FDU ferguson recreation center
FDU ferguson recreation center

Kearny Bank Donates $25K to FDU Athletics

Kearny Bank recently donated $25,000 to the athletic program at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Florham Campus in Madison, N.J.

The funds are going towards the renovation of the Ferguson Recreation Center. The donation was made through the Kearny Bank Foundation’s education category of corporate giving.

FDU Interim President Michael J. Avaltroni expressed gratitude for the donation and highlighted the school’s partnership with the Kearny Bank Foundation on the renovation project.

“We are extremely grateful for this generous grant,” said Avaltroni. “And, we are very proud and privileged to partner with the Kearny Bank Foundation on this project, which will greatly enhance an important space that will serve our student-athletes and the entire community.”  

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Kearny Bank Executive Vice President / Chief Banking Officer Anthony Bilotta said that the bank is “deeply committed to contributing to the communities where we conduct business” and noted that local universities are included in that commitment.

“We’re delighted to donate toward improvement of the FDU sports facilities at their Florham campus,” Bilotta added.

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The Ferguson Recreation Center is an 82,000-square-foot complex that is the home of the FDU Devils, the University’s Division III sports program. The center opened in the fall of 1995 and was originally constructed at a cost of $9 million.

It features three full-size basketball courts, two racquetball courts, an Olympic-style weight-training room, a fitness center, coaching offices, an elevated jogging track and an eight-lane competition-sized swimming pool. The center also houses the Rutherford Room, a carpeted banquet hall for formal meetings and events.

Improvements planned include a new all-turf field, surrounded by a running track and stadium-like bleachers. It will also feature locker rooms, restrooms and storage. New baseball and softball fields are also planned as well as additional areas for track-and-field throwing events and an area for overflow parking, according to FDU Magazine on Medium.

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The renovations are part of a $100-million capital campaign that also includes a new Campus Union Building for the Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck; a new Science Building; and the renovation of the current science facilities into a state-of-the-art home for Silberman College of Business.

Kearny Bank was established in 1884 and is headquartered Fairfield, NJ. Kearny Bank’s footprint extends across most of New Jersey, and has New York locations in Brooklyn and Staten Island.