OLD BRIDGE DAY 24TH, COME
SEPTEMBER
Pleas join us on Saturday 9/24 from 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM at the Old Bridge Munic ipal Complex, 1 Old Bridge Plaza, Old Bridge NJ 08857. We will be opening the day with our traditional ceremony which Mayor Owen Henry will be presiding over. Old Bridge High School ROTC will be presenting the colors, we will be presenting perfor mances by our ever-popular Old Bridge High School Band!!
The day will be filled with vendors of all kinds, some with great giveaways! We will also have Food Trucks with lots of delicious food and treats and a Food Court where you can relax for while have lunch and listen to the Live Bands- TBA!! Once again, we will be using The New Fun Services of Fair field NJ who always go above and beyond providing us with exceptional service, and safe clean rides and entertainment for our children. The days entertain ment will include rides for the young and the young at heart to enjoy. We will have a kid’s section with a variety of arts and crafts, games and lots of giveaway’s; this section is all sponsored by Calvary Chapel Old Bridge and staffed by their wonderful group of event staff and volunteers. Parking is limited, you can park at Carl Sandburg School and walk over to the Munic ipal Complex or park at Old Bridge High School parking lot and take a shuttle bus over. Several Shuttles will be running back and forth all day long. As always, we want to thank the Mayor and Council for al lowing us to provide you with fun filled events throughout the year. For more information, please check our website www.old bridge.com or call Old Bridge Parks & Recreation at 732721-5600 ext. 4999 or you can email Lvalsera@oldbridge.com
The South Old Bridge Vol unteer Fire Company, Inc is proud to announce that they will be celebrating their 75th Anniversary on October 8, 2022 at the Old Bridge High School from 10am to 3pm. They would be honored to have the residents of Old Bridge join them in the cel ebration of their 75 years of dedicated service to the com munity and Fire District 3. The celebration will begin with a 75th Anniversary cer emony along with the dedica tion and blessing of their new fire truck, Engine 327. The ceremony will be followed by games, face painting, fire pre vention demonstrations and many more family fun activi ties. Food trucks and vendors will be participating as well. Throughout their 75 years of proud and honorable service to the residents of South Old Bridge, their members have always answered the alarm and bravely served the community. SOBFD members respond to a variety of calls each year. They respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to any emergency the community suffers. This includes structure fires, motor vehicle accidents, brush & mulch fires,
A Publication for the community of Old BridgeVOL 8, NO 4 SEPTEMBER 2022 OLDBRIDGE ALLAROUND Mayor's office of Economic Development OB OLD BRIDGE Pursuing Progress _ SOBFD WILL OCTOBERSERVICE75CELEBRATINGBEYEARSOFON8TH
LAURENCE HARBOR COMMUNITY
JOIN US FOR A FUN FILLED FAMILY DAY!
Township of Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry, Council and Administration recognize the need for an updated commu nity facility in Laurence Harbor to serve as an updated center where our residents can engage and interact. The Township has requesting Community Project Funding to support the Laurence Harbor Community Building Project, which will include the construction of a Community Building along the Laurence Harbor beachfront. This new multipurpose building will consist of a two-story Commu nity Building that will be used for purposes of recreation. The waterfront views and modern structure will provide a beauti fied and functional space for res idents and visitors of Old Bridge. The existing Laurence Harbor Recreation Building, approx imately 2,500 square feet, is located within Old Bridge Wa terfront Park, constructed in the late 1970s, rehabilitated in 2003 and has always provided a vital service to the residents of Old Bridge. Historically this Recreation Building has been heavily used by the Township Continue on page 25
Continue on page 6
BUILDING PROJECT
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I hope ev eryone had a theyearschooltheexcitedandfulwondersummerisfornewandevents
MAYOR’S MESSAGE
planned for September. I look forward to supporting our local sports teams and interacting with residents at the many activities planned around town. Please be mindful of the increased number of pedestrians, cars, and school buses on the road. Stay alert when driving, and be sure to obey the posted speed limit, especially in the school zones. This month, we will honor those who lost their lives during the horrific attack on our country on September 11th, 2001. It is hard to believe we have hit the 21st Anniversary of this appall ing event. Our yearly remem brance ceremony will be held at 2pm on Sunday, September 11th at the 9-11 Memorial Site located
Mayor’s Office of Economic Development continue to host ribbon cuttings and welcome new businesses to Old Bridge.
