PARSIPPANY — Thousands will walk to end pancreatic cancer, the world’s toughest cancer, at PurpleStride New Jersey on Sunday, November 10, marking the 10 Year Anniversary of the event. Since its inception in 2010, PurpleStride New Jersey has raised over $3 million with over 18,400 participants. The community event is hosted by the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) New Jersey Affiliate.

PurpleStride New Jersey will take place at the Mack-Cali Business Campus at 1 Campus Drive in Parsippany. The event will be emceed by Dan Mannarino, PIX11 Morning News anchor and is supported by National Presenting Sponsor Celgene, National Gold Sponsor AbbVie, National Gold Sponsor and Flagship Team Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., Gold Sponsor Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and RWJBarnabas Health, Gold Sponsor Atlantic Health System Cancer Care, and Gold Media Sponsors WFAN FM 101.9/WFAN 660 AM, WCBS 880 AM and PIX11.

Kayla Zimmer, the Affiliate Chair for the New Jersey Affiliate, lost her mother, Brenda, to the disease at age 43.

“The only way to improve outcomes and extend lives is through research, which comes at a cost,” Zimmer said. “PurpleStride gives us the opportunity to raise the vital funds and awareness needed to tackle this disease and find a cure.”

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. with a five-year survival rate of just 9 percent. In order to save lives and double pancreatic cancer survival, PanCAN urges the New Jersey community to join PurpleStride. Funds raised through the event support critical research, clinical initiatives and patient services, including Know Your Tumor^®, Precision Promise^SM,  Clinical Trial Finder and the Patient Registry.

To register, donate or learn more about PurpleStride New Jersey click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — As you all know by now, my name is Heather Darling and I am running to be your next Morris County Surrogate. I am well aware of the duties and scope of the job of the Surrogate and I know that I have what it takes to bring the Surrogate’s office to a new level by increasing the accessibility and awareness of the Office.

My opponent continues to tout his legal experience drafting wills and trusts and seems to think that this is all the Surrogate’s Office does. He has forgotten that being an attorney is not a requirement and that the Surrogate for the last 25 years was not an attorney and has done a fine job running the office. He has also forgotten that I am an attorney and I have handled extremely complex estates and trust matters before the Surrogate’s Court.

The most important thing that my opponent has forgotten is the human factor. While his nose was in tax returns and wills for the last twenty years, I was dealing with people…often on the worst days of their lives. I have been working with people in grief, people who are confused and people who are concerned for their future. I have learned to work with them in a productive, comforting way. I have been out in the community serving people and volunteering in various capacities my whole life. Helping people has always been my mission. My opponent sadly minimizes the role of the Surrogate to administrative duties such as Will drafting, which is very different from the job of the Surrogate.

While he posts about his huge extended family vacations on his campaign page, I post about my own grief, losing my mother at the age of five and having a father who was a senior citizen when I was only ten years old. Being an only child, I spent a lot of time with my father seeing people trying to take advantage of him merely because of his age. I am the product of my experiences, in my personal life and my career and that is what brought me to run for this office. Although, not within the specified duties of this job, I plan to make educating seniors, special needs citizens and their families about scams a part of my outreach in information sessions about the services we provide, along with the need for planning ahead, adoption as an option and other matters both germane to and stemming from the office.

I am sure that my opponent can write a will or prepare a tax return just fine as a competent attorney, however he seems to have no plan to improve the services or accessible of the office. Meanwhile, I have a clear plan outlined on my website, Facebook page and campaign literature of the improvements I will institute:

• Outreach to seniors, special needs citizens and their families with regard to guardianship services.
• Employ varied hours or online services for ease of access.
• Provide information to those inheriting assets on how to identify and avoid predators who may target them.
• Promote awareness of Surrogate’s Office services throughout the County.

Not only do I have the legal experience and the human factor, I also have a clearly laid plan for the office. I am confident that voters will see the whole picture. Vote Experience. Vote Compassion. Vote for a Plan. Vote Heather Darling for Surrogate November 5.

Heather Darling, Esq.
Candidate for Morris County Surrogate

MORRIS COUNTY — On October 21, Chief Assistant Prosecutor Brad Seabury, under the direction of Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, provided an “Opiates 101” presentation at Picatinny Arsenal in recognition of the National Red Ribbon Campaign and Army Substance Abuse Program (A.S.A.P.). CAP Seabury was joined by Christopher Moore, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program Manager and Andrea Pastuck, Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center.

