The Arts Institute of Middlesex County is presenting a multitude of arts and culture events throughout April, primarily centered around National Poetry Month.
Highlights include:
- April 7 at 4 p.m. – In celebration of National Poetry Month, join the Civic League of Greater New Brunswick in a reading of “I Saw a Peacock with a Fiery Tail”. After the reading, create your own pen and ink cutouts using your own materials.
- April 14 at 4 p.m. – Explore a folk story told in poetic verse and in two languages through vivid prints in this reading of “The Snow and the Sun,” written and illustrated by Antonio Frasconi. After the reading, experiment with engraving to create multiple prints of your own.
- April 21 at 4 p.m. – Explore the real-life story of the Puerto Rican-American pediatrician and New Jersey-based poet William Carlos Williams as told through multimedia illustrations. Let the images and words inspire you to create your own poems and collages from a variety of your own found papers and other materials.
- April 28 at 4 p.m. – Explore everyday family and community life in the Bahamas through paintings and poetry in a reading of “Under the Sunday Tree,” then create your own everyday scene or portrait in paint.
All programs will be held virtually.
Visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov/Artsculture for full details on all the events.
To honor National Poetry Month, the Arts Institute will also present a series of videos and content on www.middlesexcountynj.gov/PoetryMonth
The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office will hold a town hall meeting on use of force as part of the 21 County 21st Century Community Policing Project.
Middlesex Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, in partnership with the Middlesex County Association of Chiefs of Police and the NAACP, will discuss the recently issued and revised Attorney General’s directive regarding the use of force from 6-7 p.m. April 8.
To join the webinar, visit https://bcove.video/3vOe3gj
Questions may be submitted in advance to [email protected]
Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center Foundation will host a golf outing on May 3 at Manasquan River Golf Club in Brielle in support of the Emergency Department expansion project taking place at Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge.
The golf outing will follow all CDC, state and local guidelines and is being planned in conjunction with Hackensack Meridian Healthclinicians to ensure the safety of guests.
Raritan Bay Medical Center broke ground on the renovation and expansion of its Emergency Department in 2019. The first phase of the project is slated to open to the public later this year, with the full Emergency Department opening in 2022.
The medical center remains open to the public for all emergent and outpatient needs throughout construction.
Individuals and foursomes can register at give.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/RBMCGolf, by calling 201-519-2446, or emailing [email protected].
For more information, visit www.rbmc.org.
Jammin for Jaclyn, the New Jersey-based benefit for those fighting cancer, will hold its eighth annual benefit concert from 7-10:30 p.m. June 12, streaming virtually on Facebook Live @jamminforjaclyn
The event will benefit local business owner Brian DaSilva, who is battling pancreatic cancer.
Performers include Levy Okun, SOF, Sahara Moon, Nick Ryan, Fern, Taylor Tote, Natalie Farrell and Jake Tavill.
There will be a 50/50 drawing.
For more information or to donate, call Denise or Ron Morgan or Michael Squillace at 732-525-9536; email [email protected]; or visit JamminforJaclyn.org
The organization was originally established for Sayreville resident Jaclyn Squillace, who was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer while five months pregnant in 2014. Her brother, Michael Squillace, a professional multi-instrumentalist, along with her parents and co-founders, Denise and Ron Morgan, created the annual event in order to raise funds for Jaclyn’s many surgeries and treatments, but also to lift her spirits.
As she went in and out of remission for several years, they continued to run the event for others fighting cancer in the community.
Though Jaclyn passed in 2018, they continue to run the event in her name.
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The First Presbyterian Church of Sayreville will hold its annual flea market from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 18 at the church, 172 Main St., Sayreville, directly across from Borough Hall. Rain date is Sept. 25.
Vendor spaces are available for $15 for one space, or $25 for two. There are a limited number of tables to rent for an additional $5.
No food vendors.
For more information, leave a message on the church answering machine at 732-257-6353 or email [email protected].
Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, is hosting a free virtual lecture series on adolescent and family health issues.
Organized by Saint Peter’s Opioid Task Force, this virtual lecture series is designed for parents and families. The presentation will address common parental concerns about the numerous ways the pandemic has impacted teens, from issues like isolation to how they cope, socialize and develop. The series will also explore addiction which has escalated during the pandemic and resources for successful recovery.
Each lecture will start at 6:30 p.m.
The full list of lecture topics is:
April 7: Recovery Coaches, presented by Bonnie Nolan, PhD, Woodbridge Opioid Overdose Recovery Program (WOORP)
Registration link: https://SaintPetersHCS.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dcB-NO7KQbCuOm1fhIIvqw
April 21: Successful Recovery from Addiction, presented by Don Rogers, Community Outreach director at The Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper
Registration link: https://SaintPetersHCS.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5QCvDKsbSk-JkDa2sAna3w
For more information on any of the virtual lectures, contact Robert J. LaForgia, coordinator, Healthier Middlesex, at [email protected] or 732-745-8600, ext. 5831. Allow up to 48 hours for a response.