A reminder about recycling - The township is committed to educating our residents on the importance of recycling and we encourage everyone to partic ipate as a way to help improve our environment. If you have not done so already, please down load our handy free Recycle Coach app that allows you to get helpful information right on your smart phone. For more information, please feel free to visit tinuecomingOldtheeventsprojectskeeplookoutPleaseoldbridge.com/recycling.continuetobeontheforthispublicationtowellinformedofthenewintownaswellasfamilythatoccurthroughoutyear.Also,getreadyforBridgeRestaurantWeekinOctober.Pleasecontostaysafeandbewell.MayorOwenHenry near the Library in the Municipal Complex. This solemn occasion allows us to honor and pay tribute to those local residents and all those who lost their lives during this devastating day in our history. We must never forget. We will gather for a happier occasion during our annual Old Bridge Day on Saturday, September 24th from 12pm to 5pm at the Municipal Complex. The event features live enter tainment, food, games, per formances from local groups, vendor tables, and the oppor tunity to meet with Township and local government officials. Let’s hope for good weather! I also want to thank all the residents who continue to show support to our local businesses. A wide variety of industries have chosen to call Old Bridge home because of all it has to offer. Residents are the best support system for our busi nesses, and I am joyous to see our business owners receive the support they deserve. Myself and Steven Mamakas from the
OwenMayorHenry
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6 ALL AROUND OLD BRIDGE SEPTEMBER 2022 SOBFD WILL CELEBRATINGBE75 YEARS OF SERVICE ON OCTOBER 8TH CO alarms, fire alarms, medical assists, floods and water rescues, power outages, down power lines, animal rescues, missing persons, gas leaks, aircraft firefighting and structure collapse. SOBFD covers over 26 square miles of Old Bridge with 35,000 residents and respond to well over 750 calls a year. SOBFD looks forward to celebrating their 75 years of service with the communi ty that they protect and adore. Continued from page 1 Mayor's office of Economic Development OB OLD BRIDGE Pursuing Progress _ THINK OLD BRIDGE Steve Mamakas, Executive officer of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT SUMMER. GET READY FOR OLD BRIDGE RESTAURANT WEEK COMING IN OCTOBER.
accordance with the Open Space, Recreation, and Farmland and Historic Preservation Act, the Middlesex County Open Space Plan (MCOSP) and with NJDEP Green Acres funding. Old Bridge Township entered into a Conser vation Management Agreement with Middlesex County on April 6, 2017 for a term of 10 years, where the Township has accepted responsibility for secu rity, liability, management and of the Middlesex County Park rules and regulations not incon sistent with the Deed Restric tions at no cost to the County.
Old Bridge Township is set to conclude the Phase I Site Improvements in Fall of 2022, which included construction of two parking areas, grande plaza area, memorial walk, stormwater management facilities, utility upgrades, landscaping and a portion of the stone dust walking path around the apple orchards.
The Township has begun pre serving and utilizing the Cottrell Farm property by completing Phase I Building Rehabilita tion which affected four of the five existing buildings on site including the interior and exte rior renovations of the Garrett Cottrell farmhouse, the exterior renovations of the stone garage, shop building, and barn. The pool cottage will be rehabilitated as a maintenance building to store park equipment in a future phase.
The Garrett Cottrell Farm was previously determined eligible by the State Historic Preservation Office for listing on the New Jersey and National Registers for Historic Places under criterion C (SHPO Opinion: 10/26/1981). Since entering into a Conser vation Management Agreement with Middlesex County in late 2017, Old Bridge Township has retained the design services of a professional architect and professional engineer con sultants to prepare bid plans specifications and cost estimates associated with rehabilitating the existing five building and constructing a passive park, respectively, on site in early 2018. At the onset of the project a Steering Committee was devel oped with members including the Mayor, Business Administra tor, Council President and Vice, NJDEP Green Acres, County & Township Engineers, Assistant Engineer, Township Planner, DPW Director, County & Town ship Recreation Director, Police, Fire Marshal, OEM, Construc
Phase II Site Improvements will begin in Spring 2023 with the construction of a farm themed playground and splash pad area, paver picnic area and prefabri cated restroom building with ad ditional stone dust walking paths around existing apple orchard. A public sneak peak tour of the park improvements com pleted to date was held on Wednesday August 10, 2022. The total anticipated project construction cost for Cottrell Farm Park is approximately $6.25 million. Note that the estimate was done in 2018 and does not include current supply chain issues and inflation costs.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Green Acres Program has awarded this project $2.1 million in grants. We are ac tively applying for additional grant opportunities to continue with improvements to the park. Current expenditures total ap proximately $3.2 million to date.
