The Middlesex County Regional COVID-19 Vaccine Mega-site, operated by RWJBarnabas Health, is seeking volunteers to assist in the efficiency of the registration and vaccination process and help visitors feel comfortable.
Volunteers of the mega-site, located at the New Jersey Convention & Expo Center, 97 Sunfield Ave., Edison, will greet patients and visitors; perform temperature screenings; direct patients through various steps of the vaccination process; provide education materials; and assist with maintaining the registration area and supplying vaccination stations.
Volunteers do not administer vaccines.
Those who apply to volunteer must be a minimum of 18 years old and will be subject to a background check and a drug screen, and will need to sign a confidentiality statement.
College students requiring community service hours are also eligible to volunteer. RWJBarnabas Health will track hours and provide written verification for those who need it.
Volunteers must commit through June to at least two shifts per week from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.; or one full day from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with an hour break for lunch. Shifts are available seven days a week.
Send your name, phone number, email address, desired start date and your availability to Megasite_Volunteer@rwjbh.org.
Sign up at https://forms.gle/nxuZUi5AMJe1RcyJ8
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
The Old Bridge Police Department will be a collection site for Operation Take Back New Jersey from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 24 at the Old Bridge Township Richard Allen Cooper Recreation Center, 1 Old Bridge Plaza.
Local residents are encouraged to properly dispose of their unused, unwanted and expired medication.
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 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
Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick has launched the Substance Abuse and Addiction Loss Support Group for families who are coping with loss due to addiction.
The free and confidential support group meets virtually on the second Thursday of every month from 7-8:30 p.m.
Inspired by Saint Peter’s Opioid Task Force, the Substance Abuse and Addiction Loss Support Group is for families and close loved ones of people who have passed away from addiction.
The support group is open to everyone in New Jersey and serves as a safe space for families to discuss their grief.
To join the Substance Abuse and Addiction Loss Support Group, call Jeanne Delacruz, a social worker at Saint Peter’s who facilitates the support group, at 732-745-8522 or email jdanyus@saintpetersuh.com
Saint Peter’s also plans a “Successful Recovery from Addiction”
virtual presentation from 6:30-7:30 p.m. April 21 via Zoom, presented by Donald Rogers, Community Outreach director at The Recovery Village Cherry Hill at Cooper.
In this presentation, Rogers will share his story of active addiction, treatment episodes, and interactions with law enforcement. He will also explain the disease concept of addiction, family systems and how addiction can impact loved ones, and the experience of treatment leading to the recovery process.
To register for “Successful Recovery from Addiction,” visit
https://SaintPetersHCS.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5QCvDKsbSk-JkDa2sAna3w
Women Aware will present a virtual community education panel on the Rights & Resources for Victims of Crime in Middlesex County from 7-8 p.m. April 21.
The webinar will promote community awareness of crime victims’ rights and services during the 2021 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (April 18-24).
Information will be presented in both English and Spanish.
Access the Zoom webinar at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89437471896?pwd=WldvUFBCa0l6cWs4SXdYZU5DMkh0UT09
Free tree seedlings will be offered to residents from 9 a.m. to noon on April 25 in the parking lot of the Sayreville Senior Center, 423 Main St.
Seedlings limited to five per person.
Stay in your car; volunteers will place the seedlings in your trunk. Wear a mask.
The seedlings are donated by the New Jersey Tree Recovery Program and the New Jersey Community Forestry Program.
The program is hosted by the Sayreville Shade Tree Commission.
For more information, email Joyce Major at joyce.sayrevilleshadetree@gmail.com
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 epkubacz@verizon.net.
Middlesex County’s Parks and Recreation Department will accept reservations for picnic groves at nine county parks via a new online reservation system, with the first reservations available on April 24.
The parks included in this new reservation system include Alvin Williams Park in Woodbridge; Donaldson Park in Highland Park; Fords Park in Woodbridge; Johnson Park in Piscataway; Joseph Medwick Park in Carteret; Merrill Park in Woodbridge; Roosevelt Park in Edison; Thompson Park in Monroe; Warren Park in Woodbridge.
These picnic groves offer visitors a socially distanced way to host picnics and small gatherings in an outdoor setting.
Fees vary for each location and are contingent on the Executive Order in place at the time of event.
To reserve a picnic grove online and view a list of accommodations provided at each grove such as electrical outlets, charcoal grills, shelter, etc., visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov/About/ParksRecreation/Pages/PR/Reservations.aspx.
A list of rules and regulations for the use of picnic areas will be listed on that page.
Middlesex County will hold a residential paper shred program for all Middlesex County residents from 9 a.m. to noon April 24, or until the truck is filled, whichever occurs first, at Babbage Park, Laurel Place, North Brunswick.
Limit of five file boxes or 100 pounds per car.
Paper must be in a manageable container. No plastic bags will be accepted.
No need to remove paper clips, staples or paperboard binder covers.
Do not bring newspapers, magazines, hardcover books, junk mail, photos, x-rays, CDs, shredded paper or garbage.
Residents must wear face coverings, keep their vehicle windows closed and remain inside their vehicles.
