M t . O l i v e’s H o m e t o w n N e w s p a p e r
MOUNT OLIVE LIFE Vo l . 1 8 • I s s u e 7
Ju l y 2 0 2 3
Member of Mid-Atlantic Community Papers • Association of Community Publishers • Mt. Olive Chamber of Commerce AUDITED BY CIRCULATION VERIFICATION COUNCIL (CVC), ST. LOUIS, MO.
Retired Veterans Appreciate Visit to Local Memorial
BY CHERYL CONWAY STAFF WRITER
MOUNT OLIVE - The founder of the Mt. Olive Memorial Day Parade and ceremony was recognized with an award Thursday, May 25, at the All-Veterans Memorial in Budd Lake during a special service. Bill Sohl and eight other residents of Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home were invited to the 1 p.m. service to see the AVM. Sohl is one of original founding members who helped get the AVM off the ground 15 years ago. “He has not seen it for years,” says AVM Founder Charlie Wood Uhrmann. “Last January, founding AVM Member Linda Sohl recommended inviting residents from Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home,” explains Uhrmann. “Her husband Bill Sohl is a resident. She want-
ed Bill to see the newest additions, while sharing his accomplishments with his friends.” Five Menlo employees also attended along with seven AVM supporters to greet and assist guests. A former Mt. Olive mayor who supported the AVM’s endeavors early on also attended. “We were honored to have former Mt. Olive Mayor David Scapicchio present,” says Uhrmann. “Bill Sohl was appointed business administrator by Mayor Scapicchio. As BA, Bill Sohl assisted with the regulatory aspects in obtaining a Change of Use. Mayor Scapicchio did everything in his power to assure that the AVM was successful.” Guests from the veteran’s home were greeted at 11:30 a.m. by Hazel Whalen who
Netcong Resident Turns 100
pinned a poppy on their lapels, explains Uhrmann. The residents were escorted to the large tent set up in the Prayer Garden, where they were treated to a catered lunch by Mama’s Café in Hackettstown. “Our guests and the staff enjoyed the amazing food and peaceful landscape,” says Uhrmann. “After lunch, the residents were lined up at the NorthStar Seating Stage where we cited the “Pledge of Allegiance” and sang the “National Anthem.” “One of our wheelchaired bound guests made a successful attempt (with assistance) to stand during the “National Anthem,” continues Uhrmann. “Most of them wept and saluted our nation’s flag. After our opening ceremony, the residents were wheeled to the
War Horse Monument where I shared some background information. They were then wheeled down the Path To Enduring Freedom and parked in front of the War Dog Memorial, the Warrior Obelisk so on, so forth. It was the POW/MIA Remembrance Wall that appeared to have affected them
the most. Many just wanted to sit quietly and stare at the murals and dog tags. “It was at that point where many of them stated that it was the most impactful memorial they had ever visited,” says Uhrmann. They stayed until about 2:45 p.m. “None of our guests and/or their assistants
group of residents to stop the large-scale killing of cats by the town,” explains Lerner. In 2008, Mt. Olive impounded 181 cats and euthanized 141 of them. “At the time, the animal control officer said it was mostly feral cats, many from the apartment complexes, so we lobbied for a Trap-Neuter-Return ordinance for feral cats, and once we got it passed, we set up a program to do TNR for feral cats: Trap them, get them neutered and vaccinated, and support them and their caregivers long-term by providing warm shelters, ongoing veterinary care and food when needed. “When we first started trapping, we got a lot of kittens and tame abandoned cats who could be adopted, so we set up a foster care network and adoption process for them,” she continues. “We also started taking impounded cats after their seven-day hold was up, and helping low-income residents get their own cats spayed and neutered. Eventually, in 2020, we got a no-kill ordinance passed protecting impounded dogs and cats from euthanasia in most cases.” Lerner is pleased with the results. “Due to the extensive trapping and spay/neuter we’ve done over the years, the numbers of cats on the street in Mt. Olive have dropped dramatically,” she says. “The feral cat colonies have largely gone extinct, with an average reduction of 89% and only about 20 TNR’d cats left in town, most of them elderly. “Impoundments have also
been reduced by 91%; in 2022, the town impounded a total of 17 cats and kittens and did not euthanize any of them. We went from taking in well over 100 tame cats and kittens per year in the beginning to about 20 or fewer per year now. Last year we took in 13.” Since its inception, MOTNR has rescued more than 1,500 cats, reports Lerner. “Most of these were in Mt. Olive, but in the early years we also did quite a bit of work in Netcong as they got their own program up and running,” she says. “They had more cats and fewer volunteers, so we provided a lot of backup for a while. In more recent years, we’ve worked only with Mt. Olive cats.” While the cat population is currently stable, Lerner is trying to establish a solid base to keep operation running smoothly. “The cat situation in Mt. Olive is very much under control,” she explains. “We have a very low, humanely controlled population, and MOTNR tends to respond quickly to any new need. As our intake has gone down, we’ve just gotten a lot smaller as an organization, so have fewer volunteers. Since we don’t always have a need for foster homes, fosterers who want to continuously foster have to work with other organizations as well, so become unavailable when we have a cat needing a placement. Our needs have changed due to the lower intake, so that we now need people willing and able to foster who are willing to only do so a few times per year, often on short notice. It’s a very specific need.” Foster Homes & Volunteers Needed MOTNR currently has three cats in need of fostering, but
wanted to leave.” Seeing how successful this special first-time service was, Uhrmann says “I would embrace the opportunity to host this event again, if asked. Of course, it would need to be held during Military Appreciation Week.”