The Garrett Cottrell farm house located in the center of the site was constructed during the 1830s. The house was owned by the Cottrell family into the early twenty first century. Historically the farmhouse has been sur rounded by apple orchards with apples farmed for many years.
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COTTRELL FARM PARK PROJECT UPDATE
tion Code Official, Conservation Officer, Planning Board, Histor ical Society, and Grant Writer. The intention of the Steering Committee is to help guide the preservation of the historical nature of the site while keeping the farm theme throughout.
By Himanshu R. Shah, Business Administrator R. Shah
Himanshu
3. SHARED SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH MUA Mayor, Council President Mary Sohor, Councilwoman Anita Greenberg-Belli, Mike Roy, MUA Engineer, Nicole Shapiro, Township Engineer, and I met to discuss potential sharing of information and various services. The Township agreed to waive all application fees to MUA, and the MUA agreed to waive all connection fees to the Township. The Township En gineering Department and the MUA Engineering Department will regularly communicate with each other about any major road related capital projects. We plan to meet on a quarterly basis to discuss areas of coop eration and sharing of services. Time really goes by fast when you have fun!, says Laura Alib erti, coordinator of the Healthy Kids Running Series in Old Bridge. After an amazing Spring Season, with over 200 runners from 19 different towns and more than 20 sponsors, sup porters and donors we are ready to come back with more fun and surprises in a new location. Thank you to the wonderful support of this great community, HKRS-Old Bridge chapter won the HKRS ALL START and HONOR ROLL for the Northeast Coast award. Healthy Kids Running Series it’s inspiring boys and girls all over the country (ages 2-16) to believe in themselves and lead an active healthy lifestyle. The program also boasts the Chal lenger Division, an all abilities division for youth with extra support needs. This season’s first race will begin on Sunday, September 11 at 11:30am in Old Bridge High School Practice Fields 4209 County Rd 516, Matawan, NJ 07747 Whether it’s running or another outdoor activity, we just want to get kids and fam ilies moving. Our races are kid focused with the ultimate goal of teaching them how to be active and healthy while creating meaningful relation ships within our community. Kids compete each week, for five-week, to earn points, and at the end of the series, the top runners in their respective age division, earn a trophy. All participants receive a finisher’s medal, race packet, donated
ADMINISTRATOR’SBUSINESS REPORT
2. PARKS AND RECREATION Vendor applications for Old Bridge Day (Septem ber 24th) are posted on the township website. Please visit oldbridge.com/recreation.
PICKUPBRUSH Residents are reminded that brush and tree branches are picked up every 2 weeks, by ap pointment, until October. Please visit OldBridge.com/Recycling to make an appointment or call (732) 721-5600 Ext. 6140.
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HEALTHY KIDS RUNNING SERIES by our generous Sponsors and a tech t-shirt. Early bird reg istration is $40 for the fiveweek Series prior to August 21st and then increases to $45. Our Series is sponsored by the Mayor Owen Henry, Council man Erik DePalma, All Around Old Bridge, Matthew Gregorin of Coldwell Banker Realty, Prime Time Mortgage Corp., Maxx Mgmt. We are thankful for the support and donations received from Mae Field School, Dancation Studio and Theater, Card my Yard-Morganville, Old Bridge Road Runners, A’s Handyman Services, Creations by Sheana, SEPTA Old Bridge, The Old Bridge Kids Daycare. Learn more at KidsRunningSeries.org.www.Healthy
Brunswick Animal Hospital for more than 30 years. Dr. Green berg has been a member of the Old Bridge Township Council since 2016 Therapy dogs are trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people in settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices or disaster areas. They work as a team with their owners and handlers. Therapy dogs help people cope with health issues, emotional problems, stress and depression. Dogs can be valuable allies when it comes to supporting the most vulnerable people. Therapy dogs are not service dogs.
