The Men's Fellowship at St Rose of Lima Church invites all local men to its next special event, an evening of inspiration and hope. Bill Lavin will deliver a talk, "Making a Difference as a Man of Faith," at St Rose Parish, 46 Church Hill Road, on Sunday, October 15. Doors will open at 5:45 pm, and the program will begin at 6:15.

Mr Lavin is a retired firefighter and former president of the NJ Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association. The association led the Sandy Grounds Where Angels Play effort, an inspirational initiative that built playgrounds in 26 Superstorm Sandy-devastated tri-state coastline communities to honor the memory of the 20 students and six educators slain at Sandy Hook School.

Each playground honored one woman or child killed on 12/14. The final playground, honoring Sandy Hook School Principal Dawn Hochsprung, was built and dedicated in Watertown in October 2014.

Mr Lavin has championed numerous other kindness-based projects, serves on the board of several charitable organizations, and is a co-founder of the 9/11 Fallen Heroes 5K Memorial Run.

He will discuss how he achieved peace through healing others. He is the co-author of Where Angels Live, Work and Play, and will have signed copies of the book available for purchase at the event.

The program will be held in the Monsignor Weiss Gathering Hall, adjacent to the school building, immediately following the 5 pm Mass.

Food and refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend, but registration is requested; call the St Rose Rectory at 203-426-1014.

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