221652_1453983063Madison News - Jan. 2016.pdf

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Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline • Tell Them You Saw It In The Musconetcong News, June 2015,

No. 8 • Vol. 1 www.mypaperonline.com January 2016

By Jane Primerano

The Thursday Morning Club, theMadisonaffiliate of the New Jersey Federation of Woman’s Clubs, com-

pleted a special project this fall for the benefit of

mentally ill people housed in shelters.

Club members purchased full-size backpacks and filled

them with items from a list provided by the National Al-

liance for Mental Illness. The NAMI initiative was adoptedby the state federation and taken on by local clubs.

Thursday Morning Club Members Fill Backpacks For Shelter ResidentsAll items included in the

backpacks were full-size,not travel-size, according to

club members. They in-

cluded bath towels and bot-

tles of shampoo and other

personal items.

Club Vice PresidentCarol Schessler coordinated

the initiative for the Thurs-

day Morning Club. Other

members who participated

were Connie Jardula, SusanPackie, Olga Soriano, Betty

Francis, Diane Stracka,

Carol Contri, Eileen Ryan,

Karen Jeisi, Sharon Silver,

Michal Holzman, ArleneOdell, Claire Burling and

Kathleen Lakeland.

Continuing the initiative,

the Thursday Morning Club

designated a day each

month for members to bringfilled backpacks to the

Madison Community

House. The backpacks are

distributed to local hospitals

where they are given to dis-charged patients who are re-

ferred to a shelter that

serves people with mental

health issues.

The club founded the

Madison Community

House as a settlementhouse

in 1924, according to the

club website, on a bequestfrom member Mary B.

Cash. Early on, a thrift

shop opened and the Braille

Association met there. It

was renamed the MadisonCommunity House in 1957.

It contains a state-licensed

nursery school, before and

after school care, after

school enrichment classes, a

summer program for chil-

dren and a meeting place

for more than 25 local or-

ganizations.Before-school care is

from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

After school is from 3:15

p.m. to a 5:15 p.m. or 6:15

p.m. pick up.Rental spaces include an

auditorium/gymnasium

with a stage, meeting room,

kitchen and a social room.

The community house is

also a headquarters for

Dress for Success, a na-

tional program that pro-

vides services to womenre-entering the workforce.

Dress for Success pro-

vides clothing and acces-

sories for women to go on

job interviews. It also offersprograms that help women

with their confidence about

entering the job market.

Other programs helpcontinued on page 4



, January 2016, Tell Them You Saw It In The Madison News • Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline

By Cheryl Conway

Ayear has come and gone since I

have taken the reins as editor of

New View Media Group Newspa-

pers and what a positive journey it has been.Being part of a company that has dou-bled in size, from eight monthly papers to

17, has been so exciting but the greatest joy

for me has been being on the forefront of so

many wonderful stories that surround us

every day. Most other newspapers will filltheir pages with police stories, obituaries,

car accidents, suicides, murders, disasters,

law suits, political battles and controversial

issues that busy municipal governments and

school boards.

While every journalist craves that newsbreaking story or that shocking incident for

that hard-nose reporter to capture all thosedetails whether gory or devastating, there is

nothing quite refreshing or satisfying than

covering a feel good story that tugs at heart

strings and puts a smile on one’s face.My days this past year have surroundedme with stories about the kindest people

who have given their time, mind and spirit

to help others in need; who have gone

above and beyond in their endeavors or

jobs; who have put other people’s lives be-fore theirs; or about events that bring joy to

the community or raise needed funds or

supplies for a particular issue or charity;

and even about communities and school

districts that continue to work together to

improve their surroundings through newprograms and resources; as well as busi-

Editor Wraps Up Top 2015 Stories; Welcomes More Shining Times For New Year nesses that continue to keep hard workersemployed while providing the best services

to customers.

While New View Media Group is an un-

affiliated paper, meaning it remains untiedto any particular religion or political group,it upholds similar virtues and ethics like

being kind to others, helping thy neighbor,

giving tzedaka or charity, doing a mitzvah

or kind deed, volunteering time and sharing

generously and unselfishly with those inneed.

Looking back through the twelve

months of 2015, so many stories of genuine

kindness fill my mind that it would be

wrongful of me to not reminisce before

jumping in to share the positive momentsunfolding for 2016.

With its first issue published in Aug.

2015, the Madison News brought readers

some inspirational stories. Those that took

center stage included Madison ranked 24 intop 100 for best small towns in the United

States; Madison police department initiated

a program for safer streets for walkers and

motorists; chamber of commerce hosted or-

nament sale to support programs and alsoheld annual outdoor home decorating con-

test; New View Media Group hosted toy

and clothing drive for local people in need.

The positive stories are endless and con-tagious really. Shared each month to in-spire, motivate, reflect and channel others

to get involved, donate, give back, partici-

pate or even just turn negative energy into

one filled with optimism and hope, each

community stands stronger and unitedknowing that there are people out there who

do care and are making a difference every

day.

Nothing wrong with being humble, but

do not let that stop you from contacting

New View Media Group to share your con-tribution of how you helped to make the

world a brighter place. There is nothing

wrong with shining and patting yourself on

the back for some well-deserved recogni-

tion.Send your press releases and story ideas

to me at [email protected]. I look

forward to hearing from you in 2016…until

then happy, healthy New Year to all readers.