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I have seen firsthand, time and again, how animals bring fulfillment, comfort and joy to people, and it is wonderful that there is kindness in individu als that will take the time and effort to obtain certification and volunteer to become a therapy team that helps people in need.
The difference between therapy dogs and service dogs is that service dogs are trained to perform specific tasks to help a person with a disabil ity, such as a Seeing Eye dog. While service dogs have special access privileges in public places, such as in restaurants and on planes, therapy dogs are not granted that access. Therapy dogs are obedient, interact favorably with humans and other animals, have good temperament, are social and do not exhibit jumping and barking. They must succeed in a series of tests in order to become certified. The certification and training is supervised by quali fied therapy dog organizations. And both the volunteer and the dog must achieve certification.
The dog first has basic obe dience training, and then therapy dog training. This includes being comfortable around wheelchairs and walkers. Therapy dogs have a long history. Florence Nightingale pioneered the idea of animal assisted therapy, using animals to reduce the anxiety of pa tients in psychiatric institutions. Sigmund Freud used dogs to ease his patients and make them more comfortable to socialize.
By Anita Greenberg, DVM
In 1976, Elaine Smith started a program to train dogs to visit institutions and founded Therapy Dogs International, promoting healing and im proving the quality of life for the people being visited and the staff that cares for these people. Since that time the use of therapy dogs has grown rapidly. Therapy dogs have demon strated the ability to reduce anxiety and depression as well as boost the moods of the patient with whom they engage. They can support patients in de veloping social skills, try to make patients more open to participating in the therapy process and assist them in feeling more comfortable in what is often a strange situation. Any dog can become a trained and certified therapy dog, al though there are characteristics that make certain breeds better suited. They must be intelligent, focused, calm, comfortable being touched, gentle and clean. Being intelligent means knowing when it is time to play and when it is time to be calm, adapting to ever changing situ ations. They must be obedient and well-trained to listen and respond to commands. They must be focused and not be dis tracted by noises or other people. They must have a calm tempera ment and be very sociable. They must form bonds and be com fortable with the patient’s touch. Patients need to be able to ap proach therapy dogs without fear. Therapy dogs must be kept clean, well-groomed, low-shedding, and not drool as they frequent hospitals and nursing homes.
Dr. ofoperatorsownersBelli,Dr.husband,andGreenbergAnitaherDanielaretheandtheEast
THERAPY DOGS BRING COMFORT
Some of the most common breeds that serve as therapy dogs are Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, Greyhounds, Pomeranians, Pugs, Beagles, Yorkshire Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Maltese.
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(3) Know how the strat egy relates to the questions they have wrong. Should I have picked numbers for a math problem? How do I ap
THE HOW-TO GUIDE TO SAT AND ACT PREP
ALL 2022 proach vocabulary-in-context on the reading? How does the writing and language section expose my misconceptions of colons? Taking a class or working with a tutor that teaches strategy helps improvement. (4) Practice and study an hour per day. If a student never went to basketball practice—just showed up for the game—that student is going to play terribly. Test prep is no different. Putting the time in to improve is essen tial. So how is you prep going? Suggestion for a topic? Want to join a mock test? You can reach me at 6480ivymasters.comPaul.Pscolka@732-485-www.ivymasters.com
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Over the past two decades, I have been a student of my students, par ticularly those who have made the improvementsbest on these tests. What do they do that most students don’t? I have found that it boils down to four habits students should have: (1) Do all of their practice, to the best of their ability, under timed conditions. When stu dents do their best, they get the most out of their practice and will automatically be in “go” mode on test day. Practicing under timed conditions will ensure slow er-working students know what pace they must work at to finish on time. Faster students will know how much time they have to go back to check their answers. (2) Go over explanations to questions they have wrong. Taking practice tests repeatedly is not enough. Students must learn all they can from a practice test before moving on to the next. In The Official Study Guide to the SAT, there is an explanation to each question. I also have almost 800 video explanations to the questions in that book (which is the only book on the market that includes real SATs) at sentialgoingLearningIvyMastersLearningCenterhttps://www.youtube.com/c/frommistakesbyoverexplanationsisestothelearningprocess.
