MORRIS COUNTY — Three County College of Morris (CCM) students are the recipients of the 2019 Japanese Language and Culture Study Award granted by the New Jersey Association of Teachers of Japanese.

Katarina A. Notarnicola, of Hackettstown, Preston C. Peoples, of Lafayette, and Yu Sun, of Green Township, were nominated to receive the award by CCM Japanese Professor Ayako Morrell for their commitment to learning the Japanese language and culture. All three students were granted the award for their outstanding achievement in Intermediate Japanese I.

CCM offers courses in Japanese in addition to 11 other languages including American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. To learn more about the language programs at CCM click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Debbie King was seven years old in 1963 when her father, James Ryan, co founded a nonprofit to help people heal from mental illness and cope with life’s challenges. But it would be years before King grasped the powerful, lasting impact NewBridge Services would make in local communities.

She recalled a day in her mid-20s when the family drove past the nonprofit’s day treatment program for adults with serious mental illness, now called NewBridge Crossroads. King pointed out the odd scene of tropical plants on the property, which sits close to Newark-Pompton Turnpike in Pequannock.

“My father explained they were part of the horticultural therapy program, which was really helping clients,” she said. “That’s when I started to understand what NewBridge was all about.”

King is now president of NewBridge Services Board of Trustees, just as her father had been.

“I really believe in the mission of NewBridge, and I think my father would be very proud and happy that I’m continuing in his footsteps,” the lifelong Pequannock resident said. Ryan, a highly decorated World War II veteran, served several terms as board president, and remained an avid supporter until his death in 2005, at age 84.

NewBridge began as the Pequannock Valley Mental Health Center, providing mental health services to seven eastern Morris County towns. It continually expanded its scope and service areas, taking the name NewBridge Services in 1998, the year it earned national accreditation. NewBridge now provides counseling, housing and education to more than 7,200 children, adults and seniors in five northern New Jersey counties.

A longtime NewBridge supporter, King became an active volunteer when she retired from a 34-year career in retail. She spent 23 of those years as vice president and division merchandising manager of women’s shoes for Bloomingdales. She recently stepped down as chair of the Fashion Footwear Association of New York, and still serves on its board.

King joined the NewBridge Gala Committee in 2015, the year she and her husband, George, donated $5,000 to NewBridge Jobs Plus, the nonprofit’s alternative education and career program. (Bloomingdales made a matching donation.) NewBridge dedicated a classroom to her father and mother, Marie.

“My father really believed in education,” she said, noting he earned a dual degree in chemical engineering from Saint Lawrence University in New York and Massachusetts Institute of Technology after World War II. A first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Ryan earned a Purple Heart, a Silver Star and a Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster.

King has been a hands-on leader since joining the board of trustees in 2018. She is involved in revitalizing the Enrich horticulture program, and challenged another nonprofit’s decision to adopt the nearly identical name to NewBridge. She is chair of the Legacy of Hope Gala, which will be held May 9 at The Legacy Castle in Pequannock. (Click here  to buy purchase and take advantage of sponsorship and ad journal opportunities.)

“Jim and Marie Ryan made such a positive impact on the lives of people with mental illness and their families, and we are fortunate Debbie is carrying their torch forward,” NewBridge CEO Robert L. Parker. “Debbie brings to the table leadership and business acumen that is helping to ensure a vibrant future for NewBridge and all the people it serves.”

The other members of the 2019 NewBridge officers are: Vice President David Crapo, Treasurer Isobel Wayrick and Secretary Rich Paliwoda.  

NewBridge Services, a 501c(3) nonprofit, is a leading provider of counseling services, housing and educational programs in northern New Jersey serving 7,200 adults and seniors last year alone. NewBridge treats mental illnesses and addictions; teaches skills for coping with stress, grief and challenging relationships; helps children who have been abused and neglected — and their families — heal; builds and manages affordable housing; offers school-based programs that teach children and adolescents resiliency skills for healthy emotional development; helps young adults succeed in their education and prepare for careers; and supports seniors so they can remain independent. Throughout its 56-year history, NewBridge has remained true to its mission of bringing balance to people’s lives by tracking shifts in communities’ needs and providing innovative, effective programs to meet them.

MORRIS COUNTY — Jockey Hollow will come to life on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7 as re-enactors from across the Northeast arrive for the park’s Grand Encampment.

