Now that the holiday season is upon us, All Around Old Bridge and Old Bridge Chamber of Commerce is committed to giving back to our cherished community members, particularly our children. Our goal this year is to donate 2,500 toys, and we believe that with your generous support, we can achieve this remarkable milestone. Imagine the joy and happiness we can bring to the children this holiday season. Every year, the residents and businesses of Old Bridge come together to support those in need
during the holiday season. We host our Annual Giving Event, “Toys for Tots,” which allows us to collect donations until December 16th. These donations help provide the much-needed joy and comfort that children deserve during the holiday season. Over the past few years, we have been fortunate enough to collect over 10,000 toys, and we have witnessed the incredible generosity of residents from all over Old Bridge and beyond.
With a simple donation from each of our businesses and residents, we can make a significant impact and ensure that many children receive the toys they need this holiday season. Together, we
can create a positive difference in the lives of our community.
If you’re interested in donating, you can drop off a toy at any of our designated drop-off locations or contact Anthony Cosentino at 732-713-2295. Your contribution will help us make this holiday season truly memorable for the children.
Visit our Facebook page for a full list of over 50 local businesses that accept donations and to read our November articles.
AMBOY BANK LAUNCHES ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE TO SUPPORT LOCAL FAMILIES
themed celebrations launching the Food Drive. From classic Jersey diners to movie scenes, branches transform into immersive displays—all with the purpose of raising awareness for local hunger relief.
Food insecurity continues to affect nearly one million New Jersey residents, with more families struggling to access affordable, nutritious food. For over 135 years, Amboy Bank has been a trusted part of the communities it serves. Supporting neighbors, clients, and employees—many of whom are one and the same— remains central to its mission.
Kicking off on Halloween, Amboy Bank’s annual month-
long Food Drive will take place across all 22 branches, administrative office, and online. Customers can donate boxed and canned goods in-branch or contribute through Amboy’s Digital Banking Giving Center. Amboy will match individual monetary donations up to $250, with a total match of $5,000 for the campaign. Halloween has become a much-anticipated tradition at Amboy branches, with
Each branch selects the food bank it supports, with many maintaining long-term partnerships, including Old Bridge Food Bank, Lunch Break of Red Bank, and Open Door Food Bank. Amboy Bank invites customers and community members to join this effort to make a direct impact on local families in need.
To find your nearest branch or make a donation, visit AmboyBank.com.
MESSAGE BY MAYOR WALKER
Dear Old Bridge Residents, Welcome to the month of November.
The cool, crisp fall season is fully upon us, school is well underway, and harvest activities have been plentiful.
I would like to remind residents that Tuesday, November 4th is Election Day. Please take the time to exercise your right to vote. For information regarding this year’s election, please visit our website at oldbridge.com.
The 58th annual family-friendly Apple Festival will take place on Saturday, November 8th from 12pm-4pm at the Thomas Warne Museum. This event, presented by the Madison-Old Bridge Township Historical Society, will include delicious apple pies, assorted baked goods, and refreshments. This is the perfect family event to help kick off the holiday shopping season. They will also be collecting new unwrapped toys to donate to Toys for Tots.
All Township offices will be closed on Tuesday, November 11th in observance of Veterans Day. This day recognizes the service and sacrifices our veterans made
for this country. It is also a day to reflect and say thank you to those veterans for their selflessness and bravery in protecting our freedom.
With the fall season upon us, it is also a perfect time to spend with family and friends. Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to give thanks for all that we have and to spend time with those who are close to us. We must always try to remember those who need our help during the holiday season and perhaps donate to our local Old Bridge Food Bank. The volunteers at the food bank work very hard to collect food and make wonderful baskets to distribute to local families who are not as fortunate as others. If you would like to donate to the Old Bridge Food Bank, please call (732) 721-5600 x2022 or x6625 for more information.
I extend my best wishes to all our residents for a safe, healthy and Happy Thanksgiving.
Mayor Debbie Walker
Debbie Walker
REFORMED CHURCH HOME RESIDENTS RELIVE THE TIMELESS JOY OF THE BEATLES
On February 9, 1964, an estimated 73 million people tuned in to The Ed Sullivan Show to see four young men from Liverpool perform live for the first time in America. The Beatles’ debut united families across the nation, forever changing music and culture. Among those wide-eyed teens were many who now call Reformed Church Home their home.