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“Christianity is the com panion of liberty in all its con flicts—the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its claims.” Alexis de Tocqueville Without goodness there is no greatness and without God there is no good. Our freedom is lost when goodness goes and the only answer is a plea to return to the Lord Jesus Christ.
12 ALL AROUND OLD BRIDGE SEPTEMBER 2022 LIVING STONES GREATNESS IN GOODNESS authorlosopher,torian,FrenchinfantsuccessimaginableforthetoLookingdiscoverreasontheunofthenation,hisphiandAlexis de Tocqueville journeyed to America in May 1831—and what impressed him most was her shining religious charac ter! Among the most notable quotes he is credited with is this gem: “America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” But what is goodness?
Over time the true meaning of the sense of a word can change. For example, the word “amateur” to us means someone less proficient than a professional. The original word in the French means “one who loves, lover.” It referenced someone motivated by the love Lloyd Pulley, Senior Pastor of the sport, art, music, etc.., and was a word highly regarded. Today to be called an amateur could be considered an insult! The word “good” has also been ground down to such ambiguity that its use is highly discouraged in literature. “Good” is a “good” word to use in many “good” instances—but what “good” is that? And so, saying God is great because God is good is less mean ingful today than the weight of the actual word in history, especially regarding character. When Moses says to the Lord in Exodus 33:18, “Please, show me Your glory.”, God responds, “I will make all My goodness pass before you.” The word “glory” means a thing of substance, weight, and worth. It is the opposite of vanity, meaning weightless or “smoke and mirrors.” And so, the Lord’s response is a surprising one. One would think God’s great ness would be connected to His creation and acts of power and sovereignty. Instead, He answers the request to see His glory by revealing His actual substance— who He is—and it all rests upon the fact that He is good! Today, our “might makes right” world is all about money and power. Sadly, the ones with the greatest insecurities and the least amount of true greatness, rely upon their use of clever deception as a means to gain control. Those who lack real greatness, or goodness, shrewdly grasp dominance by feigning humility, meekness, and love. How easily people are ma nipulated into trusting the power-hungry, those who would gladly remove the very thing protecting people—our Con stitution. Many churches suc cumbed, being deceived by the clever distortion of Romans 13 to “submit” to the government, and rolled over to unconsti tutional demands during the COVID-19 threat. Pastor Mike McClure of Calvary Chapel San Jose was fined millions of dollars for not complying with those shutdown orders. He and his church finally prevailed in court as he submitted correctly by showing allegiance to the proper authority—first God, and then the Constitution, which protects Americans from tyranny and its many tyrants. Here is a man of true goodness shepherding his people in the fear of the Lord rather than the fear of man. Insecurity and cowardice will result only in the degra dation of this next generation. I encourage everyone to think long and hard about how much weight they have given to the empty promises of those who have grasped power in this state and nation. Sadly, many of those who profess to be the vanguards for the poor and oppressed are the real oppressors. They have acted in Marxist-like ways, doxing and bullying the opposi tion. These present-day tyrants have moved from weaponizing medicine and education (CRT, LGBTQ) to presently weapon izing the IRS and FBI. And they represent a genuine threat to the people of this nation. They do not have your best interests in mind. Our rights are not derived from the government but from God, our Creator, who is indeed good!
I encourage you to contem plate this as well—the promises of One whose goodness consti tutes His greatness and always has each man and woman’s individual highest good in mind. Our great and abiding hope is the return of the true Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. When He does returns, however, all hope is lost for the one who opposes Him. Now, while there is time, we can and should do all we can to resist those who have hijacked honest politics and deviated from any true good. Perhaps God will have mercy on their souls. But we need to speak the truth in this world of lies and hope for a national return to the God of the Bible, to learn of His goodness and His salvation, only through the Lord Jesus Christ.
