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Morristown P rofessional W ins B usiness A ward – Blue Water Wave Awards
Blue Water Wave (BWW), a leading New Jersey networking organization, is proud to announce the winners of the 2nd Annual Wave Awards! The event, held on October 10th, 2024, celebrated professionals who have demonstrated excellence, integrity, and superior client relations in their respective industries.
BWW, founded by Bridget Sorenson, is a rapidly growing networking organization with over eight specialized groups and regional chapters. Known for its organic marketing approach and commitment to fostering genuine relationships, BWW has become a premier platform for C-suite decision-makers and business owners to drive business success.
This year, the Wave Awards honored standout members who were nominated and voted for by their peers. The categories spanned a variety of industries, recognizing both individual and company-wide achievements.
A Morristown-based professional won in the Marketing category, Marc Mustachio of Kraus Marketing in their Morristown office. Marc has been at Kraus for five years and is an accomplished marketing and business development leader with a demonstrated history of excelling in advertising, sales, and media coordination capacities.
A creative professional with over ten years experience in traditional media, digital marketing, sales and marketing strategy, integration, art direction, market research/analysis, and account management. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Montclair State University with a BA in Business Administration and Marketing.
County Museum in Belvidere Reveals
Area Historical and Cultural Findings
By Jeff Garrett
At 94, the Warren County Historical and Society and Museum continues to feature county memorabilia and artifacts to educate curious folks from New Jersey and beyond.
The Historical Society was founded in by a few citizens led by Dr. George Wyckoff Cummins and his wife Anne Blair Titman Cummins in late June 1931. The steering committee was comprised of five board members and made home at 202 Mansfield Street in Belvidere with the purpose, “to preserve things of historical interest and place same on exhibition, to publish historical articles and acquire, mark and care for places or things of historical interest.”
The museum’s beginning was modest in size and space as it called home Room 123 of the renovated county courthouse in the mid-1900’s. Finding and occupying space was a challenge to say the least.
The Society and fledgling museum experienced growing pains by getting dispossessed from the courthouse, then from the Cummins building basement, before finally getting removed from the third floor of the building’s Annex in between 1950 and 1980.
Finally, roots were laid down when the Society purchased its current property from Clara Smith and could really call itself a museum in August 1984 when it opened itself up to the public.
Over the n ext three years, more challenges arose since the museum placed a financial burden on the Society, which decided to dig in and raise funds to pay off the pay-the-mortgage grant by 1987. Finally it could call 313 Mansfield Ave its official home and titled itself The Warren County Historical and Genealogical Society. A repository for all kinds of artifacts and data, dating back to pre-historic times existed.
These days visitors will find a distinguished and eclectic assortment of Warren County antiques and memorabilia with a parlor in the front of the building, showing an ornate red plush Eastlake seating arrangement connected to an add-on kitchen with its original tin ceiling intact. A remarkable wood and coal burning stove from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s complements the kitchen.
Delving back even more to the mid-19 th Century, there’s a rare collection of Warren County-produced textiles as well as textiles from a uniquely large, almost oversized hair wreath and coverlet woven in 1848. Additionally, there are hand-spun and hand-woven pieced quilts and hand-woven linen made from county-grown flax.
Going back even further, there are several artifacts from the era of the Lenape Indians, Paleo and Archaic Peoples which made Warren County home. Plenty of genealogical records exist as does county data for researchers and students.
Serving as a resource for historical information, the Society has become a reliable partner to other historic organizations across Warren County. It continues to meet its vision of preserving its history of Warren County by protecting its historic sites from all types of encroachments. It meets its mission by promoting the collection, preservation and dissemination of that history.
Warren County Historical Society & Museum is open from 2-4pm on Sundays for tours and research. Find out more about the museum and membership opportunities by calling 908-475-4246.
Morris County School of Technology receives grant
from the Rachel Ray Foundation
By Steve Sears
Denv ille’s Morris County School of Technology recently received a $5,000 grant from The Rachael Ray Foundation and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF).
Morris County School of Technology, which was awarded the grant once previously, is part of the Morris County Vocational School District, and is one of 40 high schools nationwide to receive the grant. The school will use the current funds this year to aid its Academy for Culinary Arts by enhancing its school-based events like the Morris County Superintendent’s Breakfast, and another breakfast hosted for Morris County Alliance Network. Funds will also be used for curriculum, getting nicer silverware and nicer cups, and to update items like serrated knives, cutting boards, and more.
