumphs, and struggles. We ran together, raced together, helped each other with running goals, talked endlessly, and became this lovely group of people that always has its arms open wide for the next person to come join in.
How has the community supported you and your organization?
The community has been wonderful! We have had two formal club races - the One Hour Fox in April, and the One Mile Fox on New Year’s Day. South Orange and Maplewood civic leaders, police, and firefighters have all gone out of their way to help make our events successful. And the greater community - which includes many other wonderful running clubs - made these events great by signing up, turning up, and having a fantastic time! We are thrilled and grateful by the reception we have gotten in our two towns.
Contact SOMA Fox Running Club
Website: https://www.somafoxrunningclub.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/somafoxrunningclub
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/somafoxrunningclub
Food Pantry at Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows is a Mend Food Pantry
The Pantry is open on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month.
What Can You Do as a Resident?
- The Food Pantry organizes their food needs and volunteer opportunities on our Sign-Up Genius: http://bit.ly/OLSPANTRY and via emails.
- Food donations can be brought to The Rectory front door at 217 Prospect Street. Drop-off hours are: 7am-4pm Monday to Saturday; and 8am-noon on Sunday.
- For monetary donations, which allow us maximum flexibility in managing our food supply, checks (payable to OLS Food Pantry) can be mailed to the Parish Office at the above address or donations made online at https://olschurch.com/parish-
giving/ .
There’s a moment in many a young life when, suddenly, your brain clicks in and your outlook changes forever. For Chaz Gordon, that moment was after a group skating lesson at age 8. As he unhappily compared his performance to that of the older kids in his theatrical skating troupe, his dad, Ken Gordon, launched into the first serious talk Chaz recalls about self-motivation. “Never give up,” said Ken. “You have to keep pushing.” His mom, Lynn, a former national figure skating champion, chimed in too: “When you feel you’re about to fall back, that’s when you give 10% more.”
Steeled for “pushing through,” Chaz became a top-level competitor with the U.S. Figure Skating Association. He brought home bronze and silver medals from Logrono, Spain in 2013, and Paris in 2015. He got there practicing 2 to 3 times a week, 1 to 4 hours per session. He spent 10 years with Bravo Theater on Ice at Richard J. Codey Arena in West Orange, the only competitive theatrical skating troupe in New Jersey. Realizing the mirrored skills between skating and dance, Chaz took up hip-hop in middle school, then became a dance performer, choreographer and instructor for the Columbia High School Special Dance Company. For Chaz, “pushing through” meant more than athleticism. He graduated from Columbia High in June with a perfect 4.0 average. He was a mentor and coach to multiple youth groups, founder of an annual coat drive, and a leader in the North Jersey Chapter of Jack and Jill of America. Now, he’s an aspiring clinical psychologist, aiming to follow in his mother’s professional footsteps.
As he heads to college this summer, Chaz leaves with a foundation of care nurtured by his family and the community of South Orange. Here, he volunteered at two food pantries and served as a skating mentor to Special Olympics athletes. He treasures his four-year participation in the Minority Achievement Committee at CHS. MAC, as it’s called, inspires academic excellence among African-American students. In his third year, Chaz joined MiniMAC, taking the program to Jefferson Elementary School. As MiniMAC progressed through the school year, discussions between older and younger students grew more serious, and once, Chaz opened up about a defining personal experience. A local police officer “tried to make me feel like I was out of place,” he told the kids. “It was very scary to me.” Some of the kids were shocked. Some got emotional. Most said Chaz didn’t deserve the treatment he got. “It was eye-opening for them and it made them appreciate the lessons of MiniMAC because it’s all about who they are as people. We try to teach selflove.” Later this summer, Chaz is off to UCLA to study psychology and try out for the school skating team. He hopes someday to be a psychological researcher, studying the impact of the classroom setting on minority students. It’s an aspiration worthy of his racially aware upbringing in South Orange. Chaz Gordon will be prepared for his future. After all, he knows from his family about pushing through, and from his community about sharing his heart. What more could he need?