For the Love of CatsFosters Needed Fur-real
BY CHERYL CONWAY STAFF WRITER
Anvi Luthra; Flanders, Mary Tessier; Budd Lake, Diana M. Gensthaler; Netcong, and Terri Laffan; Hackettstown.
BY ELSIE WALKER STAFF WRITER NETCONG - Many people wonder what the secret to living a long life is. Is it healthy eating? Is it exercising every day? At a Netcong Borough Town Council meeting, Betty Curnow, of Netcong, said her secret to a long life is “I mind my own business.” Curnow definitely knows something about living a long life. On June 3rd, she celebrated her 100th birthday. A lifelong member of the Stanhope United Methodist Church and longtime member of the Eastern Star (Musconetcong), Curnow marked her 100 years with celebrations and a proclamation from the Borough of Netcong and a Joint Resolution of the State of New Jersey Senate and General Assembly recognizing her 100 years. Curnow is a lifelong resident of Netcong. Her niece, Amanda Rush, of Netcong, shared that her aunt “was the youngest of six children ([the others being] Lester, Dorothy, Clarence, Jr., Lois, Marion) born to Clarence and Mary Eva McConnell O’Brien”. Rush also shared that her aunt met her future husband, the late William Curnow (of Mine Hill) while skating on Lake Mus-
conetcong. Curnow said she was married on July 19, 1943. The wedding was at the Stanhope Methodist Church (now the Stanhope United Methodist church). She and her late husband raised two sons: Donald and Gary. Also, Curnow is not the only one of the O’Brien children who hit 100. Her sister, the late Marion Rush, did as well. As for Curnow’s interests, one of them is being a fan of the daytime drama, The Young and the Restless. This year, that show is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Curnow has been watching it since it began. The church and her faith have always played an important part in Curnow’s life. Rush shared that her aunt “held various positions [at the Stanhope United Methodist Church]… communion steward, flower chairperson, member of the Pastor Parish Relations Committee….her most [important] longest contribution to the church was to the United Methodist Women (UMW) where she was the group’s treasurer.” Besides positions at the church, Curnow also helped in PLEASE SEERESIDENT TURNS 100, PAGE 2
MOUNT OLIVE - The Mt. Olive Trap-Neuter-Return program has been “furtunate” for the past 14 years with the number of cats it has saved, the feral cat colonies it has reduced and the number of volunteers who have helped along the way. But, the program is not “purrfect,” and is in need of more fosterers and volunteers to keep the program intact. “Even as our intake has gone down so much, we’re having more difficulty finding foster homes for the tame cats we do get,” says Michelle Lerner, founder and co-coordinator of MOTNR since 2005. “Many of our fosterers have moved away; others adopted their foster cats and stopped fostering.” COVID and low intake of cats discouraged volunteers too. “Some people stopped fostering during the pandemic due to not wanting potential adopters entering their homes,” says Lerner. “Conversely, people who wanted to foster all the time, rather than sporadically, started fostering for other groups, because our fostering needs have become intermittent due to our low intake.” While it is good that there are less cats who need homes, it has affected involvement. “This means that when we do need a foster home, usually on a sudden and urgent basis, we often don’t have one,” says Lerner. “Other groups were helping us out for a while, but they’ve had less capacity to do so lately.” History of MOTNR MOTNR has been in existence since 2009. “We came together as a
Winners From June’s “Find Moe Life Mascot” Contest
MOUNT OLIVE - The winners from June’s “Find Moe Life Mascot” are Anvi Luthra; Flanders, Mary Tessier; Budd
Lake, Diana M. Gensthaler; Netcong, and Terri Laffan; Hackettstown. Mr. Moe was hiding in the
following ads: Christmas Decor, Long Valley Pub, Crestview, Motion Kia, Jersey Girl and Berks.
Thanks to everyone who enter and congratulations to our winners!
Your Chance to Win a $25 Gift Card with the “Find Moe Life Mascot” Contest
MOUNT OLIVE - Check out our new mascot...Mr. Moe Life. Look for him in the ads in this issue and enter (no purchase necessary) to win a $25.00 gift card.
It is easy to enter. 4 Winners will be selected each month. Look through the paper and read the ads and look for Mr. Life in the ad. He will be located throughout
the paper in 6 random ads. Then go to www.mtolivelife.com scroll down and fill out the form to be entered. Winners will be notified and printed in the next issue.
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the number changes. “We’re aware that we can get a call about additional cats at any time, and since we’re full, it’s nerve-wracking not to know in advance that they’ll have somewhere to go after we get them vetted,” says Lerner. “The cats we need foster homes for are tame,” she adds. “Some are very friendly while others are skittish and need some time to adjust to being in a home again. Some are young, and some are elderly.” Bullwinkle is one of those cats. “He’s in a very temporary placement where he was able to decompress from living on the street and readjust to being a house cat,” describes Lerner. “He’s a gentle giant and still skittish, so he needs a quiet foster home where he can start out in a separate room and be given time to adjust, but once he gets to know you, he’s a cuddle bug.” The other two cats are tame young cats someone abandoned with a relative who can’t keep them, she says. As far as volunteers, MOTNR currently has 16 helping with different things. “Some are only available sporadically. Only a few foster. Others trap, transport, do pre and post operative care, post PLEASE SEE FOSTERS NEEDED, PAGE 6
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