Disability Allies will hold its monthly Family Support Group from 7:30-9 p.m. on Jan. 28 at The Young Adult Community Inclusion Center, in the Village Green Shopping Center, 415 Route 18, East Brunswick.
This month’s topic will be presented by Judy Krantz from MSB Enterprises. The focus will be on learning about support services, programing, PPP, transportation, housing and more.
Supervision is provided for young adult children with disabilities. Notification is required in order to plan enough care.
Register in advance at disabilityallies.com/familysupport.
For more information about this event, contact Audrey Weiner at 732-789-7027 or at [email protected].
To learn more about services, visit www.disabilityallies.com.
The American Red Cross will hold blood drives from 2-7 p.m. on Dec. 26 at Sunrise of East Brunswick, 190 Summerhill Road, East Brunswick; and from 2-7 p.m. on Dec. 30 at VFW Post No. 133, 485 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.
For more information, visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit Twitter at @RedCross.
The St. James Knights of Columbus Council 6336 will hold its annual Free Throw Tournament from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jan. 5 at the Monroe Township Recreation Center, 120 Monmouth Road, Monroe.
All boys and girls ages 9-14 (as of Jan. 1, 2020) as eligible to participate.
Winners for each gender and age group will advance to the district competition, with the chance to advance further to the regional and state levels. Winners will also receive a free dinner certificate for the 2020 St. James KofC Fish Fries.
For more information, call 732-521-3366.
The Monroe Township Public Library will celebrate National Poetry Month with a poetry contest and poetry fair.
Beginning Jan. 2, Monroe residents are encouraged to enter the poetry contest sponsored by the Poets Corner poetry group by submitting an original poem, with a maximum of 24 lines. One entry per person. Entrant’s name, address and contact number must be clearly and legibly written or typed with the submission. The deadline for submission is March 14.
Poems must be mailed to the Monroe Township Library, c/o Poets Corner, 4 Municipal Plaza, Monroe Township, NJ 08831.
The competition will conclude with a Poetry Fair from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on April 17. The Poetry Contest winner will be notified by mail and will be invited to read his/her work at this event.
Poets Corner meets on the first Friday of every month at 11:00 am at the Monroe Township Library. Interested and aspiring poets are welcome to attend. Registration is not required.
National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry which takes place each April, was introduced in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States.
The South River Police Department will hold its fourth annual Chili Cook-off & Tasting from noon to 2 p.m. on Jan. 25 at the South River VFW, 31 Reid St., South River.
Admission for tasting is $10, or $5 for ages 12 and under. Tasting tickets are limited and sales at the door are subject to availability. For advance tasting tickets, call Diane at 732-254-1150, ext. 102 or Adam at 732-754-6043.
Contestants must be at least 16 years old. Any type of chili is allowed, meat or vegetarian. Contestants must provide a means to keep chili warm. Chili must be cooked off premises and be ready for judging on site by noon. Contestants are asked to provide enough chili for approximately 100 samples of 1 ounce each.
Proceeds from the event help fund the South River Police Department’s community policing programs and community events.
Learn about finance and physical fitness for seniors at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 at the Monroe Township Public Library, 4 Municipal Plaza, Monroe.
This is the first in a monthly series of programs at the library. January is the New Year’s Resolution event. Greg Shannahan of Putnam Investments will discuss Medicare and healthcare. Jon Gallo, fitness author and owner of Results Boxing and Fitness in the Brunswick Square Mall in East Brunswick, will discuss physical fitness for seniors.
For more information, call 732-521-5000 or visit www.monroetwplibrary.org.
East Brunswick resident Khristi Adams is the author of “Parable of the Brown Girl.”
She is teaming up with Brown Kids Read to sponsor an essay contest for the release. The contest is open to girls from the New Jersey area. There will be winners in two age groups who will receive $250, a certificate of recognition and a signed copy of “Parable of the Brown Girl.” Honorable Mention honorees will be recognized with a certificate of recognition, a signed copy of “Parable of the Brown Girl” and a gift box.
Winners may also be invited to participate in a panel discussion at Barnes and Noble on Feb. 15.
For more information, visit brownkidsread.org/tellusyourstory/
The 10th annual Hugs for Brady Foundation Winter Gala will be themed “Oh What a Night!,” featuring entertainment from the stars of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys,” on Jan. 25 at The Palace at Somerset Park
The gala honors individuals who have made significant contributions to help those affected by childhood cancer. This year’s honorees are The 2020 Gala Committee as the Ellen Gambatese Pediatric Cancer Volunteer of the Year; Roy G. Svenson as the Brady Buggy Wagon Volunteer of the Year; Steven K. Libutti, director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, as the Dr. Randy Siegel Pediatric Cancer Medical Humanitarian of the Year; and Kevin Cummings, chairman and CEO of Investors Bank, as the Hugs for Brady Foundation Pediatric Cancer Humanitarian of the Year.
For more information, tickets, sponsorship information, to donate or to take part in the silent auction, visit www.hugsforbrady.org.
Playhouse 22 announced its 2019-20 season lineup:
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood” will be Feb. 7-23.
“Harvey” will be March 20 to April 5.
“Camelot” will be June 12-28.
All performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays.
Tickets for the main stage are $22 for adults or $20 for seniors and students.
A season subscription of three shows is $63 per person, or $57 for seniors and students. A select package of four shows is $80 per person or $72 for seniors and students. An elite package of five shows is $95 per person, or $85 for seniors and students.
Special times will be announced for “A Christmas Carol.” All tickets to “A Christmas Carol” and other special events and concerts are $15.
Playhouse 22 is located at the Community Arts Center, 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.
For tickets, visit www.playhouse22.org.
Central Jersey SCORE, a non-profit resource partner of the Small Business Administration, is seeking volunteers to assist people looking to start a business or grow an existing small business.
The organization is recruiting retired or current business owners and executives who want to share their experience and knowledge with today’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs. The Central Jersey Chapter of SCORE serves Middlesex, Somerset and Hunterdon counties.
Central Jersey SCORE provides in-person mentoring at a wide variety of locations and also presents seminars at local venues. In addition, the SCORE website offers tools and templates on a wide variety of topics related to organizing and managing a business and numerous online courses and webinars to assist small business owners through every aspect of business development. Services are offered free of charge.
For more information, visit www.centraljersey.score.org.
The High School Equivalency Program is currently running and will conclude in May. Classes are held from 6-8:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at East Brunswick High School, 380 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick. Classes prepare attendees for TASC; not a testing center.
The Citizenship Program is currently running and will conclude in May. Classes are held on Mondays and Wednesdays in Meeting Room 3 at the East Brunswick Library, 2 Jean Walling Civic Center Dr. Classes run either from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or from 12:30-3 p.m. dependent on class level.
Registration is open for the 44th annual Rutgers Home Gardeners School, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 21 at the Rutgers University Cook/Douglass campus in New Brunswick.
The Home Gardeners School is 40 individual workshop sessions that cover an array of horticulture topics. This format allows attendees to select the workshops that are most relevant to their gardening interests and create their own personalized schedule for a day of learning. Expert speakers from commercial horticulture and landscape design firms, as well as faculty and staff from Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), will cover topics including landscape design, common problems and solutions, annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, beekeeping, hardscaping, best management practices and deer control methods.
The registration fee is $95, but early registration is $80 is being offered through Feb. 29. An additional discounted fee of $70 is available for Master Gardeners (certificate required) through Feb. 29.
Attendees are asked to bring food donations for Rutgers Against Hunger (RAH) or pet items for Scarlet Paws Rescue.
For more information or to register, visit www.cpe.rutgers.edu/hgs or call the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education at 848-932-9271.