The township’s Department of Parks and Recreation celebrated the unveiling of new playground equipment at Walter Maahs Fields with a ribbon-cutting on Oct. 22.
The equipment was donated by the BBU Foundation – formally known as Becky’s Beard Unit – a nonprofit named for Rebecca “Becky” Scott, a 28-year-old paramedic who died in 2015 after battling breast cancer.
“It started out as a small vision of us just doing a No-Shave November campaign,” said co-founder and police officer Will Lancenese. “ … We’re just so excited to be able to do different things. We have so many great people involved.”
Scott was a paramedic with Virtua EMS and a volunteer first responder who served Burlington County. After she died, Lancenese and fellow Burlington City officer Mort Haney started No-Shave November, an annual drive that involves police growing their beards to raise funds.
Funds donated to Scott’s family enabled them to set up a scholarship fund in her name. Over time, the campaign grew, and Edgewater Park officer Chuck Ryder joined Lancenese and Haney in their fundraising efforts. Each year, money is raised for children battling adversity.
Lancenese and Haney made the new swing set possible after connecting with Parks and Recreation Director Theresa Miller.
“ … You can watch a ball game and be able to go swing on a swing and put all your worries aside,” Lancenese said. “ … That was one thing that Moorestown said that they had issues with, is (that) they didn’t have any kind of entertainment at that park …
“Now a kid can just be a kid.”
“ … Just to see that we were able to help a specific community in a town get new equipment into a playground for the kids that they can ride their bikes to or walk to without having to cross Lenola Road to go to the other park,” Haney said. “Just to see a smile on their faces (for that), that’s enough for us.”
Becky’s Beard Unit officially became a nonprofit in 2019, and two years later, formally transitioned to the BBU Foundation. The foundation has donated more than $40,000 to the local community and provides funding for medical assistance to children and families.
“It takes everybody on board,” Lancenese acknowledged. “It’s rewarding to know how many people, when you turn around and you look and you see how many people are in your corner, that’s when you’re like, ‘I can’t let any of them down.”
Lancenese and Haney shared how it feels to help children and their families.
“ … To continue to make that positive impact on the life of children that need it, and to assist families that need it, it literally is the best feeling on the face of the Earth,” Haney said.
“These are the things that you saw in movies as a kid,” Lancenese noted. “ … These are the things you watched and you read about in books and you said, ‘Man, I want to do that one day.’ The fact that I’m able to do it with my family, I’m able to do it with my friends and everybody that I care about, and you’re able to send love to a family you have no clue about …
“It’s like Thanksgiving every day.”