“Those simple things like that really enhance the experience of a student. They are very basic things, but they greatly affect the class.” said Miguel Alfonso, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and veteran of many restaurant establishments. He is in his seventh year as a teacher for the Academy for Culinary Arts, which annually has 16 students. “The ProStart program is actually under the National Restaurant Association, and there is a standard curriculum that ProStart gives as a guide for career technical education. Each educator has a very good framework on how to teach and what to teach in order to get a student ready for an entry level position in the hospitality industry.
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“ProStart Grow Grants are a gamechanger for many ProStart classrooms, providing the support to add crucial curriculum, equipment, and experiences for students. We’re grateful for the partnership of The Rachael Ray Foundation, which is helping educators give their students a front row seat to all that a career in the restaurant industry offers,” said Rob Gifford, president of the NRAEF.
153 ProStart Grow Grants have been awarded in the last five years, and The Rachael Ray Foundation and the Yum-o! organization have sponsored over 260 scholarships for students who are pursuing post-secondary degrees in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
“Providing Grow Grants is one of my favorite times of the year. The educators who invest their passion and energy into their classrooms are inspiring. I love to see the impact their work has on the students who graduate from ProStart with the knowledge and excitement for the restaurant industry,” said Rachael Ray.
To learn more about what the Morris County School of Technology and its Academy of Culinary Arts program offers, visit https://www.mcvts.org/mcvsd-programs/full-time-academies/culinary-arts
Affordable Full Mouth Dental Implants
Dental Implants are one of the most revolutionary advancements in the last few decades: they have given people additional alternatives to conventional dentistry, which can provide healthier, longer-lasting results.
Within the field of implant dentistry there is something called Full Arch Dental Implants: it goes by many names such as All-On-Four, All-On-X, Teeth-In-A-Day, and many more. Essentially, compromised teeth are removed, implants placed, and replacement teeth are attached to the implants. Most of the time this can be accomplished within one day!
This is a service we provide on a regular basis for patients who have a need for it. Unfortunately, quite often we see people who have a need, but simply can’t afford it, even with financing. The investment for this service can range between $23,000 & $30,000 per jaw (arch).
Recent advancements in both technology and materials are significantly changing the playing field in the arena of Full Mouth Dental Implants, and one result is decreased cost. We’ve been excited to be able to go back to our patients and let them know about these changes, and many have now been able to afford the dentistry they desperately need.
Traditional All-On-X treatment consists of teeth that are screwed onto the implants. These teeth have also been fabricated from very strong acrylics with an internal metal support or from a “porcelain-like” material known as Zirconia.
With the advent of super-strong acrylics we can offer a “long-term” temporary restoration that patients can upgrade in the future to the proper, durable materials, and with the advent of super-strong “snaps” we can temporarily bypass the screws, which again passes on a cost-savings to patients.
These new advents can d rop the financial investment to around $14,000 to $21,000 per arch (jaw). This is a significant savings over the standard All-On-X process, and can give a consumer the opportunity to start restoring a debilitated dentition.
I do want to point out that the All-On-X process has been around much longer than this newer system, which is called Locator Fixed. Although the results of Locator Fixed are excellent, there may be issues with it that we simply are not aware of. The reverse could be true, too: it may be just fine, and our current sense of caution may be unnecessary. We simply don’t know. What we do know is that we are able to provide patients with the treatment they are searching for, and as funds accumulate, they could upgrade to the All-On-X if they find it necessary.
Its important to understand not everyone needs advanced implant procedures, or even basic implant care.
It may be appropriate when all remaining teeth require removal, but oftentimes people leave my office after a consultation with a list of other options that help to save their teeth!
We encourage you to view the wealth of information on our website: we perform so many dental implant procedures, including full mouth dental implants, that we’ve dedicated an entire section of both the website and our facility just to the delivery of proper implant care. If you have additional questions, reach out to us for a free consultation, which is also outlined on our website.
About the author: Dr. Ira Goldberg has been performing implant procedures for 29 years. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology / Implant Dentistry, a Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. He performs all phases of implant dentistry at his office in Succasunna, NJ. He lectures to dentists in the field of implantology. For a free consultation, including a free 3-D scan (if necessary), please call his office at (973) 328-1225 or visit his website at www.MorrisCountyDentist.com Dr. Goldberg is a general dentist, and also a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry.
Pioneer Pilot Captain Janis Keown-Blackburn
By Henry M. Holden
Janis Blackburn flew as the second officer on an Eastern Airlines Airbus A-300. According to the Airbus Corporation, she was the first woman in the world to be a crewmember on that airplane. “I was 36 years old when Eastern Air Lines hired me in 1985. To get hired, and to be the first says something. It was exciting,” she said.
