Catch up on the biggest stories in Moorestown this week.
Steve Yanai donated to Moorestown Township in memory of his late wife, and a Moorestown woman is trying to lend a helping hand. Catch up on everything from the past week in the Weekly Roundup.
Moorestown resident on a ‘mission’ to help
Twenty-year-old Moorestown resident Ashley Horta has always felt innately drawn to helping people. She said she felt like she was on the right path going to school for elementary education but wondered if she was being called to do more. Horta attends Rowan College Burlington County where she will earn her associate’s degree in December. In January, Horta will embark on her missionary journey, and she will return to finish her schooling at Rowan University in the fall.
Husband ‘preserving’ wife’s open space legacy
Steve Yanai said his wife, Esther, was a courageous and passionate woman who spent 40 years advocating for Moorestown to maintain its open spaces and serving as one of the founding members of Save the Environment of Moorestown. Her efforts were recognized following her passing in 2003 when the township purchased 34 acres of undeveloped land in October 2004 and named the space Esther Yanai Preserve in her honor. However, with little parking on Garwood Road near the preserve, many residents don’t know the trail is there, and those who do often have to park a block away, Yanai said. For that reason, Yanai donated $25,000 to the township to create a parking lot on Garwood Road in the hope that with a parking lot in place, more residents will frequent the preserve.
