Community Bulletin Board: the Sentinel (for Jan. 13)

Volunteer vaccinators may be needed in Middlesex County and at other vaccination sites.

Licensed nurses, doctors and medical professionals who are willing to volunteer should email their name, address, phone number and license information to Lt. Jangols of the Monroe Township Police Department at [email protected]

The Spotswood Public Library will offer meditation workshops.

Daya Sharma will lead a meditative workshop at 7 p.m. Jan. 13.

Jim Rose, retired executive with Johnson & Johnson, will discuss how to use meditation as a tool to balance your life at 7 p.m. Feb. 2.

Nirav Sheth will focus on transforming your life and finding joy and serenity at 7 p.m. March 4.

To register, visit spotslibrary.org/calendar

Four films focusing on climate change and its impact will be featured in the East Brunswick Public Library’s first-ever virtual film festival beginning with the National Geographic documentary, “Chasing Ice,” Jan. 19-20.

The Option Green Virtual Film Festival is part of the ongoing partnership between the library and the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission. Each year, the two organizations host free events on environmental topics led by experts in the field. The film series is funded by the American Library Association’s “Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change” pilot program.

The films will be available for online viewing. Participants can sign up for these free screenings online at www.ebpl.org/optiongreen. Links to view the films will be sent to ticket holders at the start time of this event, and will expire 48 hours later.

Following each screening, there will be an ongoing, discussion on the EBPL Discord server. Attendees will receive the link in their ticket.

The upcoming series includes:

“Chasing Ice,” Jan. 19-20, tells the story of National Geographic photographer James Balog’s journey to the Arctic to document Earth’s changing climate. The film won the 2014 Emmy for Outstanding Nature Programming. It runs 75 minutes and is rated PG-13.

“How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change,” Feb. 16-17 is directed by Academy Award-nominee Josh Fox. The film shows the consequences of climate change across 12 countries on every continent. It runs 127 minutes and is rated TV-14.

“The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” March 16-17, is Is based on the = true story of 13-year-old William Kamkwamba, who finds inspiration from a science book. He builds a wind turbine to save his famine-ravaged village in Malawi. This film is rated TV-PG and runs 113 minutes.

“Fire and Flood: Queer Resilience in the Era of Climate Change,” April 20-21, examines how the LGBTQ communities of Puerto Rico and Santa Rosa survived Hurricane Maria and wildfires, in late 2017. The film explores the vulnerability of LGBTQ communities to climate disasters. This film is not yet rated but runs 102 minutes. Trailer not available.

The Option Green Virtual Film Festival is sponsored by the East Brunswick Public Library and the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission.

Starting off the new year by celebrating Financial Wellness Month, the East Brunswick Public Library will present “Financial Freedom: Building Wealth To Live The Live You Love” at noon on Jan. 22.

The next generation may be taking a different path through life than the generations that came before them. Their perspective on finances may be very different than that of their parents. However, the fundamental aspects of mapping out a financial future are the same today as they have always been—planning, budgeting, saving, investing and building good credit. This webinar focuses on the key steps attendees need to take toward achieving financial freedom.

This webinar is intended for people in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

The program is hosted by Bradley Baskir, a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley in Boston. 

The program is free and open to the public, and will be held virtually using Zoom.

To register, visit www.ebpl.org.

East Brunswick Public Library’s Take A Business Break Series continues in 2021 with two virtual programs presented by Edward Mendlowitz, CPA, Emeritus partner at WithumSmith+Brown, PC. 

The first program, “How To Be Your Own Investment Manager: Making Sense of the Stock Market,” is held on Jan. 28 at noon. The program will explain how to research stocks, decide when to sell them, and be concerned about dividends. 

The other program, “How to Read, Analyze and Understand Financial Statements,” is on Feb. 25 at noon. It is based on Mendlowitz’s MBA course, and attendees will receive a free PDF of his 160-page book. Mendlowitz explains the seven elements of a financial statement, their purpose and how to use each to better understand your business. 

The free programs are held online using the Zoom platform. For more information or to register for either program, visit the library’s virtual program calendar at www.ebpl.org. 

Eighth graders will get a second opportunity to apply to the Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences in Woodbridge.