“I was about the same age or just a couple of years younger than the other second officers. I had more in common with them.” Most of them Janis worked with were in their early 20s. “We talked
about the same things in the cockpit. My daughter was in college, and many of the second officers had kids in college or just starting. So, we have the same problems, tuition, etc. If you’re single, and 23 as opposed to married with a family then we have different things in common.”
At the age of 14, Janis had her first airplane ride as a civil air patrol cadet and immediately fell in love with flying. “I knew then I wanted to fly.”
Two days after her 20th birthday, Janis earned her pilot’s license. For the next few years, she remained on the edge of the flying community until 1977, when she got her instructors rating.
She then taught for 3 1/2 years.
A year earlier, Janis had the opportunity to compete in the last Powder Puff Derby. “I remember hearing about it on the news when I was very small, maybe five or six and I remember the newscaster say, that ‘today is the powder puffers air race.’
“The newscaster began to talk about the race, and it was then that I decided I wanted to be in one. I didn’t know at the time that you had to be a pilot to enter.
“Years later it was exciting to be a contestant in that race. A friend worked for a company that agreed to sponsor us. The company went bankrupt two weeks before we left for California so my copilot, Claire, Korica, and I paid our own way.
“When we began to taxi out, we saw hundreds of spectators and in the front row, I saw my daughter Sandra, who was six at the time. I recognized her in the crowd because she was wearing a Bicentennial dress, her grandmother had made for her.
“We didn’t finish in the top 10 but our objective was to finish the race and we did that. We were flying my Mooney, and I had no intention of damaging anything to try and win an air race. I learned a lot about flying and have a great scrapbook and photo albums for memories.
”
Janis began flying in the 1960s, serving as a full-time flight instructor with the airlines at Marlboro Airport during the 1970s. “I began flying for the airlines in 1981 — first with Princeton Airways in Princeton, followed by Summit Airlines, in Philadelphia, and then with Sun Country Airlines in Minneapolis.”
Janis flew for Princeton Airways for 15 months until they went out of business. Then for a year and a half she flew charters until Summit Airlines
hired her to fly freight from Philadelphia. “When I flew freight I was away a lot. When I was home, it was not quality time with my family since flying freight is a night job, and my body clock was totally messed up.”
Janis stayed for 18 months until Sun Country Airlines offered her a job in Minneapolis as a second officer on a Boeing 727. When she arrived at
their headquarters they decided to train her as a standby first officer. riding both the back seat and the right seat.”
Janis always wanted to fly for Eastern Air Lines. She grew up just outside of Philadelphia and TV advertising always featured. “I applied to Eastern for eight years before they called. The personnel officer said, ‘I’ve been reading your name for eight years an d I’m getting tired of it” Janis replied, “Then you’re going to have to hire me because I’m going to keep on writing.
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When Janis first applied to Eastern Airlines she had about 1,500 hours in the cockpit and they are looking for pilots with 2,5o0 to 3,000 hours. Vietnam was beginning to shut down and the Air Force was discharging pilots. The airline could hold out for pilots with jet experience, and Janis didn’t have any back then.
There were also some personal struggles. In those days, a flight engineer’s ticket was $7,000 and then it was seven weeks away from her family.
One Christmas Janis got all the flight attendants together for a small celebration with Christmas presents for everybody in the crew. “We were like a family. None of us were with our real families. It was just nine of us together, just enjoying each other’s company.”
Janis joined Spirit Airlines in 1999, retiring in 2013 as an A-320 airbus captain with more than 22,000 hours.
During her flying career she handled a few non-routine situations. On one occasion challenged with a cracked windshield at 39,000 feet. On another occasion she had to make an emergency landing at Southwest Florida International Airport in Ft. Myers, A passenger in the forward cabin was having difficulty breathing, while a flight attendant in the aft cabin appeared to be having a heart attack.
Once on the ground, both people survived. In September 2015, Janis was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey, in Teterboro.
Janis recently wrote a children’s cook, “Teddy, the Airplane” a story of a little airplane listening to his friends adventures and deciding to create his own adventures. (available on Amazon).
November Highlights Children’s Grief Awareness
by Supporting Families
By Cheryl Conway
November kicks off the holiday season where families gather and spend time together, and while for many it can be a joyous occasion, for others facing the loss of a loved one, the happy may be missing from their table.
Hence, why November is Children’s Grief Awareness Month and the third Thursday of each November is recognized as Children’s Grief Awareness Day. Its purpose is to raise awareness about the impact of grief on children and need to support those who have experienced loss.
Originated in 2008 in Pennsylvania as a collaboration between the Highmark Caring Place and students from local schools, the day was created in response to students’ desire to bring attention to the struggles of their grieving classmates, explains Annette Mendez of Mt.
