4-15-20 US1

e-edition © ap

ri

2020 l 15,

609-452-7000 • www.princetoninfo.com

Helping in a bear market

Matthew Langille’s masked bear has become the face of an effort to support local restaurant workers. Nicole Viviano reports, Page 7.

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U.S. 1

April 15, 2020

Baby Boomers Seek “Best of Both Worlds” Retirement Care Springpoint Choice Offers ‘Continuing Care at Home’ Option

amenities and activities available at any of Springpoint’s eight continuing care retirement communities located throughout New Jersey and Delaware. They can participate in LivWell, Springpoint’s award-winning health and wellness program. This program is aligned with HHS recommendations for healthy aging that include staying active, staying connected to your community, eating well, understanding mental health and attending to brain health.

M

any older adults who are weighing their retirement care options want to remain in their homes for the foreseeable future—forever if possible. While aging in place is desirable for many people who would rather not live in a community setting, the issue of healthcare looms large—and rightly so. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reports that approximately 7 out of every 10 people who turn 65 can expect to use some form of long-term care during their lives. According to Genworth Financial Inc., an S&P 400 insurance company that focuses on financial solutions for long-term care, the 2018 New Jersey state median care costs range from $54,912 a year for a home health aide to $142,350 a year for nursing home care and these figures will continue to rise. Generally, neither health insurance nor Medicare covers these expenses. This is why having a plan is crucial for anyone approaching retirement who wants to

protect their assets, retain the savings they’ve worked so hard to build and have guaranteed future care.

One plan that’s gaining traction as an excellent, best-of-both-worlds retirement care option for adults ages 55 and older is called “continuing care at home.” It allows members to remain in their current homes, receive personal assistance, protect themselves from escalating long-term care costs and have access to first-class senior care when needed. One such continuing care at home program is now available in New Jersey through Springpoint Choice, operated by Springpoint, the Mid-Atlantic region’s premier nonprofit senior care provider for over 100 years.

Because life is unpredictable, it’s a great comfort to know that if members need rehabilitative care, home care, assisted living or a more permanent skilled nursing or memory care living arrangement, they have access to Springpoint’s network of long-term care services.

To enjoy Springpoint Choice membership, the eligibility requirements include: • Minimum age 55 • Living independently • Completion of application process • Completion of health screening • Adequate medical insurance coverage If you are interested in remaining in your own home for as long as possible while securing a smart plan for your future that protects your assets and addresses any future health needs, call 866-778-3255 or visit springpointchoice.org to learn more.

It’s your journey, your choice.

The Springpoint Choice program pairs members with personal care navigators dedicated to providing the one-on-one attention that helps seniors age in place and remain at home longer. Members enjoy the

Springpoint Choice is a new program for active, independent, healthy adults who are planning for the future. Members who join Springpoint Choice will benefit from care coordination of future long-term care needs while gaining access to Springpoint’s network of long-term care services and personalized health and wellness programs.

For more information, call us at 866-778-3255 We’d love to hear from you!

www.springpointchoice.org

april 15, 2020

To our community:

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Published since 1984, US1 Newspaper has been a fixture in Central New Jersey. The effects of Despite all of this, we remain the pandemic on our flagship pubcommitted to our vision of keeping lication have been particularly communities connected and helpacute. The need for a calendar of ing small businesses succeed. events—one of the most read and We want to remain your trusted vibrant sections of the paper—has all but disappeared since public source for local news. Our covergatherings are prohibited. Most of age of the pandemic will be local, the 4,000+ locations where we dis- accurate and timely. We will share tribute US1 are closed. And many information and support local busiof the small businesses that support ness in every way possible via our publications, social media or on the publication financommmunitynews.org. cially through advertisThe hard truth is that Between ing find themselves no one knows what the without anything to adThe future holds. We all hope vertise—and fighting that things will return to lines for their own survival. some sense of normalcy, As a result, we have and we will be able to resuspended the print verinstate the resources and content sion of US1 until conditions imthat have been affected. prove. In the meantime, we will be We will continue to do our very publishing an e-edition like the one you are viewing now. The e-edition best to serve the readers and adveris not meant to replace the printed tisers in our community. We also product. Instead, it is a digital-only want to hear from you about the version with plenty of news you stories we’re not telling. So send can use while we all wait for things questions, story ideas and tips to news@communitynews.org and to return to some sort of normal.

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April 15, 2020

SURVIVAL GUIDE EDitor: roB Anthes

ranthes@communitynews.org

Rutgers’ COVID-19 Saliva Test 1st Approved by FDA

WWW.MODERNRECYCLEDSPACES.COM

The Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization to Rutgers’ RUCDR Infinite Biologics and its collaborators for a new collection approach that utilizes saliva as the primary test biomaterial for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the first such approval granted by the federal agency.

The new saliva collection method, which RUCDR developed in partnership with Spectrum Solutions and Accurate Diagnostic Labs, will allow for broader population screening than the current method of nose and throat swabs.

“The impact of this approval is significant,” said Andrew Brooks, chief operating officer and director of technology development at RUCDR, who also is a professor in the School of Arts and Sciences Department of Genetics at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. “It means we no longer have to put health care professionals at risk for infection by performing nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal collections. We can preserve precious personal protective equipment for use in patient care instead of testing. We can significantly increase the number of people tested each and every day as self-collection of saliva is more quick and scalable than swab collections. All of this combined will have a tremendous impact on testing in New

Jersey and across the United States.”

Soon after the Rutgers-ADL team received notification from the FDA on Saturday, the White House’s COVID-19 testing task force called Brooks to offer congratulations and support and to ask about any specific hurdles to expanding testing and enabling other laboratories to benefit from the accomplishment.

Shortly after the White House call, the research team was contacted by chief executive officers of some of the world’s largest life sciences companies that are involved in COVID-19 testing.

“I have spoken with these companies’ leadership to not only share knowledge but (also) to create opportunities for continuing to help innovate during this crisis,” Brooks said. “We will work closely with these new partners, the FDA and the White House task force to leverage everything Rutgers has to offer to not only help our community but also make a global impact.”

As Rutgers points out in its media release, saliva testing is important for people who are in quarantine because they don’t know how long it will be until they are no longer infectious. The test means health care workers will be able to safely release themselves from quarantine and go back to work.

The test should also be able to help hospital-based and private physicians accurately assess the infection status of more patients, Rutgers says.

The FDA’s approval of the new salivatesting approach is the second major announcement in recent days from RUCDR, which launched a genetic testing service for the coronavirus that can test thousands of samples daily. With the new saliva test, that number may increase to tens of thousands of samples daily.

The tests are available to the RWJBarnabas Health network, which has partnered with Rutgers University and is New Jersey’s most comprehensive health care system, including Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, University Hospital in Newark and many other facilities, including several county health departments.

