MORRIS COUNTY — On Saturday, June 26 at Birchwood Elementary School, 1 Art Street, Rockaway, Kiwanis Club of Rockaway Valley, along with other surroundings Kiwanis clubs, carried out Operation: Feeding Morris County.

With the help of surrounding Kiwanis clubs, over 75 volunteers, multiple sponsors, and many more, they were able to distribute over 20,000 pounds of food to over 500 families in need.

Kiwanis Club of Rockaway Valley, a new Kiwanis Club being formed to serve Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough, Wharton, and Dover, is sponsored by Kiwanis Club of Greater Roxbury.

Local Kiwanis clubs included Kiwanis Club of Greater Roxbury, Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany, Tri-Town Kiwanis Club, and Kiwanis Club of South Orange/Maplewood. With the help of these clubs, the towns that we’re able to hold food pick-up locations included Roxbury, Rockaway, South Orange, and Maplewood.

Scattered throughout all locations were over 75 volunteers, including Kiwanis Member and Dover Police Officer Ilmi Bojkovic. People who donated their time to help the people who need it most throughout their communities. The day started at 5:30 a.m., volunteers showed up at the St. Therese parking lot, in Succasunna. Volunteers helped assemble boxes, organize food as it came off the 18-wheeler, fill boxes with food, load the transport truck to take food boxes to other pick-up locations, load cars with food that were in line, clean up, and so much more.

“I want to personally thank all the amazing volunteers that took time out of their busy schedules to come to help us. They are what made the event be able to run as smoothly as it did, and they truly make the event come to life,” said Valerie Kuglin, a local Rockaway resident and a new member of the Kiwanis Club of Rockaway Valley.

“Many people may feel like they need to humble themselves because they are asking for help, so we try to alleviate any feelings like that they might have.” Frank Cahill, Lt. Governor Division 9, New Jersey Kiwanis. To date, Kiwanis Club has distributed over 169,000 pounds of food to over 4,200 families with a retail value of over $425,000.

While we ask for families to register online, this is only for a rough estimate of how much food we need to purchase. The only person who can see that list is the club president. On the day of the distributions, families simply pull up, say if they are registered or not, then a volunteer opens either the trunk or back seat of their car, puts the box of food in, closes the door, and drives off.

“We want people to feel as comfortable as possible. We want them to know that Kiwanis is here to help,” said Ilmi Bojkovic, who spent his day volunteering. “The economic damage brought by mass layoffs and business closures is expected to persist long after vaccines become widely available and that means demand for food assistance will remain at the current high level for months or years to come.” Cahill says, “So long as there’s a need, we will continue to do the food distributions every month.”

Bojkovic is one of the many volunteers who helped during the past few months. Senator Anthony Bucco, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, Surrogate Heather Darling as well as other police officers, firemen, EMS workers participated in one of our locations. This is definitely a community project.

If you are interested in joining the Kiwanis Club contact Frank Cahill at (862) 346-5100 for additional information.

PARSIPPANY — Neemoe, Chihuahua mix, 12 years old, weighs six pounds is looking for his forever home.

Neemoe will need an owner who can accommodate his current and future medical needs. A quiet home would let this sweet gentleman spend his days in relaxation.

Neemoe has trouble walking with his weak back legs but manages to get around. WISE is going to fit Neemoe for a wheelchair which will ease his trouble!

Children are ok but above the age of 16.

Neemoe would do best with dogs who share his low energy temperament. He will happily co-exist with them. Neemoe also likes cats. He prefers to have free roam of the house when left alone. He is house trained.

Neemoe is the love bug you need! He loves to cuddle and receive pets! His small size makes him the perfect lap dog! He is a couch potato and perfectly content spending the whole day laying next to you. He will let you carry him wherever you go. He is easy to please and very well behaved! His tail never stops wagging when he goes on his short walks outside.

Neemoe was rescued from an overcrowded shelter in NYC. He is now ready for a fresh start! Will you be the Dory to his Neemoe?

If you are interested in adopting Neemoe click here.

Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wiseanimalrescue
Like Us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wiseanimalrescue/

MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy announced that Andrew Bruck will serve as Acting Attorney General for the remainder of the Governor’s four-year term, following the departure of Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on July 16. Bruck currently serves as First Assistant Attorney General and has been part of the executive leadership team at the Attorney General’s Office since January 2018.