Olive, Training & Curriculum Manager at Good Grief, a non-profit grief support center for children and families.
The day is observed annually on the third Thursday of November, which is the Thursday before Thanksgiving in the United States. This year, the day falls on Nov. 21.
“The timing of the day is intentional, as the holiday season can be a difficult time for grieving children and families,” says Mendez.
Some families do not know where to turn when faced with grief. The good news is there are organizations out there that can help! One of those organizations is Good Grief, with support centers in Morristown and Princeton.
“Everyone’s grief is unique, but we encourage people to find support, community, and connection in ways that work best for them,” says Mendez who has been working at Good Grief this past year. “They don’t need to navigate this experience alone.”
Her role at Good Grief is to collaborate with school districts and organizations throughout New Jersey on the implementation and delivery of grief informed workshops and professional development.
“As part of the Good Grief Schools Initiative team, I provide workshops and training on how to build resilience within the grief community and how to grow from adversity,” she says.
“As a former bi-lingual educator, I have passion for working with my community and cultivating relationships with educators across districts to ensure they are providing lessons and spaces that are equitable,” she adds. “We can’t be equitable without being grief informed.”
Good Grief was established in 2004 by a group of concerned volunteers who saw the lack of high-quality grief support for kids in post 9/11 NJ.
“Our purpose is really to empower children and families and help to build up resiliency and strength after adversity and loss,” explains Mendez. “We do this by going into schools and other organizations and destigmatizing grief. We strive to shrink this big elephant in the room into something that is not as difficult to address.”
With 20 years of helping families, Good Grief has served 1,000 individuals each year in its centers, Mendez notes. Since 2018, it has p artnered with 380 schools and has trained 20,391 individuals in Good Grief Schools.
For most of the organization’s history, it has been providing peer support programs to grieving children and families starting at 3 years old through young adulthood. In recent years, its work has expanded through education and advocacy to provide training, curriculum, and resources to schools, hospitals and healthcare, the funeral industry, corporations, and other spaces to empower professionals, parents, and the broader community to support the needs of children and families facing loss.
Since November is designated as Children’s Grief Awareness, Good Grief will be hosting a free community webinar in honor of Children’s Grief Awareness Day. It will be sharing a lesson plan and activity that participants can take back to their schools or clients. It will also have a t-shirt campaign through bonfire, https://www.bonfire.com/goodgrief-2024/ ; a portion of the proceeds will go to Good Grief.
“We also have our annual Gala coming up in November in Princeton, as well as two 5ks,” adds Mendez. In addition to that, educators can reach out at education@good-grief.com if they are interested in any professional de velopment opportunities not only for their staff but for parents and caregivers as well.
“We have monthly community webinars that are free to the public, they are conducted via zoom, recorded and then uploaded to our Youtube page,” she adds.
While November is being highlighted, Good Grief is a year-long center and community support is always welcome.
“Getting the word out,” is paramount, she says.
“Come visit us, we have open houses periodically,” says Mendez. “Spread the word, tell people about us. Tell your neighbor whose child may have lost a pet recently, tell a friend who you know is dealing with grief.
Reach one teach one is my motto.”
Mendez explains why her work at Good Grief is so important.
“I am deeply passionate about this organization’s purpose because I believe that grief is a universal experience that touches all of us at some point in our lives,” shares Mendez. “Many children and families struggle silently with their feelings, often feeling isolated and misunderstood. I have a profound empathy for those navigating the difficult landscape of grief, and I recognize how crucial it is to create a safe space for them to express their emotions.
“By fostering open conversations and encouraging emotional expression, we can help individuals understand that their feelings are valid and shared,” she continues. “This organization plays a vital role in guiding families through their grief journeys, and I am inspired to contribute to this mission, helping to en sure that no one feels alone in their struggle
“Whenever I tell people what I do for a living, they often respond with, ‘Oh, that’s so sad,’” adds Mendez. “However, I always emphasize that I truly love my job. While it is indeed heartbreaking to think about a child in grief, it is equally rewarding to witness the joy of children visiting our centers, knowing they are embraced fully and unconditionally, regardless of where they are in their grieving process.
They are not broken, and there’s no need to fix them. Our role is to listen, provide support, and remind others that grief can be a positive experience, hence our name Good Grief.”
If This Be My Destiny
By Richard Mabey Jr.
As I write the words for this essay, I have become more and more acutely aware of my physical failing. For it was only two years ago, that I walked and cared for over a dozen wonderful dogs in my little community. It was common for me, to walk five or six miles a day, walking my fur-lined friends, while their mommies and daddies were away visiting their adult children. Now, when I walk around the block, I become all so winded, the chest pains prevail. I am becoming more and more aware that it’s the ninth inning, the last scene of Act III of the play.