Registration is still open for the Old Bridge Soccer League.
The season begins April 10 and will consist of 10 games. Children ages 3-12 are eligible to play.
There is also a new Adult Recreation League, which begins April 9.
Games are played Friday nights at Geick Park, Old Bridge Matawan Road.
Email [email protected] if interested in playing.
United Way of Central Jersey is continuing to provide VITA services to prepare taxes this season for individuals and families making $65,000 or less.
All taxes will be prepared remotely via video conferencing and/or phone.
To schedule an appointment, visit https://uwcjtaxprep.as.me/schedule.php
For VITA Lockbox locations, visit https://tinyurl.com/VITALockbox
To prepare your own taxes for free, visit www.myfreetaxes
The Old Bridge Open will be held 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 19 at Glenwood Country Club, Route 9 south at Fairway Lane, Old Bridge, hosted by the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The cost is $150 per golfer, or $500 per foursome; includes golf, lunch and reception.
Sponsorships available.
To register or for more information, visit mcrcc.org
Sacred Heart Church will hold their first virtual tricky tray.
Drop off tickets to play in person at Memorial Hall, 531 Washington Ave., South Amboy, but then enjoy virtually, while ticket pulling starts at 6 p.m. April 23, live streamed from the church’s website and Facebook page.
Purchase a pre-sale bundle at $50 to save $10. No bundle packs will be sold at the door.
Drop off ticket days are April 10 and 17 from 3-6 p.m.; April 11 and 18 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and April 14 and 21 from 6-8 p.m.
Ticket sheets and additional raffles available at event, cash only.
Due to coronavirus, the following precautions will be implemented: No contact temperature check at door, mask required, social distancing with limited people allowed in at one time.
For questions, more details or to order a pre-sale bundle, contact the parish office at 732-721-0040 or email [email protected].
Middlesex College is developing apprenticeship opportunities in Advanced Manufacturing through Career Advance USA, a U.S. Department of Labor-funded grant.
Apprenticeships, developed and implemented in collaboration with employers, are earn-and-learn programs that combine formal classroom learning with on-the-job training.
Those interested in the program should register for a virtual information session at middlesexcc.edu/manufacturing-apprenticeships. They will be held over Zoom at 10 a.m. Tuesdays, April 13 and May 11.
The college is also looking for employers interested in developing workers.
For more information about the grant and how to participate, visit middlesexcc.edu/manufacturing-apprenticeships or contact Yarelis Figueroa at [email protected] or John Miller at [email protected].
The honorees are:
- Chris Beagan, Class of 1990, three-time state championship coach, GMC Coach of the Year
- Steven Casano, Class of 1985, founding executive director of NeuroSearch; Sayreville Little League coach, sponsorship coordinator and board member
- William D’Amico, Class of 1973, distinguished military career; three special operations commanding officer tours of duty; post-military career in corporate medical device, consumer goods and industrial manufacturing industries
- The late Matthew Lynch, Class of 1985, president of Friends Of Children’s Hospital in Warsaw, Poland; honored by U.S. ambassador to Poland for 20 years of service
- Farrah Reilly, Class of 1994, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author under the pen name Emma Chase; books translated into more than 20 languagesTickets are $50 for adults or $30 for children, with a choice of meals.All reservations received to date for tickets and program ads will be honored.New ad book and ticket requests will be mailed in March.For more information, contact Elaine Kubacz at 732-727-0192 or [email protected].
Hiding in Plain Sight: Working Together to Prevent Youth Suicide will be presented by the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the New Jersey Department of Health, New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, Monmouth University SRF Suicide Prevention Research and Training Project and the School of Nursing and Health Studies, New Jersey Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner, New Jersey Department of Children and Families, the New Jersey Traumatic Loss Coalition, and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office.
The free virtual conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon on April 29.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OK4X_jzXTIqHYvDtrLW5PA
For more information, contact Sharleen van Vlijmen at [email protected]
The Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold the 75th annual Bernie Cohn Golf Classic from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 13.
Tee time is 9 a.m. at the Banks Course, Forsgate Country Club, 375 Forsgate Dr., Monroe.
Sign up at mcrcc.org or https://shotgunflat.wufoo.com/forms/z1qupopx0qkzr0t/
Eligible adult students and graduates with the potential to succeed in college can apply for the 2021 NJALL Scholarships.
NJALL will award two scholarships on June 18 to two adults who earned a high school diploma by attending a New Jersey adult education program to prepare for a High School Equivalency Test or Adult High School and have been accepted to/or are attending college.
The Scholarship NOW provides up to $1,000 per semester for full-time enrollment, (pro-rated for part-time) to a maximum of $8,000 for higher education.