Starting Wednesday, April 15, Rutgers— in partnership with the Middlesex County government and RWJBarnabas Health—

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ish you could do more to support local businesses during this difficult time, but don’t know where to start? We’re here to help connect businesses in downtown Trenton with all its residents, friends and neighbors who understand how important it is to keep our capital city strong and united.

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april 15, 2020

will make the test available to Middlesex County residents at a drivethru testing facility at 33 Kilmer Road, Edison, New Jersey.

RUCDR Infinite Biologics, which is part of Rutgers’ Human Genetics Institute of New Jersey, claims to be the world’s largest universitybased cell and DNA repository. Its mission is to understand the genetic causes of common, complex diseases and to discover diagnoses, treatments and cures for them. The organization collaborates with researchers in the public and private sectors throughout the world, providing the highest quality bio-banking services and biomaterials, as well as scientific and technical support.

NJEDA Extends Tax Credit Reporting Deadlines In response to the COVID-19 outbreak in New Jersey, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has extended the annual reporting deadlines for businesses that received tax credits through the Grow New Jersey, Economic Redevelopment and Growth, and Urban Transit Hub programs. Under the extension, annual reports will be due 90 days after the NJEDA notifies businesses that the restrictions imposed by Gov. Phil Murphy’s Executive Order 107 are no longer in effect.

Under existing rules for the Grow NJ and HUB programs, award recipients must submit an annual report 120 days after the end of the relevant tax period. Failure to timely submit this report results in forfeiture of the tax credit for that tax period. Similarly, residential and mixed-use parking ERG approval letters require an annual report for a developer’s tax period within 120 days after the end of the tax period. Failure to timely submit this report results in the forfeiture of the tax credits for that tax period.

Due to the extenuating circumstances arising from the restrictions EO 107 places on businesses, the NJEDA shall extend the 120-day reporting requirement for 2019 annual reports due during the time period in which the EO 107 restrictions are in place to 90 days after the NJEDA notifies businesses such restrictions are no longer in effect.

For more information about New Jersey’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, go online to www.covid19.nj.gov.

U.S. 1

A U.S. 1 ADVERTISING FEATURE

Mercer Bucks Cardiology /Arrhythmia Institute @Jefferson Health: We are here to serve you

M

y name is Randy Marcus. I am the new CEO of Mercer Bucks Cardiology (MBC). we, along with our partner, Jefferson Health, provide complete Cardiology care to this community, our community. I have been managing medical practices for over 40 years and I have never seen a more dedicated group of physicians and staff than I have seen at MBC. These are trying times. Health care providers are under tremendous pressure to provide care to a worried community. we want to assure that MBC is open and serving the community’s Cardiology needs. we are taking all proper precautions.

Most of our patients are being seen from their home through our Tele-Health system. If a patient abso-

Randy Marcus, CEO & staff.

lutely needs to be seen in person, we bring them in to our offices. Our staff takes all necessary distancing precautions and wears masks. we believe the soul of an organization comes through during a time of crisis. we have a dual respon-

sibility of serving you, our patients, and keeping our staff safe. This is a difficult balance that we face every

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State to Receive $82M in HUD Funding The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has released $3.064 billion in funding through its Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS programs. New Jersey will be receiving over $82 million, with municipalities in Mercer County seeing $3.2 million of that money.

In Mercer County, Ewing Township will receive $143,248, Hamilton $398,638, Princeton $142,940, and Trenton $1.74 million in Community Development Block Grant money. Trenton will also receive $831,962 in ESG recovery funds.

Two-thirds of New Jersey county governments received some sort of funding. Mercer was not one of them, according to a HUD release.

HUD said additional funds will follow this first tranche. The CARES Act allows HUD to broaden the reach of its existing grant programs for the remaining $9.136 billion in relief funding. To do this, new grant formulas must be written. HUD began writing new formulas immediately and will continue to work quickly to address communities’ needs.

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U.S. 1

April 15, 2020

Nonprofits Adjust to Serve Clients Despite Challenges Meals on Wheels hero today.

Email us at info@mealsonwheelsmercer.org or call us at 609695-3483. Our elders are waiting for you! Together, we will deliver!

–Sasa Olessi Montaño, chief executive officer of Meals on Wheels Mercer County

U.S.1 asked executives at three area nonprofits—Homefront, Meals on Wheels of Mercer County and Womanspace—to write about how the novel coronavirus has affected their organizations. What follows is their own words:

Homefront

HomeFront’s mission is to end homelessness in Central New Jersey by harnessing the caring, resources and expertise of the community. We lessen the immediate pain of homelessness and help families become self-sufficient. We work to give our clients the skills and opportunities to ensure adequate incomes, and we work to increase the availability of adequate, affordable housing. We help homeless families advocate for themselves individually and collectively.

If you’ve ever heard me speak about HomeFront families, you’ve heard me say that our families are one crisis away from the edge. So often, a problem that would be a hiccup for you or me — a fender bender, a child home sick from school — would break our families’ already tight budgets, threatening them with eviction, homelessness or worse.

No one anticipated a crisis like this.

We are navigating uncharted waters. Despite my decades of working with families living in poverty, even I am struggling to comprehend the enormity of the crisis gripping our community and the work that lies ahead.

We don’t know every answer, but we do know that the cries for help from those people who have disappeared from sight are getting louder every single day. And as you know, HomeFront will do whatever we can to help. That simply is who we are.

As always, how much we can do depends on the support of people like you.

I have spent several sleepless nights worrying about how we are going to make it work. Our initial conservative estimates suggest that lost revenues and unexpected emergency expenditures may cost HomeFront well over $650,000 — and that’s just through the middle of May. We have made emergency bulk purchases of food, diapers and baby formula. Our major spring fundraising events are cancelled. Too many of our permanent housing clients who have already been laid off will be unable to pay their rent. We are already seeing a major increased need in the community due to job loss, and will be paying our essential employees overtime and hazard pay.

We are trying to transition to work-from-home where possible, a tall order for a nonprofit that’s been more focused on client services than state-of-the-art IT. And of course, much of our work cannot be done remotely: HomeFront provides shelter and sustenance to several hundred people a night, the vast majority of whom are children. We have frontline staff working around the clock, putting their own personal safety on the line to serve those in need.

Weathering the current crisis is critical, but I am asking you to consider the second crisis looming on the horizon. We must now prepare for a drastic increase in desperate new clients.

Just last week we gave out food bags to hundreds of new faces. Our help hotlines are beginning to ring off the hook with calls from families who have been living paycheck to paycheck but are now laid off and desperate. Our job training and employment programs are preparing for the shock of record-high unemployment.

People with no safety net can’t tighten their belts for four days, much less four months. The government is finally responding, but, as has always been the case, countless people will fall through the cracks or have to wait

Womanspace

Connie Mercer, Sasa Olessi Montaño and Patricia Hart share how the pandemic has affected their organizations. too long for help.

