In The News: Local Roxbury company raises funds for first responders via volleyball

A GRADE Property Restoration owners Christian, left, and Jonathan Licciard, sign a mock check, in the amount of $5,000, which was donated to the Roxbury Fire Department. Funds were raised via a volleyball tournament.

ROXBURY TWP. – A GRADE Property Restoration, a township small business, town officials and local first responders gathered at the Roxbury Fire Department Company Saturday, July 17, for a special check presentation.

A GRADE Property Restoration owners, Christian and Jonathan Licciardi, were joined by Roxbury Township Councilman Shawn Potillo along with representatives from local Small Businesses/Event Sponsors to serve up a $5,000 check to the first responders of Roxbury Volunteer Fire & EMS Department.

The funds were the result of proceeds raised from the first Volleyball ROX Charity Tournament.

The tournament, hosted by A GRADE Property Restoration and the Fire Victims Fund, was held last month at Horseshoe Lake Park in Succasunna, with the goal of raising $5,000 for local first responders to help purchase of life saving equipment. With COVID-19 restrictions lifting, the event’s focus was to help bring together the local small business community, first responders, and local area residents with a fun community competition to raise money for a great cause.

There were more than 35 local small businesses that supported the charity tournament, as well as 12 volleyball teams that competed.

A GRADE Property Restoration owners, a local Roxbury Small Business, came up with the idea of the Volleyball ROX Charity Tournament while brainstorming ways to give back to their community’s first responders.

Both Christian and Jonathan Licciardi are avid volleyball players and can often be found playing pickup games at the Horseshoe Lake Volleyball courts. With one partner being a local Roxbury resident, part of A GRADE mission is to give back to the community at large. They look forward to bringing the Volleyball ROX Charity Tournament back again next year.

Outside of organizing and hosting the Volleyball ROX Charity Tournament for Roxbury’s First Responders, A GRADE Property Restoration has also adopted the area surrounding the volleyball courts as a part of the town-wide community Initiative “Adopt-A-Spot” program to help the town keep the area clean of trash.

“As a Roxbury resident and a Roxbury Small Business Owner, it was such a prideful moment for us to be able to pull something together that would benefit the community and help the Roxbury Volunteer Fire Department,” Christian said.

“Having the ability to host this special event for our First Responders really means a lot to us, our families, and our amazing team. The amount of support and enthusiasm we received from other Roxbury’s Small Businesses and the community was incredible.”

Bob Hackett, Chief of Roxbury Fire & EMS Department, the township’s long-time Emergency Management Coordinator and township resident, commended the organizers.

“On behalf of the Roxbury Fire and EMS Department, I would like to extend our thanks to A GRADE, Jonathan and Christian, for a great event. We would also like to thank to all of the Sponsors and team members that came to play in this first event. It was greatly appreciated.”

Councilman Potillo also offered thanks.

“On behalf of the Mayor and Council, I would like to thank A GRADE Property Restoration for their dedication to Roxbury Township and for hosting this event. I, firsthand, was able to witness the hard work and planning that went into this event. Thank you for thinking about the safety of our Roxbury residents, as it really means to a lot to us,” he said.

“Thank you to our Roxbury Firemen & Firewomen for your dedication to the community and for putting Roxbury’s residents first.”

For more information about the Volleyball ROX Charity Tournament event, visit www.volleyballrox.com.

Volleyball ROX Charity Tournament Company sponsors included: A GRADE Property Restoration, Fire Victims Fund, The Public’s Adjuster, 7 Stage Advisors, Crazy Diamond Studio, Anthony Francos, Staples of Succasunna, Morris Signs, Dunkin Donuts- RT 10 , East Succasunna, BMW of Roxbury, Brian Clark Custom Carpentry, Bristol Financial Services, California Tanning Club, Custom Eyes – Barbara Dillon, Dezine Line, Ehrich Consulting Group, Empower Nutrition, Fox Architectural Design, Hearth + Home, Hibiscus Island Grille, HN Tree Care, Jack Frost Heating & Cooling Conditioning, Jefferson Recycling, Kuiken Brothers Company Inc., Looma Spa, Luigi’s Pizza, Mountain Landscape Contractors, Network Digital Office Systems, Nordic Contracting, PDQ Restoration, Roxbury Bagel & Deli, ROXBURY Garden Center, ROXBURY PBA, ServPro of Dover/Stillwater & Wayne, Stuto & Urban LLC, T. Daniel Specialty Heating, The Black River Barn, The Dougherty Group, The House of Fade, and ThorLabs.

A GRADE Property Restoration is a family-owned, trusted, disaster restoration company serving the tri-state area. A GRADE Property Restoration specializes in insurance restoration and renovation services to commercial and residential properties impacted by fire, water, and storm damage.