Attention Schools,Churches, Organizations!

Send us your press releases and photosto [email protected]



Like us on facebook www.facebook.com/mypaperonline • Tell Them You Saw It In The Madison News, January 2016,

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Iam honored to be the first mayor sinceBetty Baumgartner in 1984 to be deliv-

ering a message kicking off a second

term. Yes, I’m proud to have been given a

second term but this says much more about

the team we have in place and the staff and

leadership working for Madison. And it’s areminder that we cannot sit back and just

hope for the best.

Through strategic planning with capital,

our utilities, finances and communications

we have laid a path to the future, albeit apath that will have some surprise twists and

turns. It is a path that will bring us to an im-

portant crossroads, one that must be navi-

gated.We all know we live in a special town;there is the sense of community as demon-

strated on Wednesday with Main St. lined

with those giving Captain Cirella a proper

farewell. I don’t think anyone can compete

with Madison’s sense of community but

when you ask families why they chooseMadison we almost always hear it is our

schools, the downtown and the character of

our neighborhoods.Our schools do not fall to this body but

working together we will make them

stronger. Much of my first term involved

the redevelopment and sale of the Green

Village Road School. By working with the

Board of Education we maximized thevalue of the property and ensured a funding

stream through a shared PILOT (Payment

in Lieu of Taxes). In December we closed

on the sale with the KRE with the Board of

Education receiving $11 million to reinvestin our schools and the Borough receiving

$1 million to reduce our short term debt on

the turf fields (one of the goals I stated four

years ago). With this sale and the leadershipof the Board of Education, the schools fu-ture is in good hands. This leaves us with

our downtown and the character of our

neighborhoods.

Crescent. Pomeroy, Greenwood,

Ridgedale all have recently lost (or are

about to lose) historic homes, all havestreetscapes that are forever changed. We

have an interesting challenge – people are

New Year’s Day Message From Mayor Conley attracted to Madison because of the charac-ter of our neighborhoods and because

Madison is a desirable community to live,

developers are also attracted to Madison,

historic homes then come down to squeeze

a few more houses and we lose the charac-

ter that attracted families to Madison in thefirst place. We cannot save all the older

homes but to sit back and do nothing is not

an option.

In the next few months with the assis-

tance of Jeff Gertler and Astri Baillie, I willbe pulling together a town hall meeting to

address this issue. We will look at what is

working in other towns, we will look at our

zoning laws, which may stand in the waypreservation and yes, we will look at strik-ing the balance between property rights and

historic preservation.

As I talk about historic preservation and

the character of Madison our great down-

town certainly and literally is front and cen-

ter. Thankfully through the work of theDDC, our elected officials, and staff dedi-

cated to downtown development, Madison

has avoided the many of the challenges that

have plagued Main St. USA, but we are at

a crossroads. Some storefronts have had ex-tended vacancies, others turnover all too

often, and recently we have been hit with

Blue Ridge Mountain Sports ceasing oper-

ations in all of their locations including in

the historic James Building and a “ForSale” sign on the movie theatre, we are in-

deed at a crossroads.

I recently attended a workshop on revi-

talizing downtowns; the number one suc-

cess tool is putting residents in the town, asit was stated, “Everyone wants a bakery in

their downtown but when it opens no one

shows up; Put residents around the bakery

and you have a success story.”

Certainly in the redevelopment of the

former Green Village Road School provid-ing 130 housing units in a location that en-

courages a “leave your car at home”

lifestyle will indeed feed our downtown

businesses but this is just one step towards

a stronger downtown. We need a town cen-ter with right mix of businesses; landlords

need to be given the tools to succeed and

businesses must be able to open without ex-

cessive red tape. The Downtown Develop-ment Commission and the Planning Boardhave already begun to work on the chal-

lenge but as discussed at our December

Council meeting we need professional sup-

port to guide us. I have asked our Strategic

Planning Guru, Ben Wolkowitz to lead a

group that will be tasked with defining ourneeds related downtown development,

leading to an RFP on the street within the

first quarter. Area malls and Amazon cannot

be an excuse for vacant store fronts, they

are a challenge for us redefine our down-town and become the thriving community

center that Madison deserves.

Four years ago I set forth a lofty agenda

of work, much has been accomplished, we

now have our new work orders and we are

up to the task.And now to all happy and healthy New

Year!

Mayor Conley




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women remain employed by nurturing their

professional growth and ensuring they feel

stable in their career. Job training is also

provided. Women have meetings to net-

work and share ideas.The Thursday Morning Club was

founded in 1896 and has more than 240

member now living in six states and 20 mu-

nicipalities in New Jersey. Its book club

meeting on the third Tuesday of each month

is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Various workshops and programs are

held throughout the year such as the fleece

blanket workshop recently set for Thurs.,Jan. 14.

Other events are listed on the website

thursdaymorningclub.org. They include

game days, trips and lectures.

