JANUARY 2019
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Baking for barks
Roving bots give district a futuristic boost
Money from sales of Kake-9 cupcakes and other treats donated to local pet rescues
New program allows homebound students to ‘attend’ class
By sAMANThA sciARROTTA
ssciarrotta@communitynews.org
It’s hard to see those ASPCA commercials, packed with shots of abandoned pets and scored with emotional music, and not feel a pang of sadness or guilt. Brianna Procaccino is familiar with that feeling, so she decided to do something about it. The 14-year-old Lawrence resident started Kake-9, a charity baking organization. Procaccino, her mom, Corey, and friends Riley Burns, Isabelle Flemm, Haley Santello, Katelyn Santello, Marley Thomas and Carly Welsh spend their weekends baking cakes and cupcakes for friends, family and others who have heard about the effort. All proceeds go to pet rescues and animal welfare organizations—so far, Kake-9 has donated $150 each to EASEL Animal Shelter in Ewing and Hamilton-based Res-Q-Pets. Procaccino came up with the idea two years ago. She loved baking and wanted to do it more often, and she found herself coming up with different ideas and recipes for cakes and cupcakes. She thought, with help, that she could turn it into a business—but she didn’t want to keep the money for herself. She See KAKE-9, Page 8
By scOTT MORGAN
Dean Acquaviva, Marie Tagliaferri and Ken Kendrac helped fund and create a memorial to first responders on Pilla Avenue in Lawrence Township. The memorial was officially dedicated Sept. 11, 2018.
Monument for the fallen Former Lawrence volunteer EMS members spearhead memorial By MicheLe ALPeRiN After Lawrence Township decided in 2006 to close the Lawrence Township First Aid Squad and inaugurate a fully paid staff, the squad’s three trustees, Marie Tagliaferri, Dean Acquaviva and Ken Kandrac (all Lawrence natives) had
to make three decisions: what to do with their building, what to do with the lot they owned across the street and how to disburse remaining funds donated by the community. First, they tackled the easy one and decided to donate their building and equipment to the township. “It seemed logical—it was already set up as an ambulance structure, with three bays, and places to sleep,” Acquaviva said. But the disbursement of the funds demanded some creative thinking. Required to either
make charitable donations or funnel the monies back into the Lawrence community, they came up with the idea of creating a memorial to first responders on the empty lot. It would honor those who volunteered at Ground Zero on 9/11 and ensuing days, as well as those who are on call to respond to community tragedies every day— first aid rescue workers, fire fighters, and police. In 2015, Tagliaferri proposed that they acquire a piece of steel from the World Trade CenSee MEMORIAL, Page 6
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It seems we’re living in the future. How else could one describe a time when robots can go to school? We are, of course, talking about beneficent robots. And, to be completely accurate, we’re only talking about one robot when it comes to classes in the Lawrence Township Public Schools. A program called Reggie’s Robots will allow one student in the district to attend classes from home while she recovers from a medical issue that’s been keeping her out of the classroom. The name of the student, her grade, and her condition are not public. But district Superintendent Dave Adam does acknowledge that there is one student who has been and will continue to be out for a while. And that in her stead, a friendly robot will make its way to class for her, enabling the student to attend class virtually, as it happens. “Yes, the robot actually shows up,” Adam said. The robot is a 4-foot motorized platform called “VGo.” It’s the same technology used in materials handling in business settings and patient See ROBOTS, Page 9
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