We must be there with a hand to help. It’s as simple as that.

I have worried about whether to write this note. Is it too soon? Should I wait until I have a clearer picture of the exact needs of our families? How will this request be received by our dear supporters, each of whom are worried sick about their family and friends, too?

When I walked in the office last week and saw the line people waiting for food bags wrapped around the parking lot, I knew that I had to reach out.

We know our lives will someday return to a semblance of normalcy.

Stores will reopen, the stock market will come back, and workplaces will function again. But for many families who are crying silently, the effects of this pandemic could be permanent unless we are there to help them immediately. It is critical that HomeFront’s infrastructure be sustained to ensure our agency remains strong and able to respond throughout this pandemic.

Over the past month, HomeFront has adjusted how it delivers its services to the thousands of families who are currently homeless or hungry in our local community.

At HomeFront’s Family Campus, where 38 local families who are homeless live temporarily, we’ve had to get really creative, says Liza Peck, the campus support services liaison. “We have a new mom who is using Skype to get nurse-parenting coaching, in addition to the support our onsite staff provides,” she says.

Remote schooling has been made possible at HomeFront’s Family Campus.

For every family, extra effort has been made to provide what’s needed, keep clients healthy, and keep spirits up. Computers are available to children for remote schooling, and for adults to continue GED and job certification studying.

Tutoring is available by phone from volunteers and from HomeFront’s Hire Expectations staff. Families can also take turns in the Campus’ ArtSpace therapeutic art room, dance to music being piped in around the building, and each child received activity bags to keep them smiling.

Peck says families were especially excited last week when donated iPads were given out with access to Disney Plus.

HomeFront has also changed its operations to help those in need throughout the community. Staff delivered food bags and essentials last week to over 150 struggling families in the county, and also to individuals living in local motels.

A new distribution area has also been set up at the HomeFront headquarter’s back dock, configured to distribute and collect groceries and other urgently needed items at a social distance.

HomeFront case managers are manning phone lines to keep in touch with their clients and to respond to new families needing help.

This is a very challenging time. We are already hearing from many of our clients who have lost their jobs as a re-

sult of business closings. We are also seeing an unprecedented number of new faces on our food distribution days. But I am in awe of how many of our friends have reached out to see how they can help, even at a time when they are greatly concerned for their own families. Although we know the worst is still to come, that spirit of generosity and caring gives me hope.

For community members interested in how they can help, HomeFront has provided the following information: If you are considering charitable giving during this time, we are grateful if you would please keep us in mind. Click the link above or call 609-989-9417, ext. 107.

If you are already out shopping for necessities or are able to shop online, consider a donation of our most needed items: diapers (sizes 4, 5, 6 and Pull-Ups/Easy Ups in all sizes), baby wipes, canned goods (protein like chicken/tuna, ravioli, beef stew, soup, and fruit), baby formula, dry cereal, and shelf-stable milk (Horizon/Natrel/Parmalat or powdered milk).

Online shipments can be delivered to 1880 Princeton Ave, Lawrence, NJ 08648. We are keeping an Amazon wish list updated, but please be patient, because items are going out of stock online quickly.

–Connie Mercer, founder and CEO of Homefront

Meals on Wheels of Mercer County

Together, we can deliver!

There is no doubt that food insecurity is a reality in Mercer County every day. That in itself is a travesty.

Food insecurity is not just about access to food, but it is also about the quality of the food and consistency of its availability.

Meals on Wheels of Mercer County is a comprehensive nutrition program that focuses on the homebound, mostly our elders, who cannot cook or shop for themselves: Older adults, who for the most part, are food insecure due to age, illness, and income.

The goal of our service model is to keep older adults in their homes for as long as possible, out of long term care situations, so they can maintain the ability to age with dignity in their most familiar of surroundings.

We accomplish this not just by delivering hot, healthy, therapeutic meals daily. Our “secret sauce” is the meal and the daily visit from a caring volunteer, a familiar face, who daily checks in to make sure they are thriving. Our goal is to keep the homebound healthy and happy.

But then along came COVID-19, the pandemic that daily threatens not only those we serve, but also those who serve them. I refer to our operations as a three-legged stool, the legs supporting every participant we serve.

But each leg over the last weeks, has not only been threatened by a wobble, but sometimes we wondered if we might make it through the day without one falling off, disrupting our delicate balance. And yet, we persist.

One leg is our staff, that continues to report daily, signing up new par-

ticipants, fielding calls from them because they are frightened, anxious, or lonely, changing the way we do everything as often as the CDC has changed their guidelines. We are a mighty staff of 4 and a half, and I am so proud of them and their resilience under the most difficult of circumstances.

The second leg is our amazing partner and caterer: Rider University and Gourmet Dining. Their capacity to continue to produce meals is unmatched and they have committed to continue it undeterred, with back up staff and kitchens in waiting should they have an outbreak.

Their meal production continues to be healthy and therapeutic in nature. We are so grateful for the commitment of President Gregory Dell’Olmo and his entire staff to the Mercer County community; a true town-gown partnership!

And finally, our most precious resource, our volunteers. They are the heart of our organization. They represent the leg of our operation that cannot wobble even one bit, and must remain strong and sturdy. We cannot deliver without them.

Before COVID-19, the average age of our volunteers was 65 and older. Think about it, who has time to deliver meals from 10 a.m. to noon?

By now you realize this age group is the major target group for COVID-19. And as reluctant as many were to step back, we encouraged them to do so, to keep them safe.

In their place we have recruited many new volunteers to replace our more seasoned ones. Husbands and wives who are not working, mothers with college-aged students home from school, single people looking to give back, so many of us looking to help others in this time when all of us are socially isolated.

The response has been heartening and overwhelming. But we still need more volunteers, as we do not know how long this will last. Within a week we totally transformed our face to face volunteer onboarding to a virtual one. And volunteers can schedule a shift for themselves!

Let me end by telling you about our participants. Individuals who were once like you and me; hard working, family loving, independent, and contributors to our communities. They are our mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, great aunts and uncles.

They have arrived at the last years of their lives and simply cannot care for themselves anymore, not enough to be put in long term care, but just enough to need a little help to remain independent. And we are there for them.

Before COVID-19, over 60% lived alone and experienced social isolation. Now, the very nature of this pandemic is keeping families away from their older loved ones to keep them safe.

Who would have thought that their homes would be the safest place for them to be today? All of them are socially isolated, so if it is affecting us, imagine how hard it is on them.

It is also why we need you to help us! Please consider becoming a

I wanted to reach out and let you know how things are being impacted here at Womanspace as a result of COVID-19. Certainly, these are surreal and unprecedented times for us all.

One of the things we notice is that both domestic violence and sexual assault hotline calls are down. People are surprised by that, but if you are confined to the house with someone who is threatening or violent, the route to escape is blocked. If you felt like there was no escape before that reality has just exponentially increased.