I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination. My father once told me that God had given me a very precious gift, to put words down on paper. He told me that it was my job to develop it, to hone it, t o fine tune it. I truly hope that I have not let my father down.
When I was two years old, my father built a little desk for me. Dad built a chalkboard onto it. My mother once told me that when I was just two years old, as she would cook supper, I would write down stories on my little desk, drawing stick figures.
I never chose to be a writer, God chose for me to be a writer. I have no doubt about that.
There are too many people to thank. Without whom, I would be nothing. I would have been a piece of driftwood, bobbing up and down out in the darkness of the deep blue sea. I started writing articles for the Lincoln Park Herald, when I was 12 years old. I started writing them from a hospital bed at the Barnert Hospital in Paterson, while I was battling a case of full-blown Rheumatic Fever.
In 1971, when my friends were attending prestigious universities, far from Lincoln Park, I humbly worked at the A&P grocery store, attended County College of Morris and wrote stories and articles for Youngtown Edition.
To Professor John Keeler, wher ever you may now be, I earnestly thank you for all your kind advice. You told me to forget about writing about the great white whale, but rather to write about the little town I loved so much, the people I knew, and the old farmhouse that my Grea t Grandpa built. It’s a debt I can only recognize, but never repay.
In 1977, in a small town in West Virginia, I attempted to be a successful chiropractor. But I failed miserably. I was dirt poor, had only four or five patients, wasn’t eating right and living in tight quarters of a back room of a store front office.
The strep throat came and once ag ain, I came down with Rheumatic Fever.
Returning to the old farmhouse on Mabey Lane, I fell into a deep, deep sleep. And in that deep sleep, I felt the unmistakable spiritual presence of Thomas Wolfe. And the endearing Southern gentleman, simply whispered to me, “write the stories of these people, whom you love so much.”
To all of my dear and precious readers, I share these heart-felt words. Do not ever let anyone kill your dreams. Walk away from your harsh critics. Believe in yourself. Dig deep to find your purpose upon this earth. Always give it 110 percent. Never, ever give up. Always remember, failure is not an option. Love, love, love the people in your life. Forgive, forgive, forgive. Never stop forgiving those who have done you wrong. Hold dear this eternal truth, love is the most powerful force in the universe. Love God with all your heart, mind and soul. And, love all, even unto the creatures of the forest.
Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. His second book is presently at the printer. He hosts a YouTube Channel titled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@gmail.com .
Grandpa Mabey’s Last Thanksgiving By Richard Mabey Jr.
Now, at 71, I find myself dreaming more and more about moments that I shared with my paternal grandfather, Watson Mabey. I walked the forest path with Grandpa, from the end of Mabey Lane to the tow path of the old Morris Canal, over a hundred times in my childhood and youth. During the Summer of 1965, when I was just 11 years old, Grandpa and I came across the Magnificent Buck, on one of our walks to the old Morris Canal. It was a moment that, to this day, holds a dear and precious place in my heart.
I grew up in the old Mabey Homestead, that my great grandfather, William Mabey, built in 1890. On Thanksgiving Day, Dad’s sister and seven brothers, with their spouses and children, would gather at the old farmhouse, to feast and have heart-felt fellowship.
My paternal grandmother, Bertha Mabey, would peel apples for apple pie, very early in the morning. While the women cooked in the kitchen, Dad and his brothers would gather around in the big, enclosed front porch and tell tales of deep sea fishing excursions, grand adventures of hunting, and fond remembrances of growing up together. And, in this mist of all this, Grandpa would sit in his easy chair, in the living room, with all of his grandchildren sitting on the floor at his feet, and tell stories of working on the old Morris Canal.
There was something very different about Grandpa’s tales that he told in the morning of the Thanksgiving of 1967. I was 14 years old at the time and in my freshman year at Boonton High School. I was a sensitive boy and was gifted with a certain amount of intuition about things.
Grandpa had just had a stroke, a few months prior to that Thanksgiving Day. For all practical purposes, the stroke left his left arm almost useless. But Grandpa did his best to hide it.
Usually Grandpa would tell stories of his remembrances of working as the Chief Engineer of Incline Plane Ten East, which was located at the Towaco and Lincoln Park border, along the old Morris Canal. But this particular Thanksgiving morning, Grandpa talked a lot about Heaven. He told us that he had a good friend in Jesus. And, he talked a lot about his brother Earl, who was killed in battle in France, during World War I.
