VOL. 53, NO. 23
Friday, June 4th, 2021
thelawrenceledger.com
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Dogs take ‘Freedom Ride’ from Georgia to Lawrence Township; Hopewell scouts donate toys, supplies for pets Kids across Mercer County are showing their love of dogs who need help, their volunteer efforts benefitting hundreds of dogs in need of a permanent home. For almost 10 years, Southern Comfort Animal Rescue (SoCo) has been bringing abused, neglected, and homeless dogs from rural Georgia to New Jersey, where they are adopted into loving, forever homes. Driving a large bus outfitted with more than two dozen crates, volunteer and founder Scott Bennett makes the 1,700-mile round trip “Freedom Ride” every month to connect area dog-lovers with pups in need. All the dogs come from a poverty area in Georgia, but New Jersey is SoCo’s second home. Adoption events take place at All Good Dogs in Lawrence Township. As a result, Mercer County now has thousands of alumni, adopters, volunteers and supporters. This spring, Hopewell Girl Scout Troop 70129 fulfilled their Bronze Service Award by making and donating tug toys, and collecting dog food and other supplies for SoCo.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CONSIDINE COMMUNICATIONS
Girl Scout Troop 70129 of Hopewell fulfilled their Bronze Service Award by stocking SoCo Rescue’s Freedom Ride and making 250 tugs toys.
Troop co-leaders Christy Stier and Lisa Springer worked with the fifth grade girls to collect and upcycle old T-shirts, braiding them into more than 250 dog toys. They
also led a donation drive to collect hundreds of pounds of dog food, supplies, and treats. Each girl committed roughly 20 hours of volunteer time. The
effort culminated at an adoption event where the girls met the dogs and dropped off their donations. “These girls have such big hearts; it was wonderful for them
to meet Scott and see the dogs,” said Stier, a self-proclaimed doglover. The troop selected SoCo, in part, because Stier herself has so many friends who have adopted through SoCo. “We appreciate the generosity of our neighbors in donating to our effort, and we are so proud of our girls,” she said. Young runners also stepped up to help SoCo Rescue. Titans Youth Run Club, under the leadership of parent organizers Christie Brown and Jacklyn Garay, dedicated its 2021 spring season to “Running for the Rescues,” with SoCo Rescue chosen as one of the beneficiaries. The Ewing-based youth empowerment organization which serves children ages 5-12, hosted a 5K Fun Run, with children reaching out to friends, neighbors and family for donations. The run raised $1,500 to help animal rescue organizations carry out their mission. “I have known about SoCo for a long time; in fact, my own dog is a SoCo dog,” Brown said. “So many
See FREEDOM RIDE, Page 3A
Laura Wooten’s Law civics course bill sent to Gov. Murphy
By Lea Kahn Staff Writer
If there is one thing that defined Laura Wooten, it was her unwavering dedication to the election process in her community and in the United States. For 79 years, until her death in March 2019, Wooten sat behind the voter check-in table as a poll worker – first at the polling places in Princeton where she grew up, and then for 30 years at the polling places in Lawrence after she moved to the township. Wooten had the distinction of being the longest-serving poll worker in the United States. She never missed an election – for the school board, the political party primaries or the general election – beginning in 1939, when she was recruited by her uncle to serve as a poll worker in Princeton. So it should come as no surprise that legislation requiring civics instruction to be taught in middle school has been named “Laura Wooten’s Law.” The legislation, which was passed by the state Senate and the state Assembly on May 20, is headed to Gov. Phil Murphy for his signature. The state Senate bill was co-sponsored by state Senators Shirley Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), who lives in Lawrence Township, and Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), M. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) and Linda Greenstein (D-Mercer/Middlesex). The state Assembly companion bill was co-sponsored by Assemblywomen Verlina ReynoldsJackson (D-Mercer/Hunterdon), who lives in Trenton, and Mila Jasey (D-Essex/Morris) and Linda Carter (D-Middlesex/Somerset/Union). The legislation was introduced in the state Senate in January 2020 and in the state Assembly in February 2020. The bill directs the New Jersey Department of Education to require at least one course in civics or United States government as a requirement for middle school graduation, beginning in the 2022-23 school year. The legislation also requires the New Jersey Center for Civic Education at Rutgers, the State University, to prepare curriculum guidelines and provide pro-
fessional development for high school teachers. It would integrate civics, economics and the history of New Jersey into United States history courses. “Government leaders have been sounding the alarm about the civics crisis for years. Safeguarding democracy is more urgent than ever,” Turner said. One of the best ways to do that is by teaching students about the importance of civic skills, engagement and participation and the value of the democratic process, Turner said.
