Bordentown resident recognized by council

Lisa Setz of Bordentown City
To the editor:
   If the world was made of people like Sandi Bongart it would be a much better place. Sandi will be honored on Thursday, April 9, by the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities with “The Access Above and Beyond the Law Award” for her work with special needs children. This award honors “businesses that have gone above and beyond in the name of accessibility and takes a holistic view which includes physical property, attitudinal barriers that may exist, understanding the way their staff delivers service, recognizing if it is inclusive and encouraging changes needed to improve where necessary.”
   I’ve known Sandi for 10 years, having met her at her hair salon Adorn, and have grown to appreciate her sense of responsibility to and for the community that she lives and works in. She had a support group for parents of children with Asperger’s syndrome and is an advocate for them in the school systems. She works with the community association, has provided free services to the families of service men at Fort Dix, and she still has time for her friends.
   Having been raised in a large suburb of Philadelphia I couldn’t appreciate how much difference one person could make. This experience has made me realize both the value of the individual and the special community that recognizes her.