Materials should be in the truck, cargo area or truck bed, easily accessible for staff to retrieve.
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 svanvlijmen@njaap.org
MCFOODS (Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services) is holding a virtual walk to end hunger through April 30.
Choose when, where and how far to walk.
Go to www.feedingmiddlesexcounty.org/virtual-walk to sign up. There is a $5 registration fee. Ask others to sponsor per mile or per journey.
Tag photos, videos or screenshots of a walking app with #FMCVirtualWalkForHunger and @feedingMC1. And, visit the Facebook event page at https://fb.me/e/4mvbiiwoz
In addition, several food drives to benefit the food insecure in Middlesex County are planned over the next few months:
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 17 at the Park and Ride on Applegarth Road, Monroe
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 15 at East Jersey Old Town Village, Johnson Park, 1050 River Road, Piscataway
- East Brunswick High School’s second annual Battle of the Classes Food Drive: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 2, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 8, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 16 at Brunswick Square Mall, 755 Route 18, East Brunswick
In addition, Dine Below the Line will be held at 6 p.m. June 6 via YouTube. Tune in live to watch local chefs showcase recipes prepared on a budget with items typically found in a food pantry. Chefs will be judged on creativity, budget and nutrition. There will be a “People’s Choice” vote as well by those watching.
Furthermore donations can be dropped off at the MCFOODS facility at 28 Kennedy Blvd., East Brunswick, around the back of the building under the tent. Staff members are there weekdays from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. to receive donations.
If an organization would like to conduct a food drive, arrangements can be made for staff to deliver containers and pick up donations.
Or, direct monetary donations can be made at www.feedingmiddlesexcounty.org/ or checks payable to Feeding Middlesex County can be mailed to P.O. Box 781, Edison 08818.
RU Ready to Farm, a new beginner farmer training program from the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension, will hold its first online information session on May 1 at 10 a.m.
This program is directed by Middlesex County Agricultural Agent Bill Hlubik and will provide a combination of online and in-person hands-on training to new and beginner farmers from around the state.
This information session will:
- Highlight the need for a next generation of farmers.
- Provide an overview of the RU Ready to Farm training program.
- Explain how to sign-up for the program.
- Outline the level of commitment expected from program participants.
- Feature farmers sharing the story of their horse-powered diversified farm in coastal Maine.
Registration for the information session can be found at https://go.rutgers.edu/db88up1r
For more information about RU Ready to Farm, visit rubeginnerfarmer.rutgers.edu, or email beginnerfarmer@njaes.rutgers.edu. Follow on Facebook and Instagram @RUReadytoFarm.
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 paige.cooper@hmhn.org.
For more information, visit www.rbmc.org.
Saint Peter’s University Hospital, a member of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, is hosting a free virtual lecture on Trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Self Care Strategies, presented by Laurie Herrick, BS, and Heather Ward, MSW, LSW, CPS, Wellspring Center for Prevention, 6:30-7:30 p.m. May 5. Register at https://SaintPetersHCS.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2-vnCAeHTjKFFjTCrqHLCg
Another lecture, the HPV Vaccine’s Role in Cancer Prevention for Your Adolescent, will be presented by Daniela Correa, MD, pediatrician, The Children’s Hospital at Saint Peter’s University Hospital, and Paulina Rojas, MD, pediatrician, Saint Peter’s University Hospital’s Family Health Center, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. June 2. Register at https://SaintPetersHCS.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7kQcomXSReqmT-3slyOPpw
For more information, contact Robert J. LaForgia, coordinator, Healthier Middlesex, at rlaforgia@saintpetersuh.com or 732-745-8600, ext. 5831. Allow up to 48 hours for a response.
The Sayreville Historical Society is planning three Night at the Museum events.
The first on April 8 honored the history of industry in Sayreville.
The May 13 event will honor police, fire and EMTs.
The June 10 night will honor veterans.
In addition to regular displays there will be special displays depicting each of the honored groups.
The programs are open to the public and admission is free. Masks will be required and all COVID-19 protocols will be followed.
The events will run from 6-9 p.m. at the Sayreville Historical Museum, 425 Main St., Sayreville.
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. 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 yfigueroa@middelsexcc.edu or John Miller at jsmiller@middlesexcc.edu.
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 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 james@jarofhope.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 JamminforJaclyn@gmail.com; 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.
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 churchoffice172@optimum.net.
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 churchoffice172@optimum.net.
North Brunswick PBA Local 160 announced the return of its annual Cops & Rodders Car Show for Sept. 19. Rain date will be Sept. 26.
More details will be announced.
For more information, email carshow@nbtpba160.com
The National Alliance on Mental Illness will hold its 2021 walk, NAMIWalks NJ Your Way: A United Day of Hope, virtually on Oct. 9
For more information, visit namiwalks.org/newjersey
***
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 ioov@naminj.org
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 womenscenter@jfsmiddlesex.org
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 admissions@ecoleprinceton.org.
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 marcia.glatman@scorevolunteer.org
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 deborah@dovehs.com.
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 glassen@obps.org.
