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Telling the untold stories
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Township committee starts new year
All the world’s a stage
Historical society series to kick off Feb. 2 By Scott morgan Most Bordentown residents know that the town has a whole lot of history. You know who didn’t know that, though? Tim Rollender, the president of the Bordentown Historical Society. “I’d never even heard of Bordentown before I got here,” he said. That was a few years ago, and, let’s be fair, Rollender has clearly turned that ship around. Bordentown theater students Courtney Quinn, Alison Wall, Annissa Richard, But his former lack of even Isabella Mayo, Gabrielle Takacs, Lucas Bergen and Connor Graham attended the knowing what a Bordentown NJ Thespian Festival Jan. 20 and 21, 2019 at Robbinsville High School. (Photo was is a teaching moment in by Suzette J. Lucas.) its own right. Here is this town with a trove of historical treasures built over three centuries or so, and yet a self-proclaimed “history nerd” who lived just across the river in Pennsylvania had never even heard of the place until his real estate agent leisure, employment, and hous- augmentative communication suggested it ing, created by Betsy Yard to device to ask questions, order Today, three years after joinfulfill the needs of Jon, who has from menus, and, Betsy says, ing the Bordentown HistoriKabuki syndrome, autism and “sometimes he surprises us and says things that are pretty funny. cal Society with his wife, Kristi epilepsy and is nonverbal. Kantorski, Rollender is trying “As Jon was aging up and He was listening to what we to oversee a push to bring Borbecoming a teenager, I wanted were saying and ad libs.” Today he volunteers at Gail dentown’s historical treasures By micheLe aLPerin him to live like any other teento the public’s attention. The ager,” Betsy says. “He’s had Force Winds and works for HilBHS is kicking off an eight-part Twenty-four-year-old, mul- some really astounding people ton—a big plus because, Betsy series of events, called Untold tiply disabled Jonathan “Jon” who have worked with him, as far says, “If you graduate and have Stories, focused on School No. Yard is one of the many volun- as education, and I was thinking a disability, 80 percent of people do not get a job 2 and the Bordentown Manual teers, some disabled and others what is his future going to be?” But as his mother and advoTraining and Industrial School, not, who have kept the BordenJon, who graduated from Burwith a screening of the 2010 town store Gail Force Winds lington Township High School cate, Betsy was not going to see PBS documentary A Place Out in business since it opened in in 2016, doesn’t speak but after her son unemployed. Not only of Time on Feb. 2. October 2017. The store oper- years of ABA (Applied Behavior did she make sure he got an It didn’t take Rollender long ates under “Yard” Work and Analysis) and speech therapy, appropriate public school educato get drawn into the history. More, a nonprofit covering he has good receptive language, tion, but a decade ago she crecommunity-based recreation, does some signing, and uses an See HISTORY, Page 7 See STORE, Page 10
A force for the community
Nonprofit Gail Force Winds provides an outlet for those with disabilities
Benowitz to serve fourth term as mayor By Samantha Sciarrotta Bordentown Township Committee voted unanimously to appoint Stephen Benowitz mayor for the third consecutive year. He was sworn in at the township’s annual reorganization meeting Jan. 5 at town hall. All members of the committee addressed the audience with reports from their respective liaison appointments and spoke about their plans for 2019. This is Benowitz’s fourth term as mayor. The Democrat has also served on township committee since 2013, in addition to a stint from 1979 to 1981. Benowitz, a retired educator, has lived in Bordentown for 50 years. He previously taught at Yardville Youth Reception and Correction Center, worked as the director of education at Rahway State Prison and was the director of special needs at the Burlington County Vocational Schools. According to a township press release, Benowitz said 2018 was a year of “many accomplishments” for Bordentown, citing road paving, recreation improvements, grant awards, economic development, and the stability of the municipal tax rate as examples. “I’m looking forward to continuing these initiatives in the new year,” he said. See COMMITTEE, Page 4
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