Fill Backpacks...continued from front page

After a long journey from Ohio on

the Humane Society of the United

States transport vehicle, “Big

Rig,” 31 dogs rescued from an animal cru-

elty investigation in Ohio were welcomed

by St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center at

its Madison shelter. The dogs were trans-

ported after being evaluated by veterinar-

St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center Welcomes Dogs Rescued From Ohioians and provided with food, water, and

enrichment at a temporary emergency

shelter in Ohio operated by HSUS. They

were originally rescued through a joint ef-

fort on Dec. 9, 2015, by the Humane So-ciety of the United States, the Adams

County Dog and Kennel Department and

Montgomery County Animal Resource

Center which rescued more than 160 dogs

in central Ohio.St. Hubert’s is welcoming nineteen

dogs from Ohio into their adoption pro-

gram.

The dogs rescued in Ohio were found

suffering from skin and ear infections, ab-

scesses, tick-borne diseases, and in need

of dental care. St. Hubert’s is ensuring

that each of the nineteen dogs welcomedto its Madison shelter will receive all of

the care it needs before becoming avail-

able for adoption. Anyone interested in

adopting or providing care to these adopt-

able dogs should follow up at the organi-zation’s Madison shelter or contact the

Madison shelter at 973-377-2295.




Captured By Renee Photography, Morris-

town’s award winning Maternity & New-

born photography studio is celebrating its

4th year in Morristown. Owner and celebrity

family photographer Renee Valente states “I am

proud to be part of vibrant Morristown and en-

courage my clients to visit all the wonderful es-

tablishments in the area” said Renee.Deemed “The Baby Whisperer”, her photog-

raphy is called “nothing short of amazing” by tri-

state area families. Her unique ability to connect

with her clients comes from her own experience

as a mother. “Its an honor to document this treas-

ured journey we call ‘family'," says Renee.

She has recently been named One of the Best

Newborn and Maternity Photographers in the

United States -Photography Magazine, One of

the Best photography studios in Morris County

2015 -Daily Record, & Best Photography Studio2014 and 2015-Morris/Essex Health and Life

Magazine. Sessions are by appointment. Visit

her website www.CapturedByRenee.com.

Create Memories At “Best” Photography Studio

T

ry an open house or free class at Mind Your

Body in Madison.

Established in May 2015, the health and fitness

studio centers on awareness, flexibility, balance,

breath and strength.

Come experience a mind, body and soul com-

munity to change how one thinks about health and

fitness. The MYB state of the art studio was de-

signed specifically with health in mind. Between

the natural light, shock absorbing floors and

sound reducing walls, MYB has created an envi-

ronment that will not only soothe the body, but the

mind as well.

Members can enjoy dance, yoga, gyrokenesis,

pilates, mat, strength, kids dance, small group

boxing, TRX, barre and privates.

A newer form of exercise offered at the studio,

gyrokenesis is a movement method that gently

works the entire body, opening energy pathways,

stimulating the nervous system, increasing range

of motion and creating functional strength

through rhythmic, flowing sequences.

For more information or to check out the

schedule of classes call 973-966-0300 or visit

www.mybmadison.com. Mind Your Body is lo-

cated at 4 Park Ave 2nd Floor, Madison.

Soothe Body And Mind At Fitness Studio

Start the new year off clutter free. Sort through unneeded

papers piling up to be shred and head on over to Pack

Ship n More in Madison for paper shredding.

While holiday packages should be well on their way, Pack

Ship n More is currently offering $15 off big item shippingfor packages yet to be sent.

Established in 1989, Pack Ship n More really offers a wide

variety of services that include print & copy, digital printing,

graphic design, flyers, brochures, business cards, letterheads,

menus, binding, laminating, padding, folding, photo repairs,

NCR forms, stapling & collating, wide format printing,

posters, banners, blue prints, canvas portraits.

We also have mailbox rental, fax, mobile notary 24/7, pass-

port photos, passport & Visa expedited, rubber stamps, finger

printing, textbook purchases, packing services, shipping, crate

& freight, furniture & antique shipping, international & do-mestic shipping, shipping supplies, local pickup, palletizing,

shredding and U-Haul.

Pack Ship n More is located at 300 Main Street, 21 Madi-

son Plaza, Madison. Hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri; and 9

a.m.-4 p.m. on Sat. 973-443-0100

Services Galore Offered At Packing/Shipping Company




January 31 Active Isolated Stretching with Holly Raye11:30 AM-1:00 PM $15 members, $20 non-members

February 2 GYROKINESIS with Greta MartinTuesdays 6:30 PM, Thursdays 8:45 AM andSaturdays 8:30 AM, 10 classes $250

February 4 Boxing with CRThursdays 5:30 PM, 10 classes $250

February 14 Valentine’s Special Salsa Partner Dancingwith Vanessa Hocken12:00 PM-1:30 PM $20 per couple

February 15 Hip Hop for Kids with Robert RiveraMondays 5:15 PM-6:15 PM, $120 for 6 week session

www.mybmadison.com | 973 966 0300 | 4 Park Ave. 2nd Floor, Madison, NJ 07940




By J. L. Shively

W

ith winter finally rearing its

head, spring feels very far away

indeed. But with something to

look forward to, perhaps winter will notfeel so very far after all. On Sun. April 10,

Dan Exter is set to be hosting the second

annual Layups 4 Life challenge and regis-

tration for the event is now open.