Sixty years later, those same fans found themselves inspired again. On October 7, 2025, Reformed Church Home hosted Ft. Midlife Crisis NYC: A Beatles Story Concert, a lively tribute that brought the music—and memories—flooding back.
For ninety minutes, familiar chords filled the air: She Loves You, Let It Be, Here Comes the Sun, and Hey Jude. Residents smiled, clapped, sang, and even shed a few joyful tears. Couples who once danced to I Want to Hold Your Hand reached for each other’s hands again.
“It wasn’t just a concert,” said Activities Directors Amy Wendel and Kristen Micholowski. “It was a time machine fueled by memory and melody. Watching
our residents sing along reminded us that inspiration never ages.”
At Reformed Church Home, Inspired Living is more than a theme—it’s a way of life. Whether through music, art, or friendship, joy and purpose are renewed daily. Executive Director Kate Shepard summed it up best: “Our goal is to create moments that move the heart. The Beatles did that for a generation, and we strive to do that every day for our residents.”
On that October afternoon, yesterday truly met today—and everyone was inspired then and inspired again.
WHERE YOU GET YOUR MAMMO MATTERS
From the most advanced 3D imaging and curved equipment for a more comfortable breast fit, to a personalized breast cancer risk assessment, our experts are armed with powerful information that is individualized to each woman. Catching cancer early means better outcomes. That’s how healthy happens.
SCREENINGS CAN DETECT BREAST CANCER EARLY; LEARN ABOUT OUR
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AND TREATMENT
Patricia Carroll, President, Chief Hospital Executive, Hackensack Meridian Old Bridge and Raritan Bay Medical Centers.
I want to speak directly to you, our friends and neighbors in the Old Bridge community, about a topic that is deeply important– mammograms.
Almost a year ago, national guidelines were updated to recommend that women begin annual mammograms at age 40, a full decade earlier than the previous recommendation of 50. This is a significant shift, and one that we at Hackensack Meridian Old Bridge Medical Center wholeheartedly support. The data is clear: starting mammograms at 40 helps catch breast cancer earlier, when it’s most treatable. Here in New Jersey, where we see around 7,000 new cases of breast cancer a year, this recommendation is especially critical.
One of the first questions we often hear is, “What can I expect during the screening?”
Many women feel anxious about mammograms, but our team makes sure that the process is as comfortable and fast as
possible—usually about 20 minutes. And of course of top importance is that we use state of the art technology to get accurate information about a patient’s breast health.
At Old Bridge Medical Center, we use advanced 3D mammography, which gives us multiple, detailed layers of the breast, allowing our team to see through the tissue, slice by slice, for a much clearer picture.
Dr. Preeti Subhedar, the Chief of Breast Surgery for the Central Region of Hackensack Meridian Health, explains why this technology is so vital. Dr. Subhedar says: “Nearly half of women over 40 have dense breasts. It’s normal, but it makes cancer harder to detect on traditional mammograms because both dense tissue and tumors can appear white.”
Dense breasts don’t just make it harder to spot an abnormality, they raise the risk of breast cancer up to four times higher than average.
State-of-the-art technology also means fewer false alarms and better accuracy. We’ve also updated our machines with curved paddles that contour to the breast’s shape, making the experience far more
comfortable than it used to be. For enhanced diagnostics, we provide Contrast Enhanced Mammography (an alternative to MRI), radiation-free Breast MRI for high-risk patients and breast ultrasound to ensure a thorough evaluation.
Understanding your personal risk is also key. Factors like family history, genetic mutations (like BRCA1 and BRCA2) and even starting menstrual periods before age 12 can increase risk. That’s why many of our patients now receive a personal risk score at their visit. If a woman’s lifetime risk is over 20%, we consider her high-risk and may recommend additional screenings.
Finally, while formal, routine self-exams are no longer officially recommended, we still encourage all our patients to be aware of their bodies and pay attention to changes. You know your body best. If you feel something new or unusual—a lump, a change in shape or persistent pain—don’t wait. Call your doctor.
Our compassionate and highly skilled team is here to provide you with the best care.
We are here to make you comfortable,
explain everything and help you take control of your health.