“I am pleased to announce that Andrew Bruck will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General and continue the office’s mission of fighting for equal justice for everyone who calls our state home,” said Governor Murphy. “Andrew’s wealth of experience will serve him well in this role and his historic appointment reflects our continuing commitment to ensuring that our state government reflects the rich diversity of our people.”

Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, Bruck spent five years at the U.S. Department of Justice. During that time, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and held several roles in the office of Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, including Senior Counsel, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Acting Chief of Staff. Before joining the Department of Justice, Bruck worked as a litigation associate in the New York office of Davis Polk & Wardwell and clerked for Chief Justice Stuart Rabner of the New Jersey Supreme Court. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Stanford Law School.

Bruck is a New Jersey native who grew up in Montclair and Mendham. He currently resides in Trenton with his husband Adam and 8-month-old daughter, Libby. Bruck will be the first member of the LGBTQ+ community to serve as Attorney General of New Jersey.

“I thank Governor Murphy for the confidence that he has Aplaced in me, and I am honored by the opportunity to continue the groundbreaking work of Attorney General Grewal,” said First Assistant Attorney General Andrew Bruck. “I share their commitment to protecting public safety, building public trust, and ensuring the rights of all New Jerseyans. I look forward to working with our Department’s 7,700 extraordinary public servants to carry out our vital mission.”

“I am thrilled that Governor Murphy has selected Andrew Bruck to lead the Attorney General’s Office for the remainder of my term,” said Attorney General Gurbir Grewal. “Andrew is one of the sharpest legal minds and finest public servants that I have ever met. We entered office together on January 16, 2018, and since that day he has worked tirelessly to stand up for the rights of New Jerseyans, having helped shape some of our office’s most important policies and respond to many of our state’s most complex legal challenges. The people of New Jersey and the dedicated public servants in the Department of Law and Public Safety will be well-served by his leadership.”

“Andrew Bruck has the unique ability to lead by genuinely listening to all sides of issues, crafting bold, principled, and practical solutions, and then giving everyone else credit for it,” said former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates.

AHe is trusted by both the civil rights and law enforcement communities because of his track Arecord for forging much-needed meaningful reforms to our criminal justice system while respecting the difficult and crucial role of law enforcement. He is a public servant in the truest sense of the words, and the people of New Jersey can be confident that he will take his responsibility to represent them to heart.”\

NEW JERSEY — The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Gurbir S. Grewal has been appointed Director of the Division of Enforcement, effective July 26, 2021. Grewal currently serves as Attorney General for the State of New Jersey, a role he has held since January 2018, when he was confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate after being nominated by Governor Phil Murphy.

“I’m honored and delighted to welcome Attorney General Grewal to the SEC,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “He has had a distinguished career as New Jersey’s chief law enforcement officer and as a prosecutor at both the local and federal levels. He has the ideal combination of experience, values, and leadership ability to helm the Enforcement Division at this critical time. I look forward to working closely with him to protect investors and root out wrongdoing in our markets.”

“I thank Melissa Hodgman for her service as the Enforcement Division’s Acting Director,” Chair Gensler added. “She will continue to be an important adviser to both Gurbir and me, and I look forward to our continued work together.”

“The Enforcement Division has a critical role to play in finding and punishing violations of the law,” said Grewal. “I’m excited to get to work with the talented team of public servants to uncover and prosecute misconduct and protect investors. I thank Governor Murphy for the opportunity to serve the people of New Jersey and all of the colleagues with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work during my career in the state.”

As New Jersey’s Attorney General, Grewal heads the Department of Law & Public Safety, which employs more than 3,700 uniformed officers, 750 lawyers, and thousands of additional public servants, including investigators, regulators, and administrative staff. Before becoming Attorney General, Grewal served as Bergen County Prosecutor, the chief law enforcement office of New Jersey’s most populous county. Earlier in his career, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, where he served as Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit from 2014 to 2016 and oversaw the investigation and prosecution of all major white-collar and cybercrimes in the District of New Jersey. He also previously served as an AUSA in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, where he was assigned to the Business and Securities Fraud Unit. Grewal worked in private practice from 1999-2004 and from 2008-2010.

Grewal graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1995. He obtained his law degree from the College of William & Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1999.