For sexual assault victims, who would normally go to the hospital, that option seems even more scary than before. Hospitals are overwhelmed with virus victims and it may not feel very safe to go there.

The normal course of events would have an advocate on site with the victim but now, that is not possible. The complications for victims during this pandemic are compounded.

At Womanspace, we are committed to being available when someone does reach out. Our Safe House remains open and staffed 24-7 and our Transitional Housing Program is fully functioning. Three hotlines are available: the Statewide Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-572-SAFE; Mercer County Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Hotlines, 609394-9000. Our texting hotline for Deaf and Hard of Hearing 609-6191888. If you reach out to us, we are here.

In order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Womanspace’s Administrative and Counseling Offices have been closed since March 16 and will remain closed until further notice. This was done in accordance with Gov. Murphy’s Executive Order 107. We will also be unable to accept noncash donations at this time.

If it is safe to do so, counselors will be in touch with their clients and all counseling phone messages will be checked daily. Counseling is being offered to all clients who wish to participate via telephone.

For administrative matters, please call and leave a message or leave your question at info@womanspace. org. Both voicemail and email will be checked regularly. All administrative staff are working remotely and accessible via email.

The safety and health of our staff and clients is our first priority. We will closely monitor the situation, making weekly decisions based on instruction from the Governor’s Office. Follow our Womanspace Facebook and Instagram pages and Twitter feed or check out our website. All of those sites will carry the latest information about the agency.

Thank you for all the support we have received. We ask if you have masks or gloves to spare, Womanspace staff and clients are in need of them.

Things like Clorox wipes and Lysol spray are needed to keep our facility sterile and our families safe. Cash donations are always welcome as they help us to absorb the cost of maintaining a 24-hour presence during this major health crisis.

This is a time that we must all stick together. Here in the State of New Jersey and in Mercer County we witness outstanding examples of what being part of a community really means.

–Patricia Hart, executive director of Womanspace Run a nonprofit and have an update you want to share? Email us at news@communitynews.org.

April 15, 2020

U.S. 1

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Fundraiser Helps Workers ‘Bear’ with COVID Pandemic

A local startup has come up with a colorful way to represent the COVID-19 pandemic, putting the image of a pastel teddy bear sporting a face mask on T-shirts and sweatshirts.

The proceeds from their sale go to help out local tip-based employees, restaurants and first responders.

Forming a coalition of local restaurants, charities and talent, TeesForTips has raised nearly $1,000 from donations and garment sales since it officially launched on April 1.

It started when Ben Sanford, owner of Café Seventy-Two in Ewing and Cugino’s Italian Market in Pennington, tried to raise funds for staff who had been laid off since the onset of COVID-19 restrictions. Donations fizzled out quickly, and Sanford was left to figure out another way to help his employees and the community.

Scrolling through Instagram one day, Sanford noticed a drawing of a teddy bear with a face mask on his old high school friend’s account. He liked it, and the partnership grew from there.

“I had been trying to think of how can we continue the awareness, how can we continue to get funds generated and donated and I came up with this idea of what if we sold shirts or hooded sweatshirts with this bear on it, which basically symbolizes the fact that nobody is spared from this situation,” Sanford said. “Even teddy bears are wearing a mask essentially.”

Sanford, a graduate of Lawrence High School, reached out to artist Matthew Langille, a fellow LHS alumnus who works in the fashion industry and collaborates with designers including Marc Jacobs, Adidas and Swatch. Recently Langille has worked on shoe designs for the brand K-Swiss.

Langille’s work, sold around the world through his collaborations with big fashion names has been affected by the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.

His work in creating graphics as well as collaborating with brands as a brand consultant or creative director has been paused as the uncertainty in his industry has caused gig opportunities to slow and stores to halt orders in fear of being left with inventory.

The artist, now a Pennington resident, had been at home with only the current situation as creative inspiration. Many of his work projects were placed on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In the past year or two, Langille has gravitated to sketching whimsical graphics on cardboard boxes with pastels. He puts on some music, and without heavy thought, lets his creations take shape. One of his latest products was a little teddy bear, swirled with color and forced to wear a face mask. It coincidentally struck a chord with Sanford, who reached out to him about using the image.

“I just thought it would be really nice to use this image to help at least some of his employees or some local people and just see where it went,” Langille said.

Although he normally works with pen and paper, Langille’s cardboard creations can be seen on his Instagram along with his other work. This global crisis allowed for the inspiration and time for his COVID-19 teddy bear, among other sketches.

An integral part of Langille’s creative process is not forcing creativity.

He expressed that until his pen hits paper he doesn’t overthink the design.

Like a lot of his work, the teddy bear just seemed to emerge from him.

Hoping the image resonates with people and helps carry TeesForTips to aiding more and more of those in need, Langille said that the startup has branched out to assist waiters, part-time workers and first respond-

ers. Their efforts look to help those that are in the scary position of losing employment or fighting on the COVID-19 front lines.

“Initially we had thought this would be for tip-based employees and then we realized that the spread and the reach is just so much bigger than that after we started talking to charities and listening to their needs,” Sanford said.

This isn’t the first time Langille’s artwork has gained attention amid a pandemic. In 2009, he designed three watches for the Swiss watchmaker Swatch for their artist collection.

This added him to a list of powerhouse artists who have collaborated with Swatch including Keith Haring, Vivienne Westwood and Kiki Picasso. One of the watches he designed was called “the Germaholic.” Billboards around the globe—China, Spain, Times Square—featured Langille’s name and the Germaholic watch.

This isn’t the first time Langille’s atwork has gained attention amid a pandemic.

This was a big moment in Langille’s career. It also happened to coincide with the H1N1 pandemic. In one interview, the reporter asked Langille if the release of his watch was prophetic. The designing, creating and marketing of the watch took years, prompting an interviewer to ask him, “How did you know that H1N1 was coming?”

Langille, of course, didn’t. But he still enjoys the playful design of the Germaholic watch, featuring a germ cartoon that can’t stand being around other germs for its fear of illness. The watch was a great success and carried on his quirky design style.

“My artwork’s always kind of addressed the fun and the whimsy and the humor in things,” he said.

He recalls when he came out of college in 2004, there was a lot of dark artwork circulating in the wake of 9/11.

“I just decided you know what I’m going to just start making stuff that makes people smile and makes people happy,” Langille said.

When he takes on serious issues with his work, he approaches it from a light-hearted perspective—just as the COVID-19 teddy bear brings to the TeesForTips mission.

United under Langille’s graphic, TeesForTips is partnered with both of Sanford’s local restaurants, Pennington Bagel, Acacia Restaurant, Cattani Catering & Kitchen, Sumo Sushi & Teppanyaki, Fedora Bistro Café and Wildflowers Inn Restaurant.