To qualify, an applicant must be a resident of New Jersey. Scholarship applications are open to anyone regardless of gender, race, color, religion, age, sexual orientation or disabling condition.
The 2021 application with eligibility information is available at https://files.constantcontact.com/2333e3fb001/c398a7eb-91b8-4dfa-9f55-18a3a701099f.pdf
All applications must be submitted, including all required documents, postmarked no later than May 10.
Jim Raffone, the founder/CEO of JAR Of Hope, has been fighting for years to save children with a fatal disease called Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Duchenne is an extremely rare (one in every 3,500 live births), muscle-wasting disease for which there’s no cure. By the early-teens, these children (mostly boys) are in wheelchairs. By the late-teens, they’re breathing on ventilators. And by the early-twenties, they’re in graves. After suffocating.
Jim and Karen Raffone’s son James Anthony, now 11, was diagnosed with Duchenne at four. When they found out there was no cure, they started JAR Of Hope to raise funds for research.
Official Celebrity Boxing is staging a boxing event at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City on June 12. Raffone will go against Tommy “The Tiger” Moose, on the same boxing program with Lamar Odom and Aaron Carter.
Tickets are available at [email protected]
The First Presbyterian Church of Sayreville will hold its annual flea market from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 18 at the church, 172 Main St., Sayreville, directly across from Borough Hall. Rain date is Sept. 25.
For more information, leave a message on the church answering machine at 732-257-6353 or email [email protected].
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Ongoing
NAMI In Our Own Voice (NAMI En Nuestra Propia Voz) is a program by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Jersey chapter geared toward community education and reducing the stigma of mental health, as trained volunteers share their lived experience of mental health recovery.
To schedule a presentation at a school, PTA meeting, congregation, town hall, support group or professional training, email [email protected]
Presentations are available in English and Spanish.
A COVID-19 testing site has been set up in the front parking lot of the Sayreville Police Department, 1000 Main St., Sayreville.
It will be running daily, with no out of pocket cost.
To make an appointment, visit https://test.svnj.online/reg/sayreville.aspx
Christ Church in South Amboy has reopened its thrift shop.
Limited hours are from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
Items available include clothing, shoes, accessories and household items.
The new entrance is from the church parking lot, 220 Main St., South Amboy.
Follow COVID-19 guidelines of social distancing and mask wearing.
Gain stability from an in-demand occupation; apply for a Women’s Center career training grant from Jewish Family Services of Middlesex County.
Qualified persons who are active members of the JFS Women’s Center must submit an application and attend an interview. Grants are available for short-term training programs for in-demand jobs.
Eligible candidates must qualify as a “displaced homemaker,” a woman who is a single mother, divorced, separated, widowed, or living with a disabled spouse/partner.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, email [email protected]
French American School Princeton (FASP) is accepting enrollment.
At FASP, students in preschool (3 years old) through grade 8 benefit from a rigorous bilingual curriculum accredited by the Middle State Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools and the French Ministry of Education; personalized attention thanks to small class sizes; and a multicultural community with more than 30 nationalities represented.
FAPS is located at 75 Mapleton Road, Princeton.
Visit ecoleprinceton.org, call 609-430-3001 or email [email protected].
Central Jersey SCORE, a non-profit resource partner of the Small Business Administration, is looking for volunteers to assist people looking to start a business or grow an existing small business.
The organization is recruiting business owners and executives, both current and retired, 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 and webinars, both offered virtually in line with current pandemic restrictions. In addition, the SCORE website offers tools and templates on a wide variety of topics and numerous online courses and webinars to assist small business owners through every aspect of business development and management. Services are offered free of charge.
Anyone interested in volunteering with SCORE or seeking additional information should email [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].
Monroe Township Jewish War Veterans Post 609 is collecting United States and foreign stamps, both on and off envelopes.
Stamps are used by veterans as hobbies and as therapy to support medical staff at VA Medical Centers nationwide.
Stamps are not traded or sold; they are forwarded to veteran patients at no charge.
Also requested are DVDs suitable for veterans at those locations.
Send all items to JWV Post 609, c/o Charles Koppelman, 6 Yarmouth Dr., Monroe 08831-4742.
Old Bridge High School is seeking active duty or reservist military personnel who are alumni for the Military Wall of Honor expected to be established this year.
The wall is meant to commemorate graduates who have given their lives to honor their country and shine a light on the importance of veterans within the Old Bridge community.
Residents are urged to assist with the project by spreading the word of the proposed military wall. The high school is looking for graduates from 1995 through the present.
To submit information, visit docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSev1sK7AIQ6KvNb2iqUz6l7UgFmPBJXBpMbkAR2IuRwkUeVQQ/viewform or contact Guy Lassen at [email protected].