Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony hit the Bronx

On the lighter side, Jennifer Lopez, a.k.a. Jay-lo, and her husband, Marc Anthony came back to the Bronx on Tuesday morning, September 25th. They are beginning a two month tour together, and opened it with an appearance to kids at PS 36, at 1070 Castle Hill Avenue, promoting the school-based running program “Orange Laces.”

Children dressed up in orange t-shirts, and waved orange pom-poms, courtesy of ING Bank, the Dutch Mega-bank which sponsors the running program. The kids anxiously waited for Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. Jennifer is known for her hit songs such as “Waiting for Tonight” as well as starring in a string of movies. Husband Marc Anthony is known for singing songs such as “I Need to Know”, as well as his portrayal of Salsa legend Hector Lavoe, together with Ms. Lopez, in the movie, “El Cantante”. Both Jennifer and Marc were born and raised in New York City, Jennifer in the Bronx, and Marc in Manhattan.

The school Principal, Ms. Nilda Rivera has been credited with boosting academic performance and test achievement levels at PS 36, nicknamed “the Rising Star” school. Thanks were given to “Live Nation”, which is running the Jennifer/Marc tour, and to ING, which is sponsoring the programs “Orange Laces” and “Run for Something Better.” Also on the podium was Borough President Carrion.

This is the first tour ever for Jennifer Lopez. The tour will open in Atlantic City, NJ and hit 20 cities over the next six weeks. One dollar of each ticket sale will be donated to the school running program Orange Laces, a tax deductible charity. See www.orangelaces.com . ING Bank is also the sponsor of many adult marathons, including the upcoming New York Marathon of November 4th 2007.

The goal of the running program is to help fight obesity among youth. ING has been sponsoring marathons around the world, and now kids in the school-based program receive medals and other awards if they run over 26 miles. About $1 million has been spent on this program at 10 schools and 14 parks around the Bronx.

When Marc and Jennifer first arrived, they spent a long time touring the school, while being broadcast on large video screens, meeting students all around the building. There were applause and shrieks of delight when they finally came on stage in the auditorium. Mark Anthony remarked that he knew the Principal, Ms. Rivera, from going to school in Manhattan and that she and other teachers were “a huge part of my youth.” “The kids are our biggest resource.” Jennifer Lopez said she was overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of enthusiasm and love that she received. She remarked that the “Orange Laces” program encourages students to run, and that running helped her when she was a student. It helped give her the energy to reach her goals. All and all, this was a tremendous day for the students of PS 36, Jennifer and Marc, and the people of the Bronx.
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