The Lawrence Township chapter of the League of Women Voters agrees that there is “an acute need” for a middle school course devoted to civics, said Nicole Plett and Marcia Steinberg, who serve on the Lawrence chapter’s Civics Education Committee. Since its founding in 1920, the League of Women Voters has spent more than 100 years empowering voters and defending democracy, Plett and Steinberg said. They cited a recent study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center that said more than half of
American adults cannot name the three branches of federal government. Only 39% of New Jersey school districts require students to take a civics course in any grade, and that’s why it is vital for such a course to become mandatory, Plett and Steinberg said. “Ignorance can so readily provide a breeding ground for rumor, false information and fear. We turn to our public schools to reduce ignorance so that our citizens can engage in responsible and productive civic activity,”
they said. A well-designed civics course teaches facts, and research shows that students who take a civics course are more likely to engage in community-building activities, Plett and Steinberg said. The civics course would teach students about the values and principles underlying the American system of constitutional democracy, as well as the function and limitations of government, Plett and Steinberg said. Students will learn about the role of a citizen in a democratic society.
Lawrence Memorial Day parade canceled By Lea Kahn Staff Writer
Lawrence Township’s first postCOVID 19 Memorial Day parade’s participants and spectators had to take a rain check, after township officials called off the parade because of poor weather on May 29. The parade, which township officials hoped would restore a sense of normalcy, was slated to kick off at 10 a.m. from the Lawrence High School parking lot. It would have followed its traditional route on Princeton Pike to Darrah Lane, Birchwood Knoll and onto Oaklyn Terrace and into Veterans Park for a short ceremony. However, the rain did not stop Mayor James Kownacki and Township Council members Christopher Bobbitt, Cathleen Lewis, Michael Powers – accompanied by American Legion Post 414 Commander Charles Brothers – from placing remembrance wreaths at the memorials at Veterans Park and the Lawrence Township Municipal
Building. Holding the parade was important for the morale of the Lawrence community, Municipal Manager Kevin Nerwinski said. It was to have been a chance to reclaim and do things that make Lawrence a special community, he said. The Lawrence Township Patriotic Committee, which organized the parade with the Lawrence Township Recreation Department, said in a statement that it was looking forward to honoring the servicemen and servicewomen who sacrificed their lives “so that we
may live in a country where freedom can never be forgotten.” Sam Alphin, a Lawrence resident and military veteran and former commander of American Legion Post 414, was slated to be the parade grand marshal. He was going to deliver remarks at the ceremony after the parade. Alphin, who graduated from Lawrence High School in 1969, served in the New Jersey Army National Guard from 1970 to 1976. He attended the New Jersey National Guard Military Academy in Sea Girt, and became a training
NCO at the academy. Alphin joined the U.S. Army Reserve, serving from 1979 to 1981, and was a drill sergeant. He joined the American Legion Post 1000 in 1998, and transferred to American Legion Post 414 in 2003. He held several positions at American Legion Post 414, including a five-year stint as its commander. The American Legion, which was created by Congress in 1919, is open to all military veterans. American Legion Post 414 is located on Berwyn Place in Lawrence.
Publication of Time Off section temporarily suspended
The publication of the Time Off section has been temporarily suspended. Articles that run in the Time Off section will be published in the main section of this newspaper.
Index Calendar...................................................2A Classified.............................................. C/D/E Lifestyle....................................................6A Town Forum................................................4A
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