Applications are being accepted for a second entrance exam, to be held online on Jan. 30.

The deadline for applications is Jan. 23.

The entrance exam is being held virtually for the first time. Students taking the two-hour exam are monitored via webcam by proctors from the academy staff. The exam includes mathematics, language arts and science questions, as well as an essay.

The exam results are used to choose applicants to be interviewed. The interview process includes virtual meetings with both parents and students.

The application is available on the district website, www.mcvts.net.

The academy’s focus is to prepare students for college majors in the medical and biomedical research fields. All students take an honors curriculum with an emphasis on the sciences. Students have opportunities to take Advanced Placement courses as well as courses affiliated with Rutgers University School of Health Professions.

The East Brunswick Public Library, Hackensack Meridian Health and the Middlesex County Office of Health Services will team up to present a seven-part “Take Control of Your Health: Chronic Disease Self-Management” workshop series.

These weekly webinars are every Tuesday at 10 a.m., starting Feb. 2 and running through March 16. Each session is approximately two hours.

“Take Control of Your Health: Chronic Disease Self-Management” is for anyone with a chronic medical condition, such as arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis or diabetes. Medical experts will be discussing techniques to manage symptoms like stress and depression, get started with healthy eating and exercise, communicate effectively with your doctor, make daily tasks easier, and learn how to manage fear, anger and frustration.

Participants will receive a free book on the topic (which will be mailed to their home address), a completion certificate and other incentives.

This program is free and open to the public. To register, go to www.ebpl.org/calendar or call the library’s Information Desk desk at 732-390-6767. Participants can register for this program series through the Feb. 16 session.

This program series is offered through East Brunswick Public Library’s Just For The Health Of It consumer health and wellness information initiative. To learn more about these resources and programs, visit www.justforthehealthofit.org.

Karma Cat + Zen Dog Rescue Society and People for Animals will hold their quarterly Snip & Chip for Community Cats event on Feb. 19, where locals can bring in feral cats to be spayed/neutered and microchipped free of charge.

Do not bring any socialized cats, they will be turned away.

The event will be held at the People for Animals Clinic located at 1 Sharon Road in Robbinsville. All feral cats from Central New Jersey are welcome, with a limit of five cats per participant. All cats must be dropped off between 7 and 7:30 a.m. to receive treatment.

Snip & Chip will provide free spay/neuter surgeries (valued up to $55) which will include rabies & distemper vaccines, ear tip, injectable pain control, tattoo, and medical waste disposal for feral cats. Microchip insertion/registration will be available free of charge as well.

Additional services will be available for an additional charge, including post-op boarding.

All additional services must be pre-paid at the time of drop off.

Karma Cat + Zen Dog Rescue Society will accept cash or credit/debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover). No American Express or checks accepted.

Registrations must be made by Feb. 8. To register, participants must fill out the form at https://karmacatzendog.org/snipchiprequest. If participants cannot fill out the form, email [email protected] with “Snip & Chip Reservations” in the subject line. Within the body of the email, participants must provide: full name, email address, mailing address, phone number, number of cats, what town the cats reside in, and a description of the colony.

The pickup date is Feb. 19 or 22; $15 boarding fee per cat to be paid to the rescue.

Nominations for the 25th annual Russ Berrie Making a Difference Award are being accepted through Feb. 12.

Members of the community can nominate a fellow New Jerseyan and give him or her the chance to be recognized for their service. They are people who help others in need, give their time and energy to solve community problems, and put others above themselves.

Each year, the Making a Difference Award presents $50,000 to one winner, $25,000 to two runners-up, and up to $7,500 to several others at a ceremony hosted by Ramapo College of New Jersey, which manages the awards program on behalf of the Russell Berrie Foundation.

Awards will be presented at a virtual ceremony in May.

The nomination form is available online at berrieawards.ramapo.edu. 

East Brunswick residents can turn the page on a winter spent mostly indoors by renting a plot at the township’s Community Garden, located adjacent to the municipal complex off Rues Lane.

A limited number of 10-foot by 10-foot plots are now available for new gardeners on a first-come, first-served basis for $45 for the first season. The garden is open to township residents and people who work in East Brunswick.