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HAPPY SEPTEMBER FROM HAUSER HILL FARMS
Happy September from Hauser Hill Farms! As the summer begins to wind down, we are still hoping for some mea surable rain! This summer has been hot and dry for sure. While we may not have the volume we have in a “normal” season, we are still picking zucchini, peppers, egg plant, sweet corn, string beans, potatoes, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, cut flowers, watermelons, cantaloupes, peaches and different varieties of apples. As we move into the fall, we will be picking greens and winter squashes as well as all you’ll need for your fall decora tions, mums, pumpkins and corn stalks. The one thing everyone looks forward to is our homemade apple cider. John won’t begin pressing cider until October, because it’s a certain blend of apples that makes the cider so good, and we have to wait for those apple varieties to be ready. Come visit us at our farm stand, 261 Ticetown Road, Old Bridge Tuesday – Sunday 9-5, or at any of the weekly farmers markets we attend: Thursdays – Keyport, in the mini park 11am –7pm, and Rahway Train Station, 12pm – 7pm, Saturdays – Highlands, Huddy Park 9am – 2pm and Sundays – Red Bank in the Galleria parking lot 9am –2pm. Buy fresh, buy local! Thank you for your support of our family’s farm!
19 ALL AROUND OLD BRIDGE SEPTEMBER 2022 September is Library andeducation,tolibraryportancesizetocampaignnationalMonth,Sign-UpCardaemphatheimofcardsachild’sto
Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, many of us were already sitting way too much. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four American adults sit for more than eight hours a day. As for how the time is spent, the National Center for Health Statistics estimates that 25 percent of us are on the computer three hours or more each day outside of school or work, while Nielsen recently reported that the average American aged 18 and older spends about four and a half hours a day watching TV. And make no mistake, none of this was good during the best of times. First, always remember that we are a resilient, determined and resourceful people backed by dedicated healthcare professionals who will guide us through the current pandemic. Next, don’t get down. Sitting, eating and binge-watching the latest batch of Network serials is not the answer.Getup and move. Find something physical to do that is both practical and safe given the current circumstances. Start using that exercise equipment that’s been sitting in the garage or basement or the old Taebo or Firm CD that’s been accumulating dust on your bookshelf for years. Most cable providers even offer a wealth of workout videos from which to choose. Now’s the time to try everything from Zumba and cardio kickboxing to yoga, pilates and exotic dance. Who knows? You might even nd a new passion that serves you well long after the coronavirus threat ends. To break the monotony, take advantage of the solitude, longer days and warming weather by going for a long walk. Just be smart. Keep your distance. Wear a mask when near others. And walk with purpose. The results will not only help you lose weight and burn calories, but also reduce stress and improve your mood.
In fact, it can lead to numerous health problems ranging from weight gain and obesity to high blood pressure, diabetes, shortness of breath, anxiety, depression and dementia.
SITTING OUT THE CRISIS IS NOT THE ANSWER
combat illiteracy. Sign-up today at the Old Bridge Public Library and stay cool. Traveling soon? Get your Passport here. Walk-ins are welcome. The Old Bridge Public Library is a designated Passport Acceptance Agency. You must apply at a Passport Acceptance Agency if you do not have a Passport, or your previous Passport was issued before you were 16, or your previous Passport expired more than 5 years ago. Renewals are NOT processed here. We are open 7 days/week and take photos for you, as well as expedite process ing. Passport applicants are encouraged to make an appointment, however, walk-ins are accepted if an opening is available. For more information, go to oldbridgelibrary.org/resources/passportshttp://www.
LIBRARY DIRECTORS REPORT
But even if you have the most demanding desk job or suffer from an assortment of physical ailments, there are numerous activities you can still do safely and effectively work towards a tter self. Get up and move about every 30 minutes to an hour. Try some general stretching and conditioning exercises right at the desk or in your chair throughout the course of the day. Invest in a stress ball. They are not only available in numerous shapes and sizes, including cute animal gures, these very simple toys offer an excellent method for strengthening arms, forearms, wrists and hands as well as relieving the tension that is part of most of our days.
During these strange, stressful times, most of us are either working from home or unfortunately not working at all. Even the simplest of pleasures now seem a distant memory. That’s because as caring, thoughtful and compassionate human beings we’re all doing our parts to keep ourselves and others safe and healthy in this new and scary environment. But that doesn’t mean shutting down totally. There’s still a lot you can do within the con nes of your own home and neighbor hood to keep yourself mentally and physically t. Staying-at-home doesn’t mean sitting at home because sitting can be as dangerous to your long-term health as most diseases.