Sanford used his personal relationships with local small business owners to join forces to help increase

by Nicole Viviano

TeesForTips reach to potential donors and people purchasing their apparel.

When a charity or organization needs meals prepared, Sanford is able to check back with this band of restaurants and see who has the capacity to fill the order.

“We’re looking to generate as much revenue as possible for these restaurants, including ourselves,” Sanford said. “Try to bring back some unemployed workers in order to fill these bigger orders.”

TeesForTips also partnered with HomeFront, Children’s Specialized Hospital and Christine’s Hope For Kids.

Sanford explained that they stay in contact with what the charities may need, whether that’s prepared meals or a donation.

Recently TeesForTips did a mask match with HomeFront and supplied a $300 donation to help give masks to Capital Health and Robert Wood Johnson Hospital workers.

The current amount taken from apparel purchases is a $10 minimum from shirts towards the fund and a $20 minimum from sweatshirts. As more orders come in, allowing TeesForTips to get lower production costs, the percentage donated from each purchase is set to increase. Direct donations are also accepted in $5 increments on the TeesForTips “Shop & Donate” page.

Princeton resident Suki Wasserman, HomeFront’s community engagement coordinator, was familiar with Sanford’s restaurants when he reached out to them about TeesForTips. Sanford was looking to help non-profits in the area, which included Lawrence-based HomeFront.

“Our whole ethos and our whole history is about local folks coming together to help our neighbors in need and so this fits right with our ethos,” Wasserman said. “We really like that.”

She went on to express that HomeFront also enjoys the use of a local artist’s work in collaboration with TeesForTips’ efforts. The idea is to have something people will share on social media and spread the word

Masked Mascot : Pennington artist Matthew Langille’s mask-wearing teddy bear has become the face of the TipsForTees fundraiser. even more.

Another charity involved also shared how they were happy to see a local artist involved.

Christine’s Hope For Kids, a nonprofit based out of Pennington, partnered with TeesForTips after having a charitable relationship with Sanford’s restaurants in the past. Seeing the work the startup was doing to get food to local organizations and help keep businesses afloat by giving them business were goals that aligned with Christine’s Hope For Kids’ mission, director Melissa D’Amico said.

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It has donated a considerable financial amount to TeesForTips and looks to work to help get resources to those in need.

“Not only are we getting the resources to the community but we’re keeping businesses open that otherwise may be shut down right now and keeping employees on staff that otherwise maybe had to be laid off by now,” D’Amico said. “So I like how there’s two aspects to what they’re doing.”

For more information on TeesForTips and to purchase apparel or donate, visit www.teesfortips.com.

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April 15, 2020

Bordentown Residents Rally to Support Small Business A group of local residents passionate about small business interests have banded together to form the #BordentownStrong effort to raise funds for business owners and their employees in the city and township areas that have been affected by the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.

Many small business owners were forced to close their doors while others have greatly altered their operations to cater to the needs of their customers during this time and manage to stay afloat.

Bordentown City resident and native Rebecca Collins first came up with the idea to use her ability as a maker to help small businesses while giving people something in return.

By recruiting the help of local business owner, Sarah McEwan, and cochair of the Bordentown City Creative Team, Sruti Desai, her idea was cultivated into action.

By selling signs, t-shirts and tote bags featuring the #BordentownStrong logo, the trio donates a portion of the proceeds per item towards the GoFundMe page they created on March 30. The current breakdown of donated percentages are: 30% of the purchase price for the signs and tshirts and 40% of the tote bags. This allows for the makers’ costs to be

covered and a significant donation to the fund.

As a local maker, Collins’ business, Carson Re-Creations features her Bordentown inspired designs on things like signs, pillows and glassware. With additions of the 08505 ZIP code, the name Bordentown or city history somehow incorporated, Collins has been spreading Bordentown pride well before the coronavirus outbreak.

Coming up with #BordentownStrong, she wanted to see if it could be used to benefit the other local businesses in town.

Collins originally approached Desai, a Bordentown City resident, early on about her idea to help out local business. Both Collins and McEwan volunteer for the Bordentown City Creative Team, while Desai is cochair.

Desai’s professional background in marketing and business development—and her feeling that her job isn’t fully accomplished without a sense of community—made for a perfect logistical addition to the #BordentownStrong initiative.

“I grew up in a small business family,” Desai said. “I owned a small business in Toms River, so I know pretty intimately what this kind of cri-

by Nicole Viviano sis can do to a small business.”

Although the three Bordentown residents are involved in the Bordentown City Creative Team, the team remains a purely promotional arm— sharing information on social media about #BordentownStrong and pointing people with questions to the startup.

“They wanted to do something to help,” said McEwan, a Bordentown City native, about Desai and Collins reaching out to her about the initiative.

For #BordentownStrong, the tote bags ($12) are being produced in house by McEwan while Collins makes the signs ($20), with the enlisted of her parents, who live in town, and a neighbor. The t-shirts ($20)are a recent addition and can be pre-ordered at this time.

Jamie Clugsten, owner of Always In Stitches on Farnsworth Avenue, was asked by the trio to help by contributing t-shirts that she can screen print.

Clugsten had just opened her store about a month prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and said he enjoys getting involved with community-driven initiatives. Some may think a t-shirt

can’t help, but so many events—such as fundraisers or group activities— will have coordinating shirts to unify a cause. The current situation local Bordentown business is in, is no exception.

“My feeling is we’re all feeling the crunch, but I think if we all shoulder the burden a little bit, it’s a little bit lighter of a load. That’s my thought on it,” Clugsten said. “Everybody’s feeling it but we all still have to contribute.”

Moving forward, the group is hoping to work with other local small business owners and add some different products to their project.

“That’s another part of this, trying to keep the makers who are working doing something,” McEwan said.

As of the beginning of April, more than $1,200 has been raised on the #BordentownStrong GoFundMe from direct donations and product sales.

“I think it’s amazing just that people want to support,” Collins said.

“People love the Bordentown community and they want to support it at all costs if they can.”

By using social media and McE-

www.rider.edu/academics/colleges-schools/westminster-college-of-the-arts/westminster-conservatory-music

Sign of the Times : Residents have banded together to support small business in Bordentown City. wan’s local business’s website to organize the #BordentownStrong into a functioning outfit, the group seeks to help out as many businesses as possible, even if it’s in a small way.

McEwan’s Bordentown business, Mimosa Goods on Farnsworth Avenue normally has a studio space for classes and workshops while also selling and representing local makers and artists’ products in the store—including those from Carson Re-Creations.

Mimosa Goods has moved completely online due to the current situation and features a specially made page on its site for #BordentownStrong product sales and a financial relief form for businesses in need.

Product sales for #BordentownStrong are made through the Mimosa Goods site, cleared through the business’s bank account and added to the GoFundMe page under a “Mimosa Goods” title.

