Engineered Arresting Systems Corporation Employees Continue Annual Tradition of MLK Day Community Service

By Stan Koczkodaj, Marketing Creative Director

January 19, 2009 - Swedesboro/Woolwich Township, NJ - Over sixty employees from Engineered Arresting Systems Corporation (ESCO-ZA), Logan Township, NJ commemorated MLK Day with a day of community service work at three historic areas that were vital to the civil rights movement and American history, followed by participation in a traditional ceremony at a nearby school.

In addition to the annual restoration and clean-up work at Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery, Woolwich Township, the ESCO-ZA team expanded their activity this year to include an additional location, roughly a mile and a half away: the historic Richardson Avenue School, Swedesboro, NJ.

ESCO-ZA’s busload of workers was treated to moderate temperatures as they were deployed at their job sites, in stark contrast to last year’s bitter cold. Over half the labor force was settled at the Richardson Ave. location, where they began extensive internal cleanup, plus demolition work. This resulted in the first dumpster being filled and overflowing before ten o’clock.

Demolition included removal of dropped ceiling panels and tracks, wall coverings, removal of closets, water heater, kitchen fixtures, and the removal of a shower, pipes and bathroom fixtures. Certain dividing walls (framing, plaster, sheet rock) were demolished and removed. Some usable material, such as furniture that was stored in the building, was salvaged. The remainder ended up in the dumpster.

At Mt. Zion Church, a small crew of skilled labor installed new framing, doors, and hardware at the entrance, while one employee worked on the roof and gutters. A short distance away, a larger band of workers attacked the debris, leaves and trash that had collected in the Mt. Zion Cemetery, clearing the area around an expanse of historic graves.

As the working portion of the day drew to a close, the temperature dropped and snow began to fall. ESCO-ZA's activities then shifted to the Margaret C. Clifford School in Swedesboro, NJ, where Vice-President of Operations Randy Ohneck delivered an eloquent and spirited Welcome Address, as guest speaker at the school's 4th Annual MLK Day of Celebration. Program Chair Elaine W. Edwards thanked and acknowledged ESCO-ZA’s continued community service support of the MLK Day activities, both as volunteers and as ceremony attendees.

ESCO-ZA’s employee participation at Mt. Zion has been an annual tradition, 2009 marking the fourth year in a row of MLK Day activity in the local community. ESCO-ZA’s manpower commitment has been supplemented by the company’s monetary contributions, grant application support and solicitation of donated materials from local suppliers. ESCO-ZA is a member of Zodiac Aerospace (France), a global business entity that fully supports community service activities of this nature at every level of their organization. 

The success of this event relies on the commitment of ESCO-ZA’s employee pool.The planning and initiative for this effort belongs to a team that includes ESCO-ZA EMAS Division President, Peter Mahal and his staff, ESCO-ZA’s event liaison, Katie Mondile and her team, plus Elaine Edwards of the Historical and Educational Lodge-Hall Preservatory.

Mt. Zion AME Church was built in 1834. The church served as an important Underground Railroad station up until the beginning of the Civil War. Mt. Zion Cemetery dates back to the 1830s, with up to 200 unmarked graves, including thirteen African-American Civil War soldiers.

The Richardson Avenue School was built in 1930 to be a Masonic Hall. In 1931, it became the town’s last “separate but equal” school for African-American children. Closing in 1942, it has served as an unofficial community center for African-American residents in Swedesboro and as a record of African-American hardship that endured into the twentieth century.

These locations have relied on grants, donations and volunteer work for essential repairs and maintenance. The church and school were both in need of key repairs leading to restoration as part of preservation plans. These requirements made them perfect fits for ESCO-ZA’s community-oriented service work and annual MLK Day campaign.