By Dr. Anthony DeLuca, Director of DeLuca Family Chiropractic in Old Bridge, New Jersey, Selected for the Olympic training center in San Diego California and Colorado Springs Colorado
The point is there are hundreds of exercises just like these that can be done simply and easily from your favorite chair or in the of ce without anyone even knowing your working out. The key is to nding the time and will to develop a daily system that works best for you and blends nicely into your everyday routine. To establish a new sense of health, balance and well-being please feel free to contact DeLuca Family Chiropractic at (732) 679-2414 or visit our website at www.dfccares.com. Our dedicated staff located at 2309 Hwy 516 in Old Bridge, NJ will be happy to meet with you and tailor a chiropractic and wellness program speci cally targeted to your needs using the least invasive yet highly-effective techniques and services.
Everywhere you look there seems to be a ban on something.
or call (732) 721-5600 x 5046. Get a Passport through us, and see the world. The Second Saturday musical series has returned to the Old Bridge Public Library. Mark your calendars and enjoy a variety of free musical performances for the entire family every second Saturday of the month. Country music performer Marc Vincent Sica will be featured on Saturday, September 10, 2022. Shows start at 1:00 PM in the Large Meeting Room of the library. Watch a movie on our big screen. Here is the upcoming lineup for our Friday Films series: September 2 - West Side Story (2021 - Steven Spielberg), September 9Death on the Nile, September 23 - Belfast, and September 30 - Dog. No registration required, shows start at 2:30 PM, and all movies are free and open to the public. To top things off, join us at the library on Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 7:00 PM for an Intro to Wine Lecture by Dr. Mark Vogel. No registration required. So, visit your Old Bridge Public Library, get a library card, and check out all that we have to offer. We are open 7 days a week and look forward to seeing you there.
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HACKENSACK MERIDIAN OLD BRIDGE MEDICAL CENTER UNVEILS NEW DIGITAL PATIENT INFORMATION BOARDS
OLD BRIDGE MEDICAL CENTER IS THE FIRST HOSPITAL IN THE HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH NETWORK TO HAVE THESE BOARDS.
Hackensack Meridian Old Bridge Medical Center unveils its brand-new digital patient information boards. These new digital patient information boards are located in the recently expanded state-of-the-art Emergency Department’s 25 patient rooms. Old Bridge Medical Center is the first hospital within the Hackensack Meridian Health network to have this technology. “At Old Bridge Medical Center, our focus is to provide the best healthcare experience possible,” said Patricia Carroll, FACHE, president, chief hospital executive. “These brandnew digital patient information boards will make it easier for our emergency room patients every step of the way.” The new digital patient information boards will continue to serve every patient that comes through the emer gency department by delivering the highest quality of care, in a digital format. These new boards feature: • The patient’s care team The medications the patient is taking Vital signs • Lab/Imaging status • A writeable screen to write any messages needed. “These new boards make it easier for both the patients and our care team to view the status of the diagnostics,” said Dr. Michael Eagan, director, Emergency Services, Old Bridge Medical Center and Raritan Bay Medical Center.
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JAR of Hope was born Sep tember 13th, 2013, when the founder, Jim Raffone’s precious son, James (“Jamesy”) Anthony Raffone, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). JAR of Hope’s mission is to find a cure for Duchenne MD. Jamesy was 4 years old when he was diagnosed. Today he is 13. Each day without a cure his muscles continue to waste away as will all children who suffer from this horrific disease. Statis tically, by the age of 12 they will be in a wheelchair, by 15 they will be a quadriplegic, by 18 they will not be able to breathe on their own and eventually will live on a ventilator until their bodies are no longer strong enough to fight this disease. Many don’t survive past their mid-20s.