The Google form is for small local business owners, employees of local business, or independent contractors or gig workers affiliated with a local business who are experiencing financial hardships. The form asks for business information including a monetary request and reason for the request, such as operational bills, personal costs or utilities.

Currently the form is only featured on the dedicated Mimosa Goods webpage. Once a comprehensive contact list for local businesses is formed, which is being worked on by a town committee, the group intends to send it out to those in need.

Requests will be reviewed only by the three members of #BordentownStrong. Requests from $0 to $500 are allowed by the form, although it is clearly stated that the full amount requested may not be met depending on how much funding the group has at that time.

To protect the privacy of those who request funds, the amount gifted will be recorded on the official GoFundMe page but the name of the business or individual will only be known by the trio.

As of yet, no funds have been distributed. The plan is to withdraw needed funds from the GoFundMe account and privately deliver it via check or PayPal. “As a business owner, we have a tremendous amount of local pride and it’s been really amazing to see people not only want to help and give a donation but just to have a sense of community unity that we’re all in this together and that we’re supporting each other,” McEwan said. “So to have the hashtag, I hope that we can keep it going and continue to use these kinds of products to donate back to community efforts even when this is over.”

For more information, go online to www.gofundme.com/f/bordentownstrong.

April 15, 2020

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Celebrating 25 Years of Transformation, Spirit, and Cooperation Pastor Karen Hernandez-Granzen is the welcoming face of Westminster Presbyterian Church on Greenwood Avenue in Trenton.

Celebrating her 25th year as the church’s spiritual leader—and dealing with an unprecedented crisis—she is standing in one of her community rooms to talk about a legacy, changes, and challenges of the church in Trenton’s Wilbur section.

In many ways what she has to say touches many urban and suburban churches.

“We’re an intercultural and an affirming interfaith community,” she says.

Quickly moving beyond the generalization of the statement, she says, “To be intercultural means we’re a multicultural congregation. We include black gospel music, Hispanic music, and African music every Sunday. By affirming we’re a church that invites and includes the LGBT community. While some churches celebrate Black History Month, Hispanic History Month, Women’s History Month, we make sure we incorporate this every Sunday. We’re Presbyterian so there are the traditional Eurocentric hymns.”

The path from a congregation rooted to a white Protestant religion born in the British Isles and shaped by Euro-centric attitudes to one led by a Latina made pragmatic sense.

“The church made a decision in the early 1980s when it was primarily a vintage congregation that it needed to change the complexion of the congregation to look like the diverse community Trenton had become,” says Hernandez-Granzen.

“This transformation took decades,” she adds. “And that’s pretty typical of mainline worshipping communities. This radical transformation into a cultural community takes much patience.”

To illustrate the transformation, Hernandez-Granzen says when she took stewardship of the church founded in 1898, the congregation was 90 percent white. Now, she says, “We are 60 or so percent African American, 30 percent Euro, and 7 percent Hispanic.”

While the congregation has 100 registered members (others come and go as the spirit moves), Hernandez-Granzen says that it works to connect the Trenton neighborhood and the greater area.

“I feel that our church is a vital church because we don’t just look at the number of people on a Sunday morning but see our church as a community center,” she says.

“One of the strengths of our worshipping community is we have since the 1990s actively created deep relations to the arts community, police department, Princeton University, Princeton Theological Society, and Rider University.”

Westminster sees part of its ministry through programming. “We have a Get Set after school program. We have an ESL school that we’ll kick start again in the fall.

We’re now the new home of the Trenton Music Makers. We’re a healing community station—what that means is that we’ve been trained to support those who are currently incarcerated and those who are returning citizens. And we’re the home of the Beracah Apostolic Church—a congregation of eight different Latin American countries.”

Hernandez-Granzen says Westminster’s budget is slightly over $200,000 and supports one-full time individual (her), one parttime assistant (Trenton native Crystal Jordan), and when not on quarantine restrictions, another part-time church employee and

by Dan Aubrey two part time program coordinators.

One important source of support comes from Westminster’s religious partners: Nassau, Dutch Neck, Ewing, and Lawrenceville Presbyterian churches.

The after-school program that enrolled 30 children, prior to the quarantine, has a low-cost tuition and also partners support to make sure “our students are reading at grade level,” she says.

“The sustainability of this church starts with our members,” she says. “Although they are of the low income bracket, they give with their time and volunteering. So there is a lot of hands-on involvement.”

Self-defined as a person who loves “partnering with people with different backgrounds to work creatively to address the issues of the day,” Hernandez-Granzen also says she’s a Nuyorican—a New Yorker born to Puerto Rican parents.

“I was born in New York: Brooklyn, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge. I went to Fort Hamilton High School. I got an associate in accounting from New York City Community College–City Tech.

“My dad was a (full time) Pentecostal pastor in the mid-1960s. He left his legacy. He understood the church’s mission wasn’t just about service and Bible studies.”

She says it was also about getting loans to support its member and help integrate members into the community.

“My mother was a prayer warrior,” she continues. “(My father) died when he was 45, and she had to raise 11 kids at home. The church and social security support.”

Hernandez-Granzen then matter-of-factly says, “I became a rebellious teenager. And what brought me back to the church fold was an after-school tutoring and mentoring program in Brooklyn, New York. That work got me off the streets.

Karen HernandezGranzen found her unexpected calling working with youth in Los Angeles.

“The pastor didn’t pressure me to go to church, but by being involved with the after-school program and working with senior citizens and gang members, I became eventually a worshiper of that church.” It was First Hispanic Reform Church of America.

Hernandez-Granzen says she had the opportunity and interest in going to California and lived in Los Angeles for eight years. She got her undergraduate degree, in business administration, from Cal Tech.

She says she also served in a church for six years and got involved with youth programs at Los Ranchos Presbyterian.

It was then that she says she found her unexpected calling.

“Even though I worked with youth as a youth director, I never saw myself as a potential pastor until (Pastor) Hector Delgado asked me when I was in California if I had ever thought of the ordained ministry.

“I didn’t see myself as a female pastor because I had never met one.

Even though I got an accounting

Church as Community Center: Pastor Karen Hernandez-Granzen says her Westminster Presbyterian Church in Trenton looks to build partnerships beyond the Sunday morning congregation. and business degree and was still actively was involved with the church, I never saw that my future profession was to be a minister of the word and sacrament. I thought, ‘Why not?’ and realized that this was God’s call for my life. I was in my twenties at the time.”

Soon McCormick Theological and Seminary in Chicago was her next stop. “It had a Hispanic program. I would be able to study with Hispanic scholars in Spanish, and it had an urban emphasis. Los Ranchos Presbyterian (in Los Angeles) provided a scholarship and the seminary did too.

“I went from being a Pentecostal to part of the reformed denomination and then Presbyterian because I started as youth director and joined the church.”

Then Trenton called.