Exter, a Roxbury High School alumni,

always had a passion for the game of bas-ketball and his passion did not fade when

he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblas-

tic Leukemia in the summer of 2013. Hav-

ing fought his cancer and won, Exter

explains, “I wanted to give back and helpthe place which inevitably saved my life.”

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Cen-

ter (MSKCC) is where Exter received his

treatments and it is this center where the

money raised from the Layups 4 Life chal-

lenge will be donated. Having had hisshare of varsity court time at RHS, Exter

decided it would be the perfect place to

hold his challenge. “I wanted to combine

my passion with a cause and that is how

Layups 4 Life was born,” Exter explains.

Cancer research is a long and ongoingprocess which is why funds are always

needed for the research as well as clinical

trials which will aid in working towards a

cure. Exter explains that after last year’schallenge he divided the donations up into

three different categories all within

MSKCC. The categories were General

Leukemia, Pediatric Leukemia and a Bone

Marrow Research Foundation. Although

disbursement of funds has not yet been de-

cided for this year, it is likely that the

money raised from the challenge will again

go to the same categories within MSKCC.

The Layups 4 Life main challenge con-

sists of a 3-on-3 basketball tournamentopen to both boys and girls ages 15 and up.

This challenge invites Roxbury residents to

compete and, as Exter explains, the chal-

lenge is “open to the Roxbury community

and beyond,” having stated that lasts

year’s event consisted of teams from allover the east coast such as participants

from New York, Connecticut and Massa-

chusetts.

The teams can be co-ed and in the past

had members from ages 15 up to 50. Thecost for registration is $25 per team mem-

ber and teams consist of four members.

The cost of registration goes up to $30 per

team member after April 4.

This tournament gives a chance for any-

one and everyone to show their skills onthe court as well as an opportunity to honor

family and friends who continue their bat-

tle with cancer. Exter recalls that many

teams make t-shirts with their team name

and one team last year had shirts to honor

their friend still fighting cancer. This tour-nament is a great reminder of the strides

that have been made to combat cancer,

with Exter being living proof, but it is also

proof that the battle has not yet won foreveryone.

An overall winner of the tournament

will be chosen at the end of the event. Last

year the winners were presented with a

gym bag with the Layups 4 Life logo on it

and spectators who participated in the raf-

Layups 4 Life Continues To Fight Cancer On The Court

fle and silent auction were able to win anarray of gift certificates donated by local

businesses as well as professional sports

memorabilia. Exter says a prize is hope-

fully in the works for this year’s winners

as well.With last year’s tournament the Layups

4 Life challenge raised more than $10,000

with 40 teams registered to play and 300spectators in the stands, the Layups event

had quite the draw. With this year’s eventdrawing closer challengers, seasoned and

rookie, are invited to come out and register.

There is more than one way to partici-

pate. A group can register a team to take

part in the tournament. Teams consists of

four members, giving the 3-on-3 chal-lengers a one substitute.

Even for those who wish to stay off the

court there is a place to help out, Exter ex-plains that making a donation, becoming a

sponsor or even just coming by on the day

of the event to take part in the silent auc-

tion and raffle as well as cheering on the

teams helps out just as much.The event is scheduled to be held at the

ROHS on Sun. April 10; doors open at

10:30 a.m.; team registration confirmationis at 10 a.m.

For more information about Layups 4Life or to become a sponsor email Exter at

[email protected]. To donate to the

program or to register for the event go to

www.layups4life.org. To stay in the loop

follow Layups 4 Life on Twitter and Insta-

gram @layups4life and onFacebook.com/layups4life.

New Jersey Blood Services has

plann ed the followin g bloo d

drives which are open to the pub-

lic.

Tues. , Jan. 19, Greater Morristown

YMCA, Cedar Knolls, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 20, St. Francis Health Re-

sort, Denville, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 21, Chatham High School,

Chatham, 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Thurs., Jan. 21, Lake Hopatcong Elks

782, Mt. Arlington, 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Fri.,Jan. 22,Shoprite, Flanders,1 p.m.

to7 p.m.

Sun., Jan. 24, Seventh Day Adventist

Church, Dover, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Mon., Jan. 25, Shoprite, Succasunna,

10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Mon., Jan. 25, Knights of Columbus,

Netcong, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

New Jersey Blood Services, a division

of New York Blood Center (NYBC) is

asking for help to maintain an adequate

supply of all blood types, but especially

O-negative – the “universal” blood whichcan be transfused into anyone in an emer-

gency. In addition, hundreds of additional

blood drivesneed to be scheduledto meet

projected hospital demand. Current in-

ventory of several blood types is running

below the desired target level.

“It’s simple: hospital patient demand

for blood often outpaces our best efforts

to recru it don ors and sched ule b lo od

drives,” said NYBC Executive Director of

Donor Recruitment Andrea Cefarel li .

“There are always reasons but we have to

overcome that for the sake of hospital pa-

tients who need us.”

“This is one of the toughes t t imes of theyear,” Cefarelli added. “We’re asking

for our dedicated supporte rs to rol l up

their sleeves to make sure we’re able to

provide our hospital partners with what-

ever they need to take care of the ir pa-

tients.”