The only way this disease will continue to cheat these children of a future is if we stand by and do nothing to find a cure. DMD is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration. It primari ly affects boys, although there are a few rare cases of girls who have DMD. Duchenne affects 300,000 boys worldwide; 20,000 children in the United States alone. These children are robbed of their child hood as they can’t run and play. In over 200 years, a cure for Duchenne has not yet been found. Not one child has sur vived this disease, and as you can probably imagine, it takes mil lions of dollars, massive amounts of time and people committed to finding a cure. JAR of Hope has and continues to dedicate each and every day to finding a cure and living in a world where Duchenne no longer exists. With the help of donors and spon sors, JAR of Hope is funding a team of research scientists and doctors determined to eliminate Duchenne. We also provide financial and emotional support for children and their families who are and have been affected by DMD. We have purchased wheelchair accessible vans, installed chair lifts on stairs in homes for these children to be able to move from one floor to another, funded studies, assisted with medical bills and, unfor tunately, have paid for funeral expenses for children that have lost their fight to Duchenne MD.
Jim has received Keys to Cities from various Governors and Mayors as he has traversed around the globe determined to make Duchenne a household name and push science forward.
JAR OF HOPE
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Jamesy’s courage, strength, posi tive attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes to get healthier and stronger every day motivates Jim to carry on until the first child is cured. Jim and the JAR of Hope team believes that this disease has gone on for too long.
JAR of Hope’s founder, Jim Raffone, has been relentless in his pursuit to defeat Duchenne. Some of his efforts in educating others, raising awareness and funds include breathtaking world-record events such as climbing Mt. Everest, creating race teams to participate in marathons and ultra marathons around the world, gathering thousands of people to simul taneously do pushups together, and creating the longest Lego chain at a school in New Jersey, to name a few. You can see the many events that have taken place on JAR of Hope’s website.
Jamesy is the inspiration behind JAR of Hope and Jim is com mitted to all of the children with DMD around the world.
Jim’s motto is: “I can, I will & I must” find a cure; however, he knows that he cannot do it alone. Together, we can make history and save lives. Please check out jarofhope.org to learn more about us, for prior and upcom ing events, and continuous updates from our researchers.
25 ALL AROUND OLD BRIDGE SEPTEMBER 2022 and is currently used for half day Summer Camp that runs from 9AM-1PM in the months of July and August. In addition, the following community program ming is facilitated within the building as follows: adult fitness, youth art and cooking classes. These classes take place in the evenings 3-4 days a week during the school year from September to June, hours vary from 5PM9PM. The Community Build ing is also rented by Township groups for monthly meetings, that include local sports and civic organizations with meetings taking place from 7PM-10PM. During Township large public beachfront events, the Com munity Building is also used as a staging area for local first aid, Fire and Police Departments. The Township of Old Bridge anticipates that this area would qualify for the preparation of a redevelopment plan, therefore requiring any developer inter ested in redeveloping this area to contribute toward the construc tion of a Community Building. The project scope consists of demolishing the existing Recre ation/Community Center and building a new structure within the same approximate footprint. The adjacent bocce ball court will be demolished and used as part of the building footprint. The adjacent basketball and handball courts will remain for recreational use. The size of the building footprint is approxi mately 4,500 SF for a total floor area of 9,000 SF. A terrace total ing approximately 1,319 SF will be constructed off the second floor of the community building so residents are able to enjoy the views. The proposed Commu nity Building will be designed and constructed to achieve the highest level of “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) Certification. Residents who frequent the Community Building will benefit most from this funding. The Township of Old Bridge has approximately 66,876 resi dents, about 13,576 of whom are children under 18 and 11,436 of whom are seniors. Additionally, approximately 6.8% of residents live below the poverty line in Old Bridge. Access to a safe and upgraded Community Building is critical to serving this pop ulation. The Laurence Harbor Community Building Project will help break the financial barriers for families, seniors, and children in Old Bridge to access public amenities. Addi tionally, the proposed project will encourage socialization amongst Old Bridge youth and seniors, many of whom are eager to socialize and make friends after spending extend ed periods in isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once completed, the Laurence Harbor Community Building will be an integral part of the Old Bridge community, offering crucial resources in times of emergency. With the addition of another ADA-compliant build ing, the multipurpose Library/ Recreation Department will be better prepared to act as a warming/cooling center in times of need. In the event of an emergency, the building will also offer a safe zone for those who might need it. In times of extreme weather conditions, the building will offer a venti lated space for individuals to feel comfortable. The overall goal of this construction project is to expand the Recreation Department’s reach, allowing for an increase in accessibility for all Old Bridge residents.
LAURENCE HARBOR COMMUNITY BUILDING PROJECT
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