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No electric? No problem
Leading the ‘maker revolution’
Hopewell resident powers home with hydrogen
Event focuses on aiding those with ALS By micheLe aLPeRin During the first-ever, weeklong Community Make-AThon, sponsored by the robotics TEAM 293 Spike from Hopewell Valley Central High School, students and adults developed tools and entrepreneurial ideas to support people to deal with the effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Hopewell resident Sara Cooper, who was diagnosed with ALS in November 2018, helped kick off the Make-A-Thon by sharing her own experience with the students. “One of the things that is hard to do is eat because you lose your fine motor skills,” Cooper says of the neurodegenerative disease. But using a tool created by third grader Ben Hartman and his dad, she was able to eat independently at the culminating event of the Makea-Thon—the SPIKE Innovation Fair on Sept. 28, where the 12 teams shared their innovations. “There was a little boy who came up with a metal strap that went around your hand and then he soldered onto it a fork. He had pieces of bread, and I put this band on my hand and was able to pick up the bread with the fork and eat it,” Cooper says. “I’m sure that sounds very simplistic, but eating is one of the basic human functions, and I can’t hold a fork. It was just See ROBOTICS, Page 6
By JULia maRnin When Hurricane Sandy was flooding New Jersey shores and wreaking havoc throughout the state, many Hopewell residents flocked to Michael Strizki’s home, the only house that had not lost power or running water in the neighborhood. Why? Because Strizki, an inventor, has been living without electricity for 16 years. “They had no water to flush toilets, refrigerators went bad and they couldn’t get a drink of Svein Hansen (left), with Ari Schulman, is the executive director of Pennington Adult water,” Strizki said. For six days, neighbors Living Ser vices. PALS recently opened a new store, PALS on Main, that provides work would stop by Strizki’s to opportunities for participants. (Photo by Jessica Cortes.) charge their phones, get water, and take showers because Sandy had knocked out all the electricity. The generators that failed Strizki’s neighbors were useless to his home—which he Neri and his wife Violetta. needed. The question of Davide’s converted to run on hydrogen He was eventually connected to the Princeton Child Develop- future led Neri and Violetta and solar energy, making his ment Institute in New Jersey to begin PALS, a state funded home the first solar hydrogen after traveling to seek out nec- organization approved by the residence in North America. This is Strizki’s vision for the NJ Division of Developmental essary care. world: for society to leave fos“I came here for Davide,” Disabilities. Pennington Adult Living sil fuels in the past. To accomNeri says, who opened By JULia maRnin Hopewell Valley Vineyards Services provides support for plish this mission, he founded Sergio Neri did not expect to after he arrived in 1994. “I prob- adults with a wide range of the Hydrogen House Project, a nonprofit whose mission is interrupt an established life in ably would not have been here developmental disabilities. Now, the Neris have recently to educate the public and conItaly in his suburban home out- because my life was established opened a new store, PALS on duct research on clean energy side of Milan and sell his busi- in Italy.” What began as a journey to Main, involving adults in PALS, solutions. ness to travel the world, later “If people only know oil is beginning a new life in New the States to seek the best sup- which has replaced CHANCE on the menu, that’s all people port for Davide, who is nonver- on Main in Pennington. Jersey. Adults in their program are are going to eat. We have to However, when his young bal and engages in self abusive son Davide was diagnosed with behaviors, has blossomed into referred to as “participants” let them know there are other autism in 1993, Neri discovered a quest to improve the lives of as they help create the hand- things on the menu,” Strizki that Italy was severely lacking adults living with autism and crafted goods such as bags, pil- says. in supportive resources they developmental disabilities for See PALS, Page 8 See HYDROGEN, Page 10
Creating a community for all PALS on Main gives job opportunities to adults with disabilities
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