Blood products have a short shelf life

– from five to 42 days, so constant replen-

ishment is necessary. Each and every day

th ere are patients wh o depen d on the

transfusion of red blood cells, platelets

and plasma to stay alive. But blood and

blood products can’t be manufactured.

They can only come from volunteerblood

donors who take an hour toattend a blooddrive or visit a donor center.

To donate blood or for information on

how to organize a blood drive call 1-800-

933-2566; visit: www.nybloodcenter.org.

Blood Drives Held In Jan.




On behalf of the Madison Chamber

of Commerce I would like to thank

all of the participants of this years’

Annual Outdoor Home Decorating Contest.The homes that were entered into the con-

test looked exceptional and that made the

judging a difficult task.

I am certain everyone would agree that

you all were winners and that your partici-pation and efforts helped to make Madisonvery festive and beautiful during the holi-

day season. This is also true for the store

owners and businesses who took the time

to decorate and bring holiday cheer into the

business district.Many efforts are made throughout the

year and it is very much appreciated.

I would like to thank the following peo-

ple for their support: the business owners

who sponsor the numerous Grand Prize and

theme awards, John Morris, Karen Gi-

ambra, Dr. Allison Adams, Salvatore Min-

dardi, and Alex Bartolotta.In addition, a special thank you to Car-

men Toto, the Madison Christmas Commit-

tee and the Borough Electric Department

and to all those involved in making Madi-

son’s Christmas tree on Waverly Pl. and thetree at James Park between Madison Av-enue and Park Avenue beautiful.

It is fitting at this time to show appreci-

ation to everyone who took the time to

make Madison beautiful this holiday and to

thank all of those who Love Madison andShop Madison.

Happy New Year to all!

Peter Daniele

V.P. Madison Chamber of Commerce

Calling all hat boxes!

METC is looking to

enhance its upcom-

ing exhibit The Milliner's

Tale: the Craft of Hat mak-ing with the loan of hatboxes from members.

Lend hatboxes of any

shape, size or age to METC.

The hatboxes will be gently

handled and recognized inthe brochure about the ex-

hibit.

Hatboxes will be on dis-

play at METC through June

26. All hatboxes will be re-

turned at the end of June.Contact Curator of Edu-

cation, Meg Wastie at

[email protected] or 973-

377-2982 ext. 12 to be a

part of this exciting new ex-hibit!

Give the gift of member-

ship this holiday season.

Benefits of METC member-

ship include free admission;discounts for special events,

programs and purchases atthe Museum Shop; sub-

scription to the METC

newsletter.

Call or email Erin O'-

Donnell at 973-377-2982

ext. 16 or coordinator@

metc.org to give or update a

membership today!The Museum of Early

Trades & Crafts is locatedin Madison. Admission is

$5 for adults; $3 for senior

citizens, students and chil-

dren; free for METC mem-

bers and children under six.

Museum To Display Hat Boxes

Letter to the editor:

Chamber Thanks Decorating Contest Contributors

Y

ou might not think

that the dead of

winter is a perfect

time to find a summer camp

for your child, but indeed itis. The NJ Camp Fairs will

hold camp fairs throughout

January.

The closest fairs to

North Jersey will be held on

Saturday, January 23rd atThe Shops at Riverside,

Hackensack; Sunday, Janu-

ary 24th at the Livingston

Mall; Saturday, January

30th at Rockaway Town-square, Rockaway.

Fairs are noon to 3 p.m.

and admission is free. Par-

ents will meet camp direc-

tors from local day campsand sleep away camps from

around the country. There

are numerous free give-

aways and free snacks.

Each family will receive a

50+ page program booklet

with information about

camps participating in any

of the fairs. Free face paint-ing will be offered at some

of the fairs by Bella Faccia.

For more information about

specific camps attending

and directions to each loca-

tion, please log onto

www.njcampfairs.com

For more informationabout specific camps at-

tending and directions log

onto www.njcampfairs.com

Forget The Cold Weather...Think Summer

Attention Schools, Churches, Organizations!Send us your press releases and photos to

[email protected]




By Anastasia Marchese

I

t is difficult to encapsulate the work of

Family Promise.

Its mission statement explains it best;“Family Promise of Morris County is a

non-sectarian, not-for-profit organization

dedicated to ending the crisis of homeless-

ness faced by Morris County families by

partnering with other public and privateagencies, religious congregations and com-

munity volunteers to provide shelter, case

management and mentoring services lead-

ing to self-sufficiency.”

One of the main ways that Family Prom-

ise has served the homeless community in

Morris County has been through its inter-faith network. More than 70 area congrega-

tions open their homes of worship on a

rotating basis, to provide temporary food

and shelter for those without housing.Many volunteers throughout the county

make this Emergency Shelter and food

available to those in need.

The new Our Promise drop in center

does not provide nighttime shelter, but is

meeting many other pressing needs for thehomeless community in Morristown.

“We have two main focuses at the cen-ter,” said Joann Bjornson, executive direc-

tor of Family Promise Morris County

“providing for basic needs and case man-agement.”

