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Redbank honors youth football champs, firefighters and municipal intern at final 2025 meeting
Summary
At its Dec. 11 meeting the Redbank Council honored the 9U Redbank American Youth Football champions, presented life‑saving awards to firefighters involved in a June 24 rescue, and recognized Joanna Lopez for a statewide municipal internship award; the fire chief urged volunteer recruitment.
The Redbank Borough Council used its final meeting of 2025 to celebrate local achievements, presenting proclamations to a championship youth football team, honoring firefighters for a June rescue, and recognizing a municipal intern for statewide distinction.
The mayor and council called forward members of the 9U Redbank American Youth Football Team after the team won conference and state titles and claimed a Tri‑State championship game victory. Players and coaches received certificates of excellence and posed for photos as the audience applauded.
The council also read a life‑saving proclamation for Redbank Fire Department members and mutual‑aid partners who rescued a trapped resident from a working structure fire on June 24, 2025, at 249 Shrewsbury Avenue. The proclamation lists names including Chief Frank Woods, Ex‑Chief Robert Holiday Jr., Ex‑Chiefs Soden Sr. and Soden Jr., Ex‑Captain James Irving, First Assistant Chief Matt Deanti (Fair Haven) and firefighter Briana Calibrize. Chief Frank Woods praised the rescuers’ courage and stressed the volunteer nature of the department, urging residents to consider joining. "These people you're looking at up here are volunteers," he said, emphasizing the department’s reliance on community service.
Council members also recognized Joanna Lopez as one of four recipients statewide of the New Jersey Municipal Management Association internship award. The council credited her with expanding bilingual communications, supporting a website overhaul, coordinating volunteers for the summer series and helping organize a Mexican consulate visit. Lopez, who said she could not have done the work without council and staff support, accepted congratulations and noted she has joined the borough as a permanent part‑time assistant and confidential aide to the borough manager's office.
What happens next: The borough encouraged continued community support for volunteer firefighting and youth sports programs, and highlighted Joanna Lopez’s ongoing role in municipal communications and outreach.