PARSIPPANY — Catherine McCall remembers, when she was a child, her aunt had bought a new house, and she slept over in her cousin’s bedroom.

Both fell asleep, but McCall woke up and saw a man standing in the corner of the room. Both engaged in an all-night-long staring contest. The next morning, when she went downstairs for breakfast and told her aunt about the encounter, her uncle walked in and said he had been talking with his new neighbor about the prior owner, and the description matched the gentleman in the room with McCall. The man had recently passed away. “I never forgot that,” she says. “That was my first real knowledge that I was seeing a legitimate person. He was attached to that house that they lived in. He didn’t do anything; he just stood in the corner and stared at me all night.”

It also was her first real knowledge of possibly being a Psychic Medium, although she didn’t know it at the time. McCall was born and raised in Dover, and she has an office there. She has been a professional Medium since 2007 and explains the realm. “Mediumship is communicating with the spirit world, and the spirit world is heaven, and when our loved ones pass over, they use people like myself to communicate with their loved ones that they’ve left behind.

The information comes through our senses, so we hear, we feel, we smell, we face empathy. All of our senses are in use, and we call them our ‘clairs.’ So, with clairvoyance, clairsentience, and claircognizance – this is all coming through our senses. I use all of them, but I use clairvoyance with the seeing, clairaudience – which is hearing, and the feeling which is clairsentience.” McCall, 52, finally got used to the spirit world when she started reading for the public. “I didn’t really understand much about mediumship, and I started to discover it and really started to look into it when I was in my mid-30s.” The experience that changed her life forever occurred when she was age 37 and enduring a challenging period in her life. She was in the shower when she heard a female voice that said, “You need to snap out of it. You need to get yourself together, and get your head and your life together because you’re going to change.” “I remember looking around and thinking, ‘Who’s talking to me?’ I heard it; it was so clear.” She exited the shower and prepared to go out for the evening, but the voice kept talking to her, and she kept asking, “Who is this?” Finally, at day’s end and late at night, the voice was still speaking to her and she asked who it was one final time. “And the voice said, ‘This is your grandmother, your mother’s mother, Henrietta.’ She passed when I was a year old, and she said, ‘The depression is going to leave you, you need to get yourself together, you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself because you’re going to take care of and help lots of people in your life.

And if you can’t help yourself, you’re not going to be able to help anybody else.’ And I said to her, ‘Why are you saying this to me?’ And she said, ‘You’re meant to help other people. But until you help yourself, you can’t help anybody else.’” Shortly thereafter, McCall started doing readings, began having more experiences while doing those readings, talking to people, and giving them information, all leading up to her career as a professional Medium. “I love what I do. I guess that’s the easiest way to express it,”

McCall says. “It saved my life. It brought me to a place to understand that my life is here because I’m supposed to help other people with their life. I give everything I am to this because this saved me, and I have to do as much as I can for others because I’m grateful for what has been done for me and my family, and my life.” She’s paying it forward. “Absolutely, every single day,” she says definitively.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany will present Catherine McCall on Thursday, July 15  at the Parsippany PAL, 33 Baldwin Road. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and Catherine starts at 6:30 p.m. For tickets click here.

Reprinted from Randolph-Roxbury Life, April 2021

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County ranks among the top five percent of the nation’s “Healthiest Communities,” according to an analysis of health and wellness in 3,000 communities across the United States released by U.S. News & World Report in collaboration with the Aetna Foundation.

“Healthiest Communities” is an interactive platform developed by U.S. News & World Report with the Aetna Foundation. Guided by a pioneering framework developed by a committee appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the project scored nearly 3,000 communities on 84 indicators across 10 categories that drive overall community health.

Morris County ranked 20 among the top 500 “healthiest communities.”

Population health and equity are the most highly weighted factors in the methodology, followed closely by education and economy. Environment and public safety, along with housing, food and nutrition also were factors. Data were gathered and analyzed by the University of Missouri Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES).

Separate from the rankings, the platform offers COVID-19 tracking tools which report case numbers, death rates, unemployment and more, and have been updated to include vaccine data.  These tools complement the rankings data to reveal multiple correlations between the coronavirus pandemic and community health. Morris County has lead the state, and more recently the nation in overall vaccination rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

For more information, visit the U.S. News Healthiest Communities platform.

ABOUT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT: U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower citizens, consumers, business leaders, and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News, and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice, and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.