Grandpa spoke of angels, how they would visit him at night time. There was a solemn, reverent quality to Grandpa’s stories, during that Thanksgiving monring of 1967. It was mixed with a bit of sadness.
I remember Grandpa spoke of the Majestic Buck, as he called the wonderful, magnificent, mystical buck that walked the forest behind the old Mabey Homestead.
He talked of a time, when he was younger and had the giant buck lined up in the scope of his rifle, but could not find it within himself to pull the trigger. Grandpa would often say that the Majestic Buck was a true mystical beast.
We used to eat our big Thanksgiving feast at about two o’clock in the afternoon. Grandpa always sat at the head of the dining room table and the three or four additional folding tables that were set up, from the dining room and onto the formal living room.
I remember that halfway through his Thanksgiving prayer, Grandpa began crying. It was the one and only time that I ever saw my grandfather cry. As tears flowed down his cheeks, he asked God to bless each and every one of us at the table.
On the seventeenth of May of 1968, the angels called Grandpa Home to Heaven’s Gate. That was over 56 years ago. Since the day Grandpa passed, I don’t think a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about him. I loved him with all my heart. Now at 71, I still mourn for my beloved grandfather. I still miss him very much. I would give up my entire collection of antique books and my whole comic book collection, to have just 10 minutes to once again talk with that dear, wonderful, kind old man.
Love those near and dear. Hold them precious in your heart. Forgive them of every wrong they may have ever done to you. Cherish every moment with the people you love and care for. For none of us have a written guarantee for tomorrow.
Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He hosts a YouTube Channel titled, “Richard Mabey Presents.” He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@gmail.com .
Operation Christmas Child
by Elsie Walker
Can a shoebox change a child’s life? An Operation Christmas Child box can. Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an organization which reaches out to needs around the world. Through Samaritan Purse’s Operation Christmas Child drive, shoeboxes with small items like toys, pencils, pads, and other things are collected and given out to needy, many times forgotten, children internationally. A local church in the country delivers the boxes and makes a connection with the children.
November 18-25 is the collection week for this year’s Operation Christmas Child boxes and several local churches are acting as drop-off locations. For more information on Operation Christmas Child, ages of children, what to put in a box, suggested postage donation and the drop-off locations and times, visit www.
samaritanspurse.org and scroll down its homepage to Operation Christmas Child. There are drop-off locations in Roxbury, Mt. Arlington, Oak Ridge, Livingston, Wayne, Washington, and more. Recently, some of the coordinators at drop-off locations and a participant talked about the program.
Amanda Blewitt, of Stanhope, is the Drop-off Team Leader at The Ledgewood Baptist Church in Roxbury. Blewitt talked about what inspired her to be involved in Operation Christmas Child.
“The first thing that drew me to Operation Christmas Child was being able to give children who had nothing a gift for Christmas in Jesus’ name. However, this has grown to such a deeper meaning. Many of these children are unseen, unheard, and feel insignificant in this world. Most of these children don’t have any belonging that is their own, and they certainly have never received a gift before. Receiving a gift for the very first time lets them know that they are seen; and they are loved by God, and they are not forgotten,” she shared.
The Port Morris United Methodist Church, in Roxbury, has participated in Operation Christmas Child for several years. This year, it is partnering with the Millbrook United Methodist Church, Randolph, in putting together boxes.
A former pastor and his wife introduced the church to the project. The pa ir were from Bulgaria and had received boxes and passed them out at an orphanage there, making a connection with the children. The children at the orphanage were not all orphans; some had family and knew that. They had been abandoned because they were sick or disabled and seen as a burden. The pastor’s wife would tell of how children receiving the boxes would take them to bed, clutching tightly to them. Since it started participating in Operation Christmas Child, the Roxbury church has tracked its boxes (which can be done online in some cases) to Ukraine, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Ecuador.
“Giving children items for Christmas is a rewarding feeling. I can imagine the smiles on their faces as they open up their boxes. I look forward every year to Operation Christmas to make a difference in their lives,” said church member Roberta Post of Roxbury.
For some, participating in Operation Christmas Child is a family affair. “I … appreciate the chance to get my children involved in something bigger than themselves. They’re both young, four and two but I find that they’re already learning so much about generosity, thoughtfulness, and love for others through this ministry,” said Cassia Lee, of Stanhope, Central Drop-Off coordinator at the Times Square Church North Jersey in Mt.
Arlington. (The Central Drop Off is where all the other Drop Off Locations in the area bring their shoebox filled cartons to load onto tractor trailers to be shipped to the Operation Christmas Child Processing Centers.)