When people who are not living in a

homeless situation think of basic needs,

there are many things that may not come to

mind. Bjornson noted how important accessto bathrooms and hygiene items are for

those living without safe housing.

“Even just the dignity and respect of

being able to have access to clean, safe rest-

rooms,” she said. “And things like under-

wear, socks and feminine hygiene items.”Bjornson mentioned that the homeless

population often doesn’t have access to

laundry facilities either.

“Their socks get wet and they have no

way to wash them, so instead of carryingaround dirty socks, they throw them away.”

In order to help people clean and main-

tain their belongings, the drop in shelter

provides laundry cards.

There are so many other things that peo-

ple may not identify as needs such as rainponchos, sunscreen, deodorant, lip balm

and lotions.

“When you think about it, if you are

spending most of your time outside, you

need sunscreen.”

It is also important that during hot or

cold weather, people have access to the cen-

ters heating/cooling station, just to be able

to get out of the elements.Try to imagine living life without a

home to provide shelter and a safe place for

taking care of general health and hygiene

issues. Any woman who has been camping

during her period can understand the diffi-culty of feminine hygiene issues without

access to running water and toilets. Even

the costs of hygiene products can be pro-

hibitive.

Meeting these kinds of basic human

needs and respecting the dignity of the

homeless population is a large part of whatthe drop in center has to offer.

The second part of the mission is case

management. This is the opportunity to

work with clients and understand their cur-rent situation and how it is affecting them.

It also means finding services that they are

eligible for and connecting them up with

agencies or organizations that can meet

these needs.

Things like providing a legal address forpeople, so they can send and receive corre-

spondence and payments. They also haveaccess to telephones, computers and a

knowledgeable clinical staff that can not

only listen to their story, but also connectthem up with other organizations that can

help.

“People say that they should pull them-

selves up by their bootstraps, and hard

work, but that isn’t enough anymore” pointsout Bjornson. “Minimum wage jobs are

often the most physically exhausting, but

how do you get to the next level? You are

living in poverty, how do you even imagine

that?

Minimum wage jobs used to be enoughto make ends meet, when someone could

get a room for $100 a week but now it’s

$600-$800 a month for a room in Morris

county. That isn’t doable on a minimum

wage job.”If someone gets sick, then forget it. They

will never be able to catch up. That is why

education is needed, so people can have ac-

cess to higher paying jobs which would en-

able them to afford housing.

Some people may see a homeless personwith a cell phone and think that if they can’t

afford housing they shouldn’t have a cell

phone. Once again, if someone imagines

himself living without safe housing, the

Family Promise Opens New Drop In Center, Our Promiseneed for a cell phone becomes instantly ap-

parent. It is also nearly impossible to secure

employment without a phone number. The

drop in center provides charging stations for

cell phones as well.Family Promise is also working with

local health care professionals to provide

health care options.

“People can use the ER for their medical

care,” says Bjornson. “They have no timefor prevention; there is no time for that, so

it’s more reactive.”

Helping people find avenues of care be-

fore there is a crisis can keep them out of

the ER.

When the center first opened in July, it

was having mostly clients picking up theirmail and leaving. About 10-15 people a day

dropped in, but didn't really take advantage

of the services being offered. Now, there are

between 25-45 people a day with about 125unduplicated clients a week, with many

people staying to use the center, and speak

with the staff and volunteers.

“The clinical staff is really helping peo-

ple,” reflects Bjornson.

The mission of Our Promise is not com-

pletely set as Family Promise continues to

figure out what the actual needs are and

how to best address them. For 2016, thecenter is considering the needs of people re-

leased from prison and hospitals, and con-

sidering how they can help these people

find their place in society.

The center is able to do all this throughthe use of government funding, and the

charity of various business, organizations

and individuals. They have trained staff on

site as well as the valuable donations of

their time by volunteers. They are currently

looking for a volunteer to help at the drop

in center.Anyone interested in getting involved ei-

ther as a volunteer or through donations can

contact Our Promise at 973-644-0100 or

[email protected] drop in center is located at The First

Baptist Church of Morristown and is open

Mon. thru Fri. 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

908-684-1615Call Today for Details & Free Estimate

NEW YEAR...NEW HEATING UNIT

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The Madison Chamber of Commerce

announced the winners of its annualOutdoor Home Decorating Contest

for 2015. The residences and business onceagain lit up the neighborhoods with their

festive lights, wreaths and holiday decora-

tions.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the

year,” states Peter Daniele, of Rose CityCollision. “This annual event is fun and it

showcases the beauty of our neighborhoods

and downtown business district.”

The Outdoor Home Decorating Contest

is a traditional event that allows Chambermembers to give back to their communityand say thank you for supporting their busi-

nesses throughout the year.

The two grand prizes were awarded to

the Punolo Family, 210 Central Ave. and

the Rose Family, 40 Garfield Ave.Each grand prize winner received a $100

Chamber of Commerce gift check, a cus-

tom basket donated by Whole Foods and a

gift certificate for services valued at $245

from Salvatore Minardi Salon.

In addition, the winners receive a certifi-cate of acknowledgement and a yard sign

for their front lawn denoting the categorythey won and the name of the sponsor busi-

ness.

