MORRIS COUNTY — On the morning of Saturday, March 10, Prosecutor Fredric Knapp, First Assistant Prosecutor Tom Zelante, and Detective Patrick LaGuerre attended a program at the Church of God in Christ for All Saints in Morristown, hosted by the African American Clergy Association of Morris County, New Jersey. The guest speaker was the former Vice President and General Manager of the New York Giants, Jerry Reese.
The program is titled, “The Huddle: Calling the Right Plays to Win”, and is focused on offering young men in the community the opportunity to obtain information and guidance for their future endeavors. As the oldest of seven siblings in a poor family from Northwestern Tennessee, Reese learned early in his life what it would take to succeed. He specifically emphasized how important a positive attitude and a strong sense of faith can be for a young man.
The heart of Mr. Reese’s presentation comes from his vast experience in the world of football. As the title of the program shows, “The Huddle”, plays an enormous role in everyday life. Mr. Reese challenged the young men in the audience to build their own huddles, with people who are willing and excited to help them succeed in life. Just as each side in football has eleven players, Mr. Reese also offered the audience his eleven positive factors that will make their huddles as beneficial as possible.
Pastor Jerry Carter of Calvary Baptist Church opened the morning with an inspirational prayer. He organized this event, and it was the first installment of the quarterly programs that the African American Clergy Association of Morris County, New Jersey plan to host for members of the community. Pastor Carter worked with Pastor Robert Rogers, as well as with other members of the African American Clergy Association of Morris County, New Jersey to ensure that these young men had the opportunity to learn from someone who has proved that strong faith and positive attitudes go a long way.
Following Mr. Reese’s presentation, Prosecutor Knapp addressed the audience of approximately sixty guests, and explained his role as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of Morris County, in which he is responsible for the 170 member Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and oversees thirty-eight municipal police departments. He lauded “The Huddle” program, as well as praised Mr. Reese for delivering an excellent presentation. Prosecutor Knapp then introduced First Assistant Prosecutor Zelante, who is the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office liaison to the Morris County Human Relations Commission, as well as Detective LaGuerre, who has always worked closely with the community in his twenty years of law enforcement.
The driving force behind this presentation, was the African American Clergy Association of Morris County, New Jersey’s desire to reach out to the adolescent members of the community, with the hopes of inspiring them to become the best members of society that they can be. Nearly have half of the audience were in fact teenagers, and the rest of the audience was comprised of members of the clergy, as well as local businessmen and officials. As Pastor Carter closed the meeting, he asked that all attendees work together in the future to plan these presentations for the community on a quarterly basis.
