SOUTH BRUNSWICK: CIL to honor two for service to South Brunswick

By Davy James, Staff Writer
   Two township residents will be honored for their service to South Brunswick with the upcoming 19th annual Barry Indik Memorial Awards dinner and dance.
   The award is given by the Citizens for Independent Living as way of honoring members of the community who work for South Brunswick.
   The award is named in honor of the late Dr. Indik, who was one of the founding members of the CIL, a local group established to help adults with developmental disabilities by providing job support, training and living skills.
   The award recipients for this year are Susan Edelman, of Monmouth Junction, and Sharon Sullivan, of Kendall Park.
   ”I feel very fortunate to be honored by the CIL because I feel very strongly about that organization,” Ms. Edelman said. “I was around when that organization was founded, and I’m honored to receive this award.”
   Ms. Edelman is being honored for her 30 years of service with the South Brunswick Public Library Association and the Friends of the South Brunswick Library.
   ”As a child, I always loved libraries,” Ms. Edelman said. “Growing up in Brooklyn, I would go to the local branch, and I made it my mission to read every book in the children’s section, not realizing that by the time I had finished, new books had been brought in.”
   Ms. Edelman, who has also served on the township Planning Board and the Monmouth Junction PTA, said the Friends of the Library serve as a kind of PTA for the library.
   ”There are always ideas that community members and staff have of enriching the library,” she said. “As the years have passed, our community has gotten more diverse, and there are even more enhanced needs that we want to meet for our community members.”
   Ms. Edelman is also proud of a project she ran in the South Brunswick School District called the Handicapped Awareness Project, which was started in 2000.
   The project involved sending speakers into elementary schools to teach children to be more accepting of people different than they are by breaking down barriers and asking questions.
   ”By understanding each other, we make it easier for kids to accept people a little different from them,” Ms. Edelman said. “By giving kids the chance to ask questions, they learn rather than burying the questions in their mind and thinking these things shouldn’t be talked about.”
   Ms. Edelman said her work with the developmentally disabled makes her feel especially honored to receive recognition by the CIL.
   ”I wish more people would get involved with their communities because it’s a very enriching experience,” she said. “I encourage people to get involved with a group that helps their community because it’s so rewarding for each person.”
   Ms. Sullivan is being honored by the CIL for her work with the Special Education population in South Brunswick. She could not be reached for comment.
   The nineteenth annual CIL Barry Indik Community Service Award and CIL Independence Ball will be held Oct. 30 at Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse in Kingston. Cocktail hour is scheduled from 6 to 7 p.m. with dinner and dancing from 7 to 10:30 p.m. There will be door prizes and a raffle.
   Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at the door. All funds go to the CIL to help run their programs.
   For more information, call 732-355-0620.