The following families were awarded

within a theme category. The Buzinkai

family, 7 Independence Ct. won Most Ele-gant and the Pagliuca family, 48 Knollwood

Ave. won Most Colorful. The Smollen

family, 125 Garfield Ave. won Picture Per-

fect. The Zienowicz family, 152 Shunpike

Rd. won Most Creative. The Arena family,39 Station Rd. won Best Sparkling Holiday.The DeRosa family, 37 Pine Ave. won the

Best Storybook theme. The Nugent family,

35 Lawrence Rd. won Most Traditional and

the Torrani family, 19 Highland Rd. won

Home for the Holidays. The Lein family,24 Anthony Dr. won Most Tasteful and the

Goldstein family, 22 Stonehedge Lane won

Winter Wonderland.

Each theme winner received a $25

Madison Outdoor Home Decorating Contest Winners Announced For 2015

Chamber of Commerce gift check, a certifi-

cate of acknowledgement and a yard signto be placed on their property.

Honorable Mentions went to the Cuc-

chiara Family, 306 Woodland Rd.; the Gior-

dano/Pinkowitz family, 21 Crestwood Dr.;the Johnson family, 260 Woodland Rd.; the

Lajewski family, 2 Woodside Rd; and the

McKenna family, 44 Elm St.

Holiday decorating awards were also

awarded to the following businesses:Cramers Carpet One, 73 Main St.; Rose

City Jewelers & Gemologists, 1 Waverly

Pl.; Gerlach’s Jewelers, 61 Main St.; Madi-

son Pet Shop, 26 Main St.; Madison Phar-macy, 66 Main St.; J& M Home & Garden,

201 Main St.; Coviello Brothers, 245 Main

St.; and Madison Tire, 285 Main St.

2015 Grand Prize Winner- The Rose Family, 40 Garfield

Ave.

2015 Most Tasteful- The Lein Family, 24 Anthony Dr. 2015 Best Storybook- The DeRosa Family, 37 Pine Ave.

This beautiful home is

for sale and ready forthe next owner(s) to

enjoy as is, or bring your ar-

chitect, builder or designer

to imagine your own Madi-son dream home. This clas-

sic coursed rubble-stone

colonial boasts unparalleled

curb appeal, location and

value. Now priced below 1million dollars at $995,000

this home has the added

benefit and affordability of being priced below the

"mansion tax" associated

with higher priced areahomes. This home repre-

sents an opportunity to pur-

chase a 4 bedroom, 3 1/2

bath, updated center-hall in

one of Madison's most de-sirable, prestigious and as-

pirational neighborhoods.

Situated between the Dell-

wood & Pomeroy areas of "The Hill Section" with

proximity to town shop-ping, dining, Schools and

NYC trains. Recent updates

(2015) include a new Car-

rara and seamless glassmaster shower and a new

kitchen including cabinets,

Carrara and Stainless appli-

ances. These features along

with fresh interior paint

raises the home to move-incondition. This home is

great for entertaining and

features a covered porch aswell as a dining / grilling

patio off of the "familyroom / Media room". There

is a grass backyard visible

from the kitchen window,

two car garage plus off street parking. Inside period

details, hardwood floors, at-

tractive fireplace, and mold-

ings add to the appeal and

value of this handsome

home. For more informa-tion or to schedule a show-

ing please contact

Christopher "Chris" Clintonat Coldwell Banker, 180

Main Street, Madison07940. Phone 973 476 4093

www.89SamsonAve.com

Classic “Cross Gates” Colonial




By Cheryl Conway

For those who agree “it’s better to

give than receive,” there is an op-portunity banging on the door of a

shelter organization that could help hun-

dreds of women and children who may be

left on the street if the mortgage is not paid.

Secret Santas may be long gone, but

there has to be an angel out there willing to

hold the mortgage of Strengthen Our Sis-

ters, a grassroots, community based non-

profit, program serving homeless/battered

women and children for more than four

decades. Faced with mortgage conflicts,the shelter has to come up with $30,000 by

Jan. 15 to avoid foreclosure.

Established in 1977 as Shelter Our Sis-

ters - the first shelter for battered women

in North America- the organization

changed its name to Strengthen Our Sisters

(SOS) and grew to eight houses, two day

care centers, a food pantry and a thrift

store. The properties’ value a total of $2.5

million, with just under $600,000 left to be

paid. With restricted monies coming in, theorganization is at risk of closing its doors

to hundreds of women and children with no

other safe place to go.

“I don’t know what would happen to

these people,” says Sandra Ramos of Ring-

wood, founder and executive director of

SOS. “If we don’t get help with the mort-

gage people will be on the street. If some-

one wants to be an angel and save our

mortgage that would be great.”

Ramos explains “if we had the $30,000it would be the drop down money if some-

one could give it.”

Rialto Capital Management Advisors in

Florida, the company that is holding the

mortgage bridge loan, did not return phone

calls to New View Media Group as of press

time. Valley National Bank had sold the

mortgage to Rialto when SOS’s funding

was reduced, says Ramos.

“During this year and one half, they

have seen our reliability and commitmentto avoid foreclosure by paying $30,000

every three months, which is directly ap-

plied to the principal, along with a monthly

payment of $7,000,” says Ramos. “SOS

has done this faithfully, although it has

been challenging.”