In a state with higher-than-average rates of breast cancer, the most powerful tool you have is information, and the most important step you can take is early screening. Please, talk to your doctor about your risk factors and don’t delay that first mammogram, or the others that follow. For more information or to schedule a screening at Old Bridge Medical Center, please call 732-324-5270 or visit our website.
Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center
Perth Amboy: 530 New Brunswick Ave, Perth Amboy
Hackensack Meridian Old Bridge Medical Center
Old Bridge: 1 Hospital Plaza, Old Bridge
-Nicole Rokosz
THE SAT LACKS TRANSPARENCY
By Paul Pscolka
1979 saw the enactment of the Truth-inTesting Law in New York state, which required standardized tests to release exactly half of the administered exams’ questions and answers. For this reason, only six of the seven test dates for the ACT were available in New York (because the ACT only released the questions and answers for 3 of their seven test dates).
There was a time, not too long ago (two years ago, to be exact), when students could get a copy of the SAT they took. At that time, the SAT was offered seven times per year, and the score was released every March, May, and October to the students who tested those months and paid a couple of extra bucks. The Question-and-Answer Service (QAS), as it was called, gave students an opportunity to learn from the mistakes they made on test day.
With the advent of the digital SAT came the end of the QAS. How is this possible? The College Board has cited test security and intellectual property as reasons. Why were test security and
intellectual property not cited earlier? Is the College Board simply increasing their bottom line by reusing old questions?
What the College Board does release now are student performance on very general categories tested. This is useless. Why? Because when a student underperforms on Conventions of Standard English, the student does not know if his/her weakness is subject-verb agreement, verb tense, pronoun-antecedent agreement, commas, colons, semicolons, dashes, or apostrophes. From a preparation standpoint, the practice tests are much more valuable.
Hopefully we hit a tipping point in the not-so-distant future where juggernauts like the College Board (and universities) look out for the best interests of students (as they purport to) rather than their bottom lines.
Want to talk about the SAT or college admissions? Book me for a free consultation: https://www.ivymasters.com/free-consultation/
BridgeLife Thrift is a wholly owned, single member LLC of Calvary Chapel Old Bridge, NJ with all proceeds supporting Bridge Women’s Center, and Calvary Christian School.
Retired law enforcement officer Mark Razzoli is running to restore public safety & parental rights to Old
Retired Jersey City Police Detective Ward 4 Councilman 2018-2022
Husband, father & 20 year resident Walked away from the Democrat Party
Amboy will be collecting for local Food Banks to help our neighbors impacted by food insecurity throughout November
Drop Off a Food Donation at Your Local Branch
Most In-Demand Items Include:
· Gift cards to local grocery stores · Canned stews and chili
· Protein, including canned soup, tuna, meat, peanut butter, nuts, and canned beans
· Canned fruits and vegetables, including juices and tomato sauce
· Carbohydrates, including nutritious breakfast cereals, pasta, and rice
· Crackers, granola bars, and cheese and cracker packages
Donated Food Will Be Delivered to Local Organizations, Including:
· Old Bridge Food Bank · Open Door Food Bank
· Lunch Break of Red Bank
Paid for by Razzoli for Council, 11 Bruce St, Old Bridge, NJ, 08857, Margaret Cucci, Treasurer.
THE OLD BRIDGE REPUBLICAN TEAM
Together, we can ensurea brighter future for Old Br idge
FISICALLY RESPONSIBLE
PROVEN LEADERSHIP
INTEGRITY
ACCOUNTABILITY
PRINCIPLED
ELECTIONDAY November4th
VOTE COLUMN B - Delivering the BEST for Old Bridge
Re-Elect Re-Elect
CLIFTON Alex SAUICKIE
Alex SAUICKIE
In the Assembly, Clifton and Sauickie are leading the fight against the disastrous policies of the far-left Democrat majority in Trenton, that have made New Jersey unaffordable for the seniors and hard working families in LD12.
Rob and Alex will continue to:
FIGHT reckless Democrat Energy policies that have reduced generation and caused Energy bills to skyrocket.
WORK to get our fair share of school funding and restore funding cuts by Trenton Democrats
BRING COMMON SENSE to Trenton. IT’S TIME to end the far-left, extreme agenda of Trenton Democrats.