“I was studying for my ordination exam in Chicago,” HernandezGranzen says, “And I got a church information form and read about this church, about it being a vintage congregation that knew it needed to change its complexion. And I felt this overwhelming love for this congregation sight unseen.”

Hernandez-Granzen’s sense that she was called to this church was deepened when a former pastor of Westminster served with Hernandez-Granzen on a national committee, thought it was a good match, and sent her church info.

She then met the Rev. Patti Daley, the liaison between Nassau and Westminster Presbyterians, at a national committee on urban ministry in Chicago.

“I prayed the old guard would get to see the fruit of their ministry before they died,” HernandezGranzen says when she was appointed to the church. “They did.

There are really only two that are here. They still have ownership.”

There was another event in Chicago that changed her life. She met her husband, pastor of Second Presbyterian Church Elizabeth and an associate professor in New Brunswick theological seminary teaching Christian ethics and theology.

The meeting happened five months into my pastorate when Hernandez-Granzen attended a meeting with others pastoring churches in transition and had to find a place to sit. There was an empty seat and someone at the table called for Michael Granzen, her future husband, to join them.

“That was the first time we ate together,” she says.

“He is of Irish, Scottish, and German decent. And he is the first white man I dated,” she says.

After initially living in the Trenton and Ewing area, the couple now lives in Princeton with their two daughters, Mikaella and Olivia, both in their 20s.

“We moved to Princeton for the girls to study at the public school,” she says. “A few people in the congregation didn’t appreciate it. But it was the best public school for our children.”

She says the move also helped her strengthen relationships that have already existed, including engaging Princeton University as a community partner. She is also a Princeton Township Civil Rights Commissioner.

Hernandez-Granzen then turns to the topic of the vital yet semantically tricky support from outside the city. “Often suburban-urban partnerships are not always helpful. It’s mostly charity given to the poor urban church. Even though Westminster is receiving financial

support, we partner together.”

In addition to programs at the church, Hernandez-Granzen mentions two important community partner programs off the church’s grounds. The first is Bethany House of Hospitality. Located in the Bethany Presbyterian Church parsonage on Hamilton Avenue, the program provides low cost housing for young adults employed in jobs that benefit the city through various programs, ranging from Trenton gardening projects to low cost legal services. And, the second, in 1998, Westminster started a mission in the Dominican Republic and helped build a school for over 400 children, pre-k to 12.

Thinking ahead, she says, Trenton’s fastest growing population is Hispanics, and Westminster is working to adjust the after-school program to meet the needs of such students. Other noticeable populations include Haitians and others of African descent.

Looking at Westminster’s transformation and her accomplishment, Hernandez-Granzen says “Across the nation, churches that are intercultural are small. Martin Luther King said that the most segregated time in the United States is at 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings.

The fact is that Westminster is intercultural is rare.”

Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1140 Greenwood Avenue, Trenton, www.wpctrenton.com.

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April 15, 2020

ART

FILM

LITERATURE

DANCE DRAMA MUSIC

PREVIEW

Trenton’s Candle Light Lounge Livestreams the Blues

by Richard J. Skelly Candlelight Lounge owner E.C. Bradley has been slowly transforming his Passaic Street tavern into a cultural and culinary destination. He is also changing the way the name is printed from Candlelight to Candle Light.

Known for its Saturday jazz matinees, 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., and its Thursday Blues Night, the Candle Light is reacting to the current season of closed clubs and theater by singing the blues online — as evidenced by its streaming of Philadelphia singer Suzanne Cloud live at the beloved Trenton jazz spot.

“We are attempting to maintain the Candle Light tradition of live jazz by all means during this COVID-19 shutdown period that appears is going to bankrupt everyone,” Bradley says.

“Our regular scheduled musicians can’t work either, but most are willing to participate in efforts to live stream plus have the segment continue to post for 30 days of access.”

Bradley says there are two sites posting the stream: frsprod.com at $5 per show or Candle Light Events Jazz Family, or just The Candle Light, on patreon.com, $20 for a monthly subscription.

Following that first presentation in late March, Bradley says that the production highlighted Cloud, the venue, and the “support of musicians who have played here many

Culture by Candle Light: Candle Light Lounge owner E.C. Bradley (left) stands outside the Passaic Street venue, which hosts weekly jazz and blues nights (right). times, including Aaron Graves on piano, Craig McIver on drums, and Lee Smith on bass.”

Bradley says that because of the COVID-19 closings that the Candle Light has been ordered to shut down and “almost every musician has had events canceled.”

He adds that he hopes people who are shut in “will have access to live jazz/blues through streaming and help support the musicians who play without a live audience (so important to the music vibe) but are willing to try anything that can

provide sustaining income.”

Livestreaming is a new twist in the operations run by Trenton native Bradley, a retired construction company owner who was involved in many building projects around Trenton.

Originally contacted to talk about the Blues Night, Bradley says, “Blues is more enlightening, blues is more fun, and there’s a comradeship that evolves out of playing with folks. I love jazz, but sometimes in jazz there’s a stuffy flavor and you cannot fit in real easy, so it becomes a little disheart-

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ening. There’s a brotherhood in jazz too, but it’s a different kind of teamwork.”

Bradley plays tenor saxophone and has done so since he was in seventh grade in Trenton public schools. He sits in a lot on Thursday nights with a veteran drummer and vocalist and keyboardist and various other musicians.

“It’s been my passion and my pleasure,” says Bradley, “I play the tenor, the alto, and soprano.”

When he talks about his playing past, Bradley also talks about Trenton’s past music scene.

“Back in the 1970s I played at Fantasy Lounge on Chambers Street. I was in a band in front of Billy Paul one night. At that time, Fantasy was the place to go for good music and a lot of the bigshots were there. James Brown was there, all the big names were either here or there or BT’s Lounge,” he says.

The Candle Light Lounge also has its share of names, and its walls are adorned with photos of the prominent and not-so-prominent musicians who have played there, including two Trenton-born music celebrities: the late trombonist-vocalist Clifford Adams, once part of Kool and the Gang, and internationally known pianist Orrin Evans.

Speaking about his own love of music, Bradley said he had never wanted to become a professional musician.

“I enjoyed playing, and it was a hobby, like guys play golf. For me, it was fun, it kept me out of trouble, and I needed an outlet when I was raising young kids.”

Bradley was raised in Trenton, attended Trenton public schools, studied carpentry as a union trainee at Mercer County Vo-Tech, and eventually got a college degree in 1977 from the University of Minnesota.

He returned to Trenton, where he was the eighth out of 10 siblings, to help care for his ailing mother, Naomi, a cleaning woman who looked after many of the old synagogues in the city.

Back in Trenton, he rejoined the local carpenters union — by then mostly free of members with backwards racial attitudes — and worked a variety of construction projects in Trenton, Harrisburg, and New York.

Then, when he was about to retire, his accountant tipped him off that the Candle Light Lounge was up for sale. That was 14 years ago.