The special event focuses on the life and times of soldiers and civilians during the Revolutionary War. It’s an event full of activities for the whole family.

Highlights for the weekend include demonstrations in the camp of cooking, sewing, and other camp chores, military maneuvers, and musket firing, and a special “children’s muster,” where children can learn to drill and march like Revolutionary soldiers.

The event opens at 10:00 a.m. each morning and concludes at 4:00 p.m. each afternoon.

The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, April 6

• 10:30 a.m. Inspection of the Troops
• 11:00 a.m. Firing Demonstration and Drill
• 1:00 p.m. Firing Demonstration and Drill
• 1:30 p.m. Children’s Drill
• 3:00 p.m. Firing Demonstration and Drill
• 3:30 p.m. Children’s Drill
• 4:00 p.m. Camp Competition– Musket Speed Loading and Cannonball Toss

Sunday, April 7

• 10:30 a.m. Children’s Drill
• 12:30 p.m. Inspection of the Troops
• 1:00 p.m. Firing Demonstration and Drill
• 1:30 p.m. Children’s Drill
• 2:00 p.m. Camp Competition – Trap Ball and Three Men’s Morris
• 3:00 p.m. Firing Demonstration and Drill
• 4:00 p.m. Regimental Assembly Retreat for the Evening

Note: At 2:00 p.m., Sunday, April 7, the park will host folk singer/songwriter Gordon Thomas Ward. This special concert of New Jersey and history related songs will take place in Morristown NHP’s Washington’s Headquarters Museum, 30 Washington Place, Morristown. Admission is free.

All activities are free and take place at Jockey Hollow.  For more information call (973) 539-2016 ext. 210 or click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Business owners looking for new strategies to grow their companies will have an opportunity to hear from leading experts in such areas as branding, peak performance, sales and more at Morris Growth Con 2019 at County College of Morris.

Morris Growth Con 2019 will bring together eight nationally recognized motivational speakers on Monday, April 15. The event, running from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., takes place in the Student Community Center at CCM, 214 Center Grove Road, Randolph.

Organized by Jacobi Enterprises, together with CCM and the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, the event will offer business owners the opportunity to learn how to stay on track with their growth plans, better meet the needs of the marketplace, keep their teams motivated and inspired, and stay ahead of their competition.

“CCM is highly regarded for the quality of its academic programs, but the other part of our responsibility is to support businesses,” said CCM President Anthony Iacono.“As I like to say, our business is to make your business work even better and Morris Growth Con is designed to help accomplish that.”

“We’re bringing together world-class experts to equip business owners to grow their companies,” said James Jacobi, owner of Jacobi Enterprises. “Top-down leadership is the key ingredient to the success of business and this is an excellent venue to obtain new ideas and strategies to grow your business.”

Speakers at the event will include Tricia Benn, executive vice president of the C-Suite Network; Coach Burt, coach for aggressive-minded companies and individuals; Roddy Chong, world-premiere violinist and business motivational speaker; Danelle Delgado, international speaker and business strategist; David Meltzer, CEO of Sports 1 Marketing; Hank Norman, brand builder and media mogul; Jason Sisneros, public speaker, entrepreneur and philanthropist; and Lee Smith, CEO of Sales Fuel, one of the top leading sales consultants of 2018.

“Entrepreneurship is on the rise and Morris County is the home of innovation, determination and potential,” said Jacobi. “Morris Growth Con is designed to help business owners to take advantage of the opportunities to grow in our thriving community.”

“The synergy that will be there will be absolutely explosive and exciting,” added President Iacono. “I think that we’re going to see a lot of partnering, a lot of great ideas being exchanged, and a lot of businesses coming together for our future on that day.”

The cost of the event ranges from $97.00 for live stream, to $197.00 for general admission. To register click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Park Police Department will be cracking down on distracted drivers during the month of April as part of New Jersey’s UDrive. UText. UPay. enforcement campaign.

Beginning on Monday, April 1, and through April 21, the high visibility law enforcement initiative will target motorists who engage in dangerous distracted driving behaviors, such as talking on hand-held cell phones and sending text messages while driving.

“My Officers are encouraged to be on the look-out for these violations year-round, but we will be especially vigilant during the month of April. Drivers can consider this their warning,” said Morris County Park Police Chief Gabe DiPietro.