Barbara Stopa, of Roxbury, has participated in Operation Christmas Child for 25 years. Also a member of the Times Square Church North Jersey, Stopa is the Volunteer Regional Area Coordinator for Morris, Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon Counties in NJ and Lebanon County in PA. “..what has moved me the most is hearing the true stories of young adults who received their shoeboxes as children and how much it filled them with hope and joy. With each box they are given a booklet called “The Greatest Gift” that tells them about Jesus, the great gift of all. That gift is eternal,” she said.
Blewett shared a story of an Operation Christmas Child recipient.” We recently heard from a ma n who received a box as a child. He grew up in a Christian home but in a country where Christians are heavily persecuted. He was always told that Jesus is a gift, but he never knew what that meant. Everything he had ever received was completely worn down by the owners before him. He loved to write and draw, but by the time he received a pencil, it was only a small point all the way at the bottom.
He would put the end of the pencil in a pen cap just to be able to hold onto it. When his pastor gave him an Operation Christmas Child shoebox and there was a brand new box of pencils inside, he finally understood what a gift was. He had done nothing to deserve this gift; it was freely given to him. He felt like God saw him, knew what he needed, and felt a tangible expression of God’s love. “
Another story Blewett shared was of twin brothers in the Ukraine. When giving out boxes, the volunteers found they were one short. The one brother said he would share whatever was in his box with his twin. However, when they opened the box, they found it contained two of everything in it.
In another situation, although boxes are carefully checked along the way to their destination, a box was given out which included a shoe…just one shoe. “Unbeknownst to every hand that has touched that box, it reached a family whose child was in an accident and only had one leg… this family was questioning God’s provision until receiving this very special box,” shared Blewett. “These children get what they need through these boxes, and most importantly they get an understanding that God sees them, He knows them, and He loves them.
The toys will break, the soap, pencils, and paper will run out, but what will remain for an eternity is the hope and joy that is only found in Jesus,” she reflected.
Stopa noted that at the Times Square Church Central Drop Off Location, they collected over 14,000 gift- filled shoeboxes for children in 2023 and have a goal to collect over 15,000 this year. When asked what she’d like to share with the public, she said, “ I hope you will join us in bringing hope and love to 15,000 plus children around the world this year. National Collection Week is Nov 18. – 25, 2024. “
United States Army veteran publishes first novel
By Steve Sears
Francine Pozner Ehrenberg knew it was time to get words between covers.
Her words.
The Randolph, New Jersey resident – a proud United States Army veteran and Vice Commander of Chester’s American Legion Post 342 – in April published her first novel, “America’s Candidate,” and in October had her first ever book signing in Mendham at Chapter One Book Store.
Ehrenberg said, “I began writing it as my New Year’s resolution in January. That is when I first started typing it, and I finished it in April. I could not believe it; I never thought I would do this or get to this point.
I have never written a book before, and I had never really done anything except write a few poems as a kid. The idea of even writing a book, eventually publishing it, and having a physical copy in my hand in itself was unbelievable to me. So, to get to the point where I am actually at a store, and people are purchasing my book and asking me to sign it, is beyond anything I ever could have thought would happen for me.”
Ehrenberg, a graduate of both Rutgers Law School and the Civil Affairs Advanced Course at the JFK Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, was a Major in the United States Army (she was in the military for 12 ½ years) Judge Advocate General’s Corp. During deployment in Albania as part of Operation Cornerstone, she served as the advisory liaison between civilian officials and multinational military forces. While in the Army, Ehrenberg was also company commander of the 404th Civil Affairs Battalion and served as an International Law Officer, Command Judge Advocate, and Trial Defense lawyer. Her civilian career resume lists serving 20 years with the Supervising Deputy Attorney General, and the Deputy Bureau Chief of the Financial and Computer Crimes Bureau of the Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Criminal Justice.
Ehrenberg’s family is well-decorated with military service veterans. She said, “My father was in the Korean War, and my father-in-law received the Distinguished Flying Cross in the Korean War. We also have four uncles who were in the military. We are a real military family, so there is nothing but joy and pride.”
Ehrenberg said that her career, in particular being a defense attorney in the military and then being a prosecutor as a civilian, really helped her understand not how to be a good writer, but just to be a person who sees all sides of everything.
Ehrenberg said, “You really get a perspective to be more sort of well-rounded, and just see things from all perspectives and really view the role, maybe not very narrowly, but really broadly. I really feel like every everything I have done has really lent itself to becoming a writer.”
And Ehrenberg is not finished – and there are folks who are thankful for that. She said, “I am thinking of a sequel. The people who have read the book are almost demanding a sequel, which is wonderful. I love it when they call me up and say, ‘But you have to. You cannot just leave me hanging. You have to write a sequel’ So, I am working on that.