“I needed something to do in my retirement, and it was ideal for me because they had been doing jazz here since 1967, and they did R&B and blues here as well,” he says.

After some experimentation, he says the winning formula was onepart jazz programming on Saturday afternoon and one-part buffet, something he learned from the legendary Trenton soul-food restaurateur Speckled Red. “Speckled Red had a way with people and food,” Bradley says.

“He would feed them, advise them, employ them, and at the end of the shift he would help folks out who needed something to eat. So we thought we would incorporate some of that attitude about putting food out and letting our customers come in and eat.

“We gave them the same advice Speckled Red did: ‘Wait ‘til the show is over then you can come in and enjoy the food, too.’ It was mainly folks who were hungry. We prefer not to refrigerate food if we can, and it leaves us room to prepare more and get ready for the next event. My wife (Valarie) is such a fantastic cook and the people enjoy her food.”

Bradley says the blues night’s successful startup was assisted by some of the region’s strongest area musicians. “We’ve had Joe Zuccarello, John Bushnell, Michael Ray from Kool and the Gang, [and his band in New Orleans, the Cosmic Krewe], he would come in and play a couple of songs and get something to eat.”

He also credited Dave Orban from the Hamilton-based Mojo Gypsies. “He gives blues night a true variety and he tends to bring in lots of his other friends.”

With a $5 cover charge, the Blues Night and buffet was catching on with some saying it was the best nightclub value anywhere in New Jersey.

But for the time being, jazz and blues lovers will have to be content to look for the Candle Light’s very significant themed productions: “Live From Trenton, New Jersey.”

Candle Light Lounge, 24 Passaic Street. 609- 695-9612. www. jazztrenton.com.

April 15, 2020

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Life in the Fast Lane MCCC makes hundreds of face shields for healthcare workers Mercer County Community College will manufacture hundreds of face safety shields in its Advanced Manufacturing laboratory to safeguard the health and safety of the medical services professionals combating the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

Thus far, requests for the face shields have been received from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, Penn Medicine, Mercer County Office of Emergency Management, Henry J. Austin Health Center, and other organizations that are on the front lines fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.

MCCC says the project is made possible with the help of a contribution from the Kingston-based Tuchman Foundation.

MCCC is home to a state-of-theart Advanced Manufacturing lab, complete with computerized lathes, computer numerical control (CNC) milling machines, and 3-dimensional (3-D) printers. The 3,000-square-foot lab was constructed in 2017 and made possible through the support of Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes and the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders, with the goal of preparing graduates of the Advanced Manufacturing program for careers in high-tech industry.

Professor Jim Maccariella, coordinator of the Engineering Science and Civil Engineering Technology program, led his team colleagues professors Harry Bittner and Michael Hanna to explore the possibility of using 3-D printers to produce face shields. But he notes that the process is slow — it takes about two-and-a-half hours to produce a single shield.

The initial process enabled the lab to produce 30 pieces, all of which were donated to the Mercer County Office of Emergency Management. But it was obvious that additional production capacity was needed to meet the need of healthcare professionals in the area.

Meanwhile Martin Tuchman, chairman of the Kingston-based Tuchman Foundation, challenged Mercer County Community to find ways to produce face shields to protect medical professionals.

Tuchman contributed to equip the college’s 3-D printer lab when it opened in 2017.

When he saw the current need for medical safety equipment, he readily offered a solution by providing the funding for materials to produce the units by utilizing the faster, more efficient Advanced Manufacturing equipment.

“When I heard there was a problem acquiring shields, it was described as a manufacturing issue,” Tuchman said. “I recalled that Dr. Wang (Jianping Wang, president of MCCC) was on the forefront of creating an advanced, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at the school, and when this shortage occurred, the first thing I did was call Dr. Wang.

She not only responded positively, but within 24 hours had a game plan, a prototype, and a request for orders.

We were in business.”

Professor Michael Hanna, coordinator of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology program, then began to reconfigure the Advanced Manufacturing lab to mass produce the face shields. Hanna said it takes about eight minutes to make one shield, in contrast to the 2.5 hours to create a single unit with a 3-D printer.

Hanna said he expects to produce 160 shields a day once in full

Edited by Rob Anthes

Doug Johnson models a protective face shield produced in the Advanced Manufacturing lab at Mercer County Community College. production, a task he will volunteer to fulfill in addition to his duties as a full-time instructor.

“It’s definitely another full time job, but is well worth it to serve the community and save lives,” Hanna said. “In addition, this is an American made product, a local product serving local needs.”

“Our local heroes are the medical professionals and EMTs who are risking their lives every day. We must do our part to protect them,” Wang said. “We are a community college. It is our duty to serve our communities, especially in a time like this. We must do all we can, and we know they need the protective gear to keep themselves, and our community, safe.”

Realtors expect post-pandemic rebound With an expected slowdown in spring real estate business activity,

Thompson Management

many realtors remain hopeful for a post-pandemic market rebound, according to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors.

The majority of realtors believe buyers and sellers will return to the market as delayed transactions following the end of the health crisis.

Nearly six out of 10 members, some 59%, said buyers are delaying home purchases for a couple of months, while a similar share of members, about 57%, said sellers are delaying home sales for a couple of months.

“Home sales will decline this spring season because of unique economic and social consequences resulting from the coronavirus outbreak, but much of the activity looks to reappear later in the year,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun, said. “Home prices will remain stable because of a pandemicinduced reduction in inventory coupled with less immediate concerns over foreclosures.”

www.thompsonmanagementllc.com 609-921-7655

NAR’s latest Economic Pulse Flash Survey, which was conducted April 5 and 6, asked members questions about how the coronavirus outbreak has impacted the residential and commercial real estate markets. Several highlights of the member survey include: Due to the outbreak, 90% of members said buyer interest declined and 80% of members cited a decline in the number of homes on the market.

Home prices look to hold steady after rising robustly before the pandemic. Almost three in four members—72%—said sellers have not reduced prices to attract buyers.

Conversely, more than six in 10 members—63%—said buyers are expecting a decline in home prices as buyers sense less competition in the current environment.

Technology plays a vital role as the real estate industry adapts to the new reality of managing deals virtually with social distancing directives in place. Members said the

most common technology tools used to interact with clients are esignatures, social media, messaging apps and virtual tours.

Residential tenants are facing rent payment issues, but many delayed payment requests are being accommodated. Nearly half of property managers – 46% – reported being able to accommodate tenants who cannot pay rent and more than a quarter of individual landlords – 27% – said the same. The recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act includes provisions on eviction prevention and small business loans and grants that are critical to keeping the rental market steady.

View NAR’s Economic Pulse Flash Survey full report at www. nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/ research-reports/nar-flash-surveyeconomic-pulse.

View NAR’s Weekly Housing Market Monitor at www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/weeklyhousing-market-monitor.

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