Eric Heitmann, Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, said that New Jersey is one of only four states nationally (also Maine, Connecticut, and Oregon) to qualify for and receive dedicated federal grant funding to combat distracted driving.

“This is clearly one of the most critical traffic safety issues that we face today,” Heitmann said. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2016 alone, 3,450 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and an estimated 391,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.”

In New Jersey, driver inattention was listed as a contributing circumstance in 53 percent of the state’s crashes in 2016. Driver inattention was in fact listed as a contributing factor in crashes at a rate nine times higher than that of the next highest contributing factor, which is speed.

The campaign is being carried out during the month of April, which the National Safety Council has designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The New Jersey campaign is modeled after similar successful high visibility enforcement programs such as Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

MORRIS COUNTY — Integrity House, one of the largest nonprofit providers of substance use disorder treatment in the state of New Jersey, with locations in Morris Plains, Newark, Secaucus, Jersey City, and Toms River, will host its annual Golf Classic at Essex County Country Club on Monday, May 20. Proceeds from the event will support the important recovery programs and services provided by Integrity House.

“The annual Golf Classic is one of the key fundraisers Integrity House holds to support our mission of providing treatment and services for individuals suffering from substance use disorders. Each year, we are grateful for the opportunity to educate the public on the disease of addiction as well as encourage those struggling with this disease to seek out available resources,” said Robert J. Budsock, President and CEO of Integrity House. “We’re privileged to have corporate and individual support as their generous contributions allow us to continue to serve and provide life-saving treatment to those who need help.”

Expected to attend are members of the Newark corporate community and individual donors of Integrity House. The event will commence at 10:30 a.m. with registration, followed by lunch. The shotgun start is at 12:30 p.m. and guests are invited to stay for cocktails and dinner, starting at 5:30 p.m.

The hole-in-one prize for this year’s outing is a two-year lease on a Mercedes-Benz C-Class car, courtesy of Morristown Mercedes-Benz. In addition, there will be a raffle for a fabulous Donald Ross Pinehurst golf experience trip for two to one of golf’s most prestigious and desirable locations, with breakfast/dinner, accommodations and three rounds of golf on exclusive courses included.

Founded in 1887, Essex County Country Club has sustained their reputation as being the oldest in New Jersey and the sixth oldest in the country. The club has a long and distinguished list of members. The club counts a former US Secretary of State, a former US Secretary of Navy, two former US Senators and three former NJ State Governors as well as many luminaries of business and the arts. Known for its long and challenging golf course, Essex County Country Club one of the premier courses in the Tri-State area. Through the Integrity House Golf Classic, golfers will have the opportunity to play on the premium courses.

Groups and individuals are invited to register for the Golf Classic by contacting Cristina Dios at (973) 642-5893 or by emailing events@integrityhouse.org. If you are not able to attend the Golf Classic but would still like to show your support, sponsorship opportunities are available and donations of prizes and merchandise for the raffle are welcome.
For more information on Integrity House and the full continuum of care it provides, click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in partnership with the Randolph Township Board of Education, held their first 21-21 Community Policing Project of 2019 with the theme of “Juvenile Justice” and a focus on Computer and Internet Safety. The 21-21 Community Policing Project is a community outreach and education program implemented by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal in 2018. This two hour event was held at the Randolph Township Middle School.

Morris County First Assistant Prosecutor Tom Zelante and Shongum Elementary School Principal Dr. Clifford Burns delivered welcoming remarks prior to the presentation. Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Dan Gallagher discussed the dangers of the internet for children and teenagers, as well as techniques to monitor and protect children while they are using the internet. Following the presentation, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Samantha DeNegri, Detective Supervisor Patrick LaGuerre and Detective Gallagher held a question and answer session for the approximately 100 parents in attendance.

Following the question and answer session, Executive Director of Deirdre’s House Maria Vinci-Savettiere and Clinician Mirella Suarez discussed the services that Deirdre’s House provides for child victims of abuse and/or neglect in Morris County. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office works closely with Deirdre’s House, and it was beneficial for both agencies to provide the parents with helpful information.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp said, “I would like to thank the Randolph Township Board of Education for partnering with our office in hosting this important program. Technology’s role in society continues to grow and as it becomes more integrated into our lives and our children’s lives, we need to ensure that our children are using it safely”.