All gardeners are required to put in four hours of community garden service each year by working with a committee and participating in work days, or paying $40 in lieu of service. Gardeners can select from a list of committees found on the registration form.

For more information and to register for a plot, visit registration form.

The garden’s website  offers timely articles, tips and tricks for gardeners, a calendar of events and information on donating surplus produce. Gardeners have donated more than a ton of surplus produce in the last few years. Meetings and events during the year also give gardeners a chance to share ideas outside the garden.

To keep gardeners safe, several rules, including mandatory mask wearing and social distancing while in the garden were instituted last year.

For more information, email to [email protected].

The East Brunswick Community Garden is a project of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, a 501c3 not-for-profit organization.

Recognizing the bravery and commitment of volunteer firefighters and first responders, New Jersey American Water announces its 2021 grant program for volunteer fire departments, ambulance squads and first aid squads located within the company’s service areas.

Grants may be used to cover the costs of personal protective equipment, communications gear, first aid equipment, firefighting tools, vehicle maintenance and other materials that will be used to support volunteer firefighter and emergency responder operations. Reimbursement for specific training courses, including the cost of training manuals, student workbooks, and instructors is also eligible.

To apply, organizations must complete the application available at www.newjerseyamwater.com under News & Community, Community Involvement.

The maximum grant amount awarded to any organization is $2,000.

The deadline to apply is March 12. Interested applicants can find more information and apply online at www.newjerseyamwater.com/community.

Grant recipients will be notified at the end of March.

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The East Brunswick Public Library will kick off 2021 with the first virtual program in the new “Option Green: Climate Change & Community” environmental education initiative.

The first program in the series is a discussion of the PBS documentary “Decoding the Weather Machine” with New Jersey State Climatologist David A. Robinson at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13. The documentary explores how scientists and researchers have been working to understand weather and climate better. The documentary can be viewed in advance of the program via www.pbs.org, or the DVD can be reserved with a library card from any Middlesex County public library.

The program will be held virtually, with closed captioning available. Tickets are recommended for this free program. To reserve your ticket, or for additional information, visit www.ebpl.org/optiongreen or call 732-390-6767.

The Option Green programs are funded by the American Library Association’s “Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change” pilot program and sponsorship from the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission and East Brunswick Public Library. Other community partners include Highland Park Public Library, Matawan-Aberdeen Library, New Brunswick Free Public Library, North Brunswick Library, Old Bridge Public Library, Plainsboro Public Library and South Brunswick Public Library.

Dr. Kirsten Fermaglich will discuss her groundbreaking book on Jewish name changing in 20th century America during a virtual Zoom presentation at 7 p.m. Jan. 14.

“A Rosenberg by Any Other Name” reveals that name changing was a broad-based, voluntary response to an upsurge in antisemitism.

Rather than trying to escape their heritage, most name changers remained active within the Jewish community, achieving White middle class status and avoiding antisemitism.

Relying on court documents, oral histories, archival records, and contemporary literature, Fermaglich contends that name changing had a lasting impact on the culture.

Free and open to the public, the event is presented by the Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers University and is the Center’s Raoul Wallenberg Annual Program funded by Leon and Toby Cooperman.

Advance registration is required at BildnerCenter.Rutgers.edu.

Playhouse 22 will be streaming “Auld Lang Song: From Our (Play)House to Yours” through Jan. 31.

A virtual concert featuring performers throughout New Jersey, “Auld Lang Song” will be presented on the theater’s website at Playhouse22.org for free.

Featuring Ray Dobrovolsky, Angela Dohl, Eric Freeman, Julie Freeman, Ali Gleason, James Moffett, Lisa Rogol, Zachary Rogol, Kristen Umansky and Francois Suhr, “Auld Lang Song” is a concert of songs from classic Broadway and Hollywood musicals to Christmas songs, as well as recent works from some of today’s hit musicians.

Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.

High school students are invited to enter their substance use prevention messages through their original music as part of the music and song writing competition, “Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs New Jersey,” sponsored by New Jersey Broadcasters and 959.9-FM WRAT.