Ramos, a pioneer advocate for battered

women, started her first shelter in 1970 inher three bedroom home in Hackensack.

She had three small children at the time,

was facing divorce after ten years of mar-

riage and was in need of a roommate, she

explains.

“I wanted a roommate,” says Ramos, so

she put the word out that she wanted to

share her house. “The ones who came to

me were the ones who got battered,” says

Ramos. “Women called to say ‘I can’t stay

in my house.’”One roommate turned into 23 women in

her house at one point, she admits. Her

children would sleep with her in her wa-

terbed; there would be some guests on the

floor, in the bathtub, in the basement.

“I would get a call and say ‘I’m sorry I

have no room.’ But it was difficult to turn

people away who would say ‘I finally got

the courage to leave; if you don’t take me

I will die.”’

Ramos says, “My neighbors said theydidn’t want battered women on their block,

and I told them, ‘they are already here, the

question is do you want them living with

pain, suffering and horror or do you want

them living with peace, dignity and re-

spect?’”

When the town found out that Ramos

had too many people at her house they

“threatened to put me in jail,” she says. The

town cited her for “overcrowding” because

she had three or more unrelated people liv-ing together.

“I told the town ‘If you want a place for

them you have to drag them out kicking

and screaming;’ so they put them in a

motel,” Twin Lakes Motel in Paramus.

Ramos did not turn her back on them

and instead continued to help them.

“We would have to pick them up and

take them to look for housing, counseling,”

says Ramos. “They [the town] didn’t give

them food or services, counseling.”The Catholic Church would bring food

and battered women would work together

to help other women.

Over the years, in 1977, her initiative

became Shelter Our Sisters. She moved out

of her house to Bergen County in a house

located on a church’s property in Bogota.

About 10 to 15 women in children livedthere.

Her organization grew, and established

a board of directors, but after a disagree-

ment, the board fired Ramos in 1986.

Ramos separated and formed SOS a

year later. With her children grown, she

moved to her house in Ringwood “and peo-

ple started calling me. I let some people

stay in my house. We knew we had to get a

shelter.”

They opened a thrift store in Haskell.“We raised more money,” and even the

board from her first organization would

send her people to help.

With a state regulated budget of up to

four million dollars, Ramos was able to

manage her organization but as state regu-

lations got stricter, operations got tougher

such as paying the mortgage.

“I’ve always been an advocate for

women and children,” says Ramos, who

teaches social issues and dynamics of do-mestic violence at Ramapo College in

Mahwah as an adjunct professor. “Every-

body has been touched by domestic vio-

lence in one way.

“One woman was going to be killed by

a gangster guy,” explains Ramos. Other

women and children she brought into her

shelter were rich but their husbands were

“molesters and child abusers. No one

would take them. We reach out to people

who need help. We help a lot of pregnantwomen and children.”

Through her shelter program, Ramos

says “thousands have been saved” during

the past 46 years. With two hotline num-

bers, Ramos has made herself available to

help others.

The mission of SOS is to break the

cycle of domestic violence, poverty and

abuse by restoring balance and harmony

through individual empowerment.

She currently helps 155 women andchildren in seven shelters located in New

Foundland, Wanaque and West Milford;

two daycare centers in Wanaque and West

Milford; a thrift store in a church; and one

food pantry in Wanaque.

To support her organization, Ramos re-

ceives some money from the Passaic

County Dept. of Human Services, privatedonations, counties and social services,

“but not enough to keep it going. We have

a transportation grant but they took it away.

We have five vans; we need help. We’ve

been running for three and a half years with

a non-paid staff,” down from a paid staff

of 55 that were let go when SOS lost fund-

ing, she says.

Ramos says she currently has 17 non-

paid volunteers who drive the shelter resi-

dents to look for jobs, to court, doctorappointments, social services, schools;

they fix things, watch children.

“They are exhausted but they believe in

the shelter,” says Ramos, just like she does.

“I have seen women that have come to

me and their lives are a wreck, depressed,

suicidal,” she says.

“People are still calling,” continues

Ramos. “Every day I get four or five calls.

We take almost everybody. We take people

who no one else will take. We take peoplewithout welfare vouchers. We don’t want

to see them killed, beaten or frozen to

death.

“Yesterday, a 70-year old woman had no

heat, we took her,” adds Ramos. She also

took in another woman with five children,

“who would be out in the street forced to

live with child molesters.”

One of her houses is for all older

women, some in wheelchairs, others with

oxygen. “Nobody will take them.”Many of the women and children her or-

ganization helps “don’t have families,” are

on section eight, have families or friends

“who don’t like them; who don’t want to

help them. We have a lot of dysfunctional

families.”

Ramos explains, “I see them heal, get

strong and get their lives together. We live

in a violent society; there’s a lot of vio-

lence. The work I’m doing I feel it’s a mis-

sion but right now I need an angel. I justneed someone to pay off the mortgage or

hold it. We just really need someone to

help.”

To make a donation or to help, call

Ramos at 973-831-0898.

SOS- Women And ChildrenLooking For An Angel To Save Shelter




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