Athletes of all ages in Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, will reap many rewards as a result of a local bank’s generosity.

When it became apparent that the athletic facilities in Our Lady of Sorrows School were in need of updates and repair, school and parish personnel made a special request to former N.J. state senator and Catholic Charities board member Peter A. Inverso for a donation to bridge the gap.

Inverso, the president and CEO of Roma Bank in nearby Robbinsville and a member of Our Lady of Sorrows- Saint Anthony Parish, Hamilton, said “yes” in a big way.

On Jan. 30, Msgr. Thomas Gervasio, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony, celebrated the 11 a.m. Mass, then led a procession of congregants to the school gymnasium.

There, Roma Bank presented a check for $10,000 to the school just before tip-off of the last basketball game of the OLS season. The Roma Bank logo will be painted on the gym floor in appreciation for their gift.

Nick Commiso, OLS-SA athletic director, was overjoyed. “This was huge for me and the kids!” he exclaimed. “We’ll be glad to put the money to use.”

The long-time basketball coach and other sports committee members plan to upgrade the locker room, install a new trophy case, and open a new softball field on school grounds in the spring. “This gives us more flexibility to do more things, and will attract other kids to come here when they see the new facilities,” he said.

Commiso predicted. “We are very fortunate this fell at our feet. I was praying, ‘Thank the Lord!’” School principal Donna Bacsik lauded the financial institution for their contribution. “As a faith-based school, we teach our children to give back to our community,” she related, “so when Roma Bank itself modeled that and gave generously to us, it’s a powerful example of community partnering with education.”

Bacsik plans to replace some of the technology funds lost after state budget cuts and purchase items such as Smart Boards for the classrooms.

“It’s a win-win!” she said joyfully.