The presentation was held in observation of Red Ribbon Week, designated to take place October 23-31. In 1990, the Department of Defense joined a national effort to encourage service members to keep communities drug-free and to recognize outstanding outreach programs.

The “Opiates 101” presentation provided the audience with information concerning the heroin and opioid epidemic affecting New Jersey residents, as well as what measures members of law enforcement are taking to fight this scourge. CAP Seabury discussed the Overdose Prevention Act and Drug Court program, criminal justice measures to treat and not just incarcerated individuals suffering from substance abuse disorders; New Jersey Prescription Monitoring Program (NJPMP) database; and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center Drug Monitoring Initiative, utilizing real-time intelligence.

CAP Seabury noted that since 2014, at least 342 people in Morris County have lost their lives to heroin or prescription overdoses. CAP Seabury enforced that community education is a crucial component to combatting the crisis.

“This disease does not discriminate, it affects people of all different backgrounds,” said CAP Seabury. “We know from this particular community problem that our traditional methodology of arrest and prosecute are not conducive to help individuals suffering from addiction. Instead, substance abuse-affected offenders need treatment to break the cycle of addiction.”

Prosecutor Knapp said, “The heroin and opioid epidemic continues to be a scourge on the citizens of New Jersey. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office will continue to combat this epidemic through our various initiatives and our strong focus on educating the public.”

MORRIS COUNTY — The Department of Music, Performing Arts and Music Technology at County College of Morris presents the Fall musical, “Bright Star,” inspired by a true story of the “Iron Mountain Baby,” that features the Tony-nominated score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.

Directed by Professor Marielaine Mammon, the show runs at the Dragonetti Auditorium from Wednesday, October 30, through Saturday, November 2, 7:30 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. General admission seating is $15.00, while tickets for CCM students, alumni, children under 12 and seniors 62 and over are $10.00.  Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.

“Bright Star” tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in the 1920s and ’40s.  The story is a delightful and uplifting tale of a young woman’s triumph over heartache and secrets.

CCM is located at 214 Center Grove Road, Randolph, NJ. Patrons are asked to park in Lot 6.

MORRIS COUNTY — Homeless Solutions (HSI) grabbed their giant scissors and proudly cut the ribbon for their newest affordable housing project. HSI joined their supporters, as well as federal, state, and local officials to celebrate their new eight-unit property located on Martin Luther King Avenue in Morristown, on Friday, October 25.

“HSI is a leader in affordable housing. The impact on and contributions made to the community are clearly evidenced by its recent projects. Within the last two years, we’ve opened 12 new affordable apartments,” HSI Housing Development Committee Chair Buddy Scott proudly shared.

This project was ideal for HSI. The location is close to amenities including parks, public transit lines, and downtown businesses. And, it provided an opportunity to turn an old, dilapidated building into attractive, affordable apartments, improving the neighborhood.

HSI saw some firsts with this project. It was their first property to offer 4-bedroom apartments. HSI is pleased to be able to provide an option for larger families. It was also their first property built on land shared by two towns – Morristown and Morris Township.

This presented some challenges, but HSI was pleased to have the support from both towns. “I am glad the two municipalities could work together to bring this fantastic project to fruition. HSI is an invaluable resource for many towns and we are grateful for their presence in Morris Township,” Township of Morris Mayor Jeff Grayzel reflected.

Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty concurred and added why HSI is a good partner for the town. “Morristown has a commitment to nonprofits and to preserve and expand a range of housing options for various income levels as part of its larger goal to healthy residential neighborhoods. HSI has shown a proven track record with Morristown in demonstrating project planning, leadership, and completing successful affordable housing projects through a private-public partnership. This fills a critical missing link in the affordable housing community.”

HSI is grateful to community partners, donors, and funders that made this affordable property possible. Not only did they receive grants through the William E. Simon Foundation, TD Foundation, County Home Funds, and Municipal Housing Funds, HSI was awarded the first government housing grant that was offered nationally. The plans for this property were well-aligned with the grant requirements, and HSI was one of only six organizations to receive the National Housing Trust Fund.

HSI looks forward to the next opportunity where they can break out their scissors to provide more homes people can afford.

HSI is a private, nonprofit organization with 36 years of experience meeting the needs of those affected by homelessness in Morris County. With a philosophy of, “A Hand Up, Not a Handout,” HSI’s mission is to offer shelter, services, and supportive housing to homeless and low-income people. There are four Shelter Programs and a Transitional Housing Program to help guests develop the skills to successfully return to independent living. HSI also operates the Mt. Kemble Home for senior women of limited means, and develops and manages affordable housing throughout Morris County. For more information click here.