The competition is designed to challenge New Jersey high school students to create original music and lyrics with powerful peer-to-peer substance use, misuse and prevention messages. Entries are accepted through Feb. 1.

All music genres are welcomed from students interested in sharing their talent and inspiring messages about shouting down drugs and raising up their voices to inspire their peers.

The winner of the New Jersey Shout Down Drugs competition, as decided by judges and announced at the end of the Prevention Concert, will receive a $5,000 music contract. The second- and third-place performers will receive $3,000 and $2,000 music contracts, respectively, with the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey.

For rules and information on how to enter, contact Diane Higgins at 973-275-7985.

Assemblyman Joe Danielsen’s “Head to Toe” clothing drive is seeking donations of hats, scarves, mittens/gloves and socks for children ages 3-16.

Any donations must be clean and washed, and placed in a Ziploc bag and left in the designated box outside his office at 334 Elizabeth Ave., Somerset, on the second floor.

The drive will last until Feb. 15.

For more information, call 732-247-3999 or email [email protected].

Ongoing

To document the experiences of the community while living through the COVID-19 pandemic, the East Brunswick Public Library has been collecting submissions to a COVID-19 Community Time Capsule.

The time capsule can be viewed online at www.ebpl.org/history

The library is still taking submissions at this time.

The Community Pet Food Bank by New Beginnings Animal Rescue is open from 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, with varying hours on Saturdays, on the grounds of Nativity Lutheran Church, 552 Ryders Lane, East Brunswick.

For more information, visit nbarnj.org

The Jamesburg Public Library will hold its board meetings on the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m.

These meetings are open to the public, and will take place on Zoom for the remainder of the year.

Visit jamesburglibrary.org or www.facebook.com/JamesburgLibrary/ for further information.

Each meeting will have a different Zoom link and passcode

The East Brunswick Recreation, Parks & Community Services Department is collecting non-perishable food, cash and gift cards for distribution to Aldersgate Community Outreach Center.

Drop off food in the back of the box truck parked in the parking lot, 334 Dunhams Corner Road; the door is kept down so lift it to put donations inside.

Or, drop cash/check/gift cards in an envelope and put in the drop box next to the front door to the Recreation Department.

Raritan Valley YMCA is encouraging residents to #StayWithUs during this time, in particular by visiting the Y’s Facebook page for virtual events, programs and classes.

Adult programs include group fitness classes provided by Y360, Les Mills and from Y instructors. Programs and classes will be updated on a week-to-week basis. The ZOOM app is required; email [email protected] for log-in details.

The Facebook page also features live story time and creative arts with Ms. Preeti and Ms. Brenda.

Details Camp Yomeca day camp are available on the website. Online registration is open.

For more information, visit raritanvalleyymca.org.

The East Brunswick Domestic Response Team is seeking volunteers.

Citizens are trained to respond to local police departments on an on-call basis to provide support and information to victims of domestic abuse.

For more information, email [email protected].

The Korean War/Defense Veterans Association Central Jersey Chapter No. 148 extends an invitation to any veterans, regardless of branch of service, who served during the war from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953, in any location, including Europe, or who have served in Korea from July 27, 1953, through the present.

The group meets at 10 a.m. the second Wednesday of every month —except January through April — at the Monroe Township Municipal Building, 1 Municipal Plaza.

Membership dues are $25 to the Korean War Veterans Association and $10 chapter fee per year.

The chapter is involved in various functions during the year, including parades, flag raisings, visiting the Korean War Memorial in Atlantic City, etc.

For more information, contact Charles Koppelman at 609-655-3111 or [email protected].

Dove Hospice Services of New Jersey seeks compassionate volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families.

Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes, which can also be nursing facilities or assisted living facilities, at least once a week. They read to the patient, reminisce about their lives, play cards, help with letter writing and provide respite for caregivers.

Visits can be virtual, and are either during the day or early evening.

Volunteers may also assist with administrative work within the hospice office.

Patient care volunteers complete an application and attend a virtual volunteer training program that covers the role of a hospice volunteer. Day and evening virtual training programs are offered.

To sign up for the next virtual training class, contact Volunteer Coordinator Deborah Adams at 732-405-3035 or email [email protected].