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“America’s Candidate” is available at allauthor.com/amazon/90735/. For more information, visit https://ehrenberg1.allauthor.com/.
US Army Field Band Provides Music Across the Nation By Megan Roche
One may think that the Army is just a military institution, where everyone gets deployed and goes to war, but those people would be wrong. Members of the US Army Field Band serve as soldiers, all while playing their instruments and using their voices.
“One of the biggest things that they stress to us in the beginning is that yes, we are musicians but first and foremost you are a soldier. Every single person that you see in this unit has been through basic combat training, they signed a contract that didn’t necessarily say, ‘I’m signing up to be a musician’, we all sign up to be a soldier,” Staff Sergeant Emily Perkins said.
The Army Field Bands are made up of five different groups; the US Army Field Band, the Jazz Ambassadors, the Army Rappers, the Soldiers Chorus, and the Six-String Soldiers. Each group performs around the country, in different areas, throughout the year.
Perkins, who is a vocalist with the Jazz Ambassadors, didn’t see herself getting into the military early on in her career.
“I just really was impressed when I learned about the mission of military bands and how they serve. You get to serve your country but also get to do something that is a huge passion. For me, I was really attracted to the dual aspect of it, feeling like I was a part of something bigger than myself and wearing the uniform that heroes have worn before me, but also getting to do something that I’ve been doing since I was five or six years old,” Perkins said.
While performing free concerts around the country is a big part of the Army Field Band’s mission, so is getting in front of youngsters and encouraging them to consider the military as part of their future.
“Everything we do is free to the American public. If a music educator wants us to come out and do a clinic with his kids, we are world class musicians that he doesn’t need to pay for us to come to do a clinic. We’re just happy to get there and do that for these kids,” Perkins said.
Each show by each group is different but ultimately focuses on telling the story of the military through music.
“We all tell the story of our Army in our performances and really make it a point to honor our veterans in the process. It’s one of the best kept secrets and hidden gems that the Army has to offer.
People don’t realize all the things that bands do and the kind of scenarios they can enter that a lot of other parts of the military can’t be involved in,” Perkins said.
In between practices, rehearsals, and a busy touring performance schedule, the members of the group still must maintain Army standards in physical readiness. They also attend briefings and seminars on issues facing today’s military.
Performance schedules for each group vary, as the Jazz Ambassadors are currently on a tour throughout the southeastern US. For more information on all the groups and to see performance schedules, visit www.armyfieldband.com.
Project Self-Sufficiency’s Earth Angels Initiative Seeks
Holiday Donations for Local Seniors
Project Self-Sufficiency is currently seeking monetary donations and gift cards to local stores to be distributed to senior citizens as part of the agency’s Earth Angels initiative. During mid-December, students in the New Jersey Youth Corps high school diploma program at Project Self-Sufficiency will stuff festive bags with the cards and gifts; the items will be delivered by volunteers and Project Self-Sufficiency staff to homebound seniors during the week leading up to Christmas.
Along with monetary contributions, the agency is seeking the donation of gift cards from local retailers, including Kohl’s, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, Wal-Mart, Weis and the hair salons at the Homestead and Liberty Towers senior residences.
Newton attorney Elenora L. Benz, Esquire, originated the Earth Angels program in 1999 by enlisting the support of her staff member Mary Jones, along with clients, business colleagues, and community volunteers. The initiative was taken over by Project Self-Sufficiency in 2017. Although most Earth Angels recipients reside in Newton’s Liberty Towers and Frankford’s Homestead, senior citizens in other parts of the county have been added every year as the program expanded.
“The Earth Angels program invites all of us to demonstrate compassion for those in our community who may feel overlooked or forgotten during the busy rush of the holiday season,” comments Project Self-Sufficiency Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon. “Our vulnerable seniors need our support, and we are extremely gratified by the outpouring of concern shown by those who donate to this valuable service year after year.”
“This year we expect to bring holiday cheer to more than 100 senior citizens in our area,” remarked Earth Angels Project Coordinator Alice Prendergast.
“This program also gives us the opportunity to meet with our older neighbors, find out what they need, and introduce them to the services we offer throughout the year.”
Monetary donations can be made online at www.projectselfsufficiency.org or by making out a check to “Project Self-Sufficiency” and indicating “Earth Angels” on the memo line. Donations of checks and gift cards can be dropped off at Project Self-Sufficiency, 127 Mill Street, Newton. To register to receive gifts from the Earth Angels program, or to find out more information, call Alice Prendergast at Project Self-Sufficiency, 973-940-3500.
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