A message from our executive director

April 22, 2020| People

By: Jess Murphy

Lake Friends,

First and foremost, I hope you are all staying healthy and safe. Our community is hurting in so many ways right now, and please know we are thinking of you. We are especially heartbroken to learn of the passing of Lake Hopatcong Foundation supporters and their family and friends due to COVID-19, and although we can’t be together physically, I hope you all know that we are with you and sending our hopes for your comfort and peace during these difficult times. We truly consider you all a part of our lake family; we miss being with you, but look forward to once again coming together to celebrate our shared love for Lake Hopatcong and the surrounding community, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, though, even without the social-distancing measures and restrictions in place, I would be stepping back from the bustle of LHF life for a couple of months, as my maternity leave begins on Monday and I prepare to welcome our fourth (and final!) little one into the Murphy family. Although I will be out of the office until July, I am pleased to be able to say that a familiar face, Lauren Rossi, will be serving as acting executive director during my absence. Many of you know Lauren going back to the very early days of the LHF in 2012, when she served our fledgling organization in a variety of ways, including as our secretary/treasurer and as our first development director. She was instrumental in running our major events for several years, and in 2014 the two of us signed the paperwork together to close on the Lake Hopatcong Train Station, which is now our headquarters. Although Lauren has been out of the office for a few years while raising her young family, she has continued to volunteer and stay in touch with us, and most recently took on a consulting project to coordinate our volunteer efforts through the early part of this year. During my absence, please feel free to reach out to Lauren directly (lauren@lakehopatcongfoundation.org) or to our general office email at info@lakehopatcongfoundation.org.

With Lauren and our incredible staff of Donna, Holly, Roberta, Caitlin, and Melanie, as well as our board and volunteers, the LHF will continue to work diligently on behalf of Lake Hopatcong, even while distanced from each other, in the weeks ahead. A few points of focus right now include:

• The installation of HAB-prevention projects around the lake this spring (through the DEP grant to the Lake Hopatcong Commission, with monetary and in-kind support from the Lake Hopatcong Foundation)
• The distribution of watershed lessons to our educators, to replace the canceled field trips that would have brought 1,500+ students to Hopatcong State Park this spring
• Plans for virtual programming to help replace the in-person events that have been postponed or canceled
• The rescheduling details of the Lake Hopatcong Block Party (now scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 10)
• A continued push for expansion of the “B-SAFE” dock numbering program on the lake to improve safety (dock numbers can be purchased through June 1 for July delivery)

The LHF continues its mission of protecting the lake environment and enhancing the lake experience, and our team is doing whatever possible to help make sure that Lake Hopatcong continues to be a source of relaxation and peace for all, especially during such stressful and uncertain times.

Again, I hope you all are taking good care of yourselves as we all work our way through these challenging days. We miss you but are hopeful that we can all be together again soon. For now, stay safe, everyone. We may be spread out at the moment, but we’re in this together.

Warmly,

Jess

Jessica K. Murphy
President/Executive Director
Lake Hopatcong Foundation