A TRADITION OF HOPE

By Stefanie Sears

When author Louis Romano was 18 years old growing up in the Bronx, N.Y. during the Vietnam War, he wrote urban poetry, which he defines as free verse. These are some of his beloved original pieces.

Years later, at 58 years old and while living in Bergen County, he started writing fiction, and this is now his main focus. He aims to write a book a year. At 69 years old, he launched his 13th and 14th books, which he publishes through his publishing company, Vecchia Publishing Company. His book of short stories, “Before I Drop Dead (Some Things I Want To Tell You),” and “The Butcher of Punta Cana,” a continuation of his Gino Ranno mob series that originated with his debut novel “Fish Farm,” were both released on Aug. 15, 2020. [Editor’s Note: “Fish Farm” involves a clash between the Colombian drug lords and the Sicilian mafia. Lucho Gonzales, a drug dealer from Colombia with a penchant for sex and murder, has no friends – only the wild companionship of a few psychotic men who dare to do his dirty work, and a family too afraid of his temper to do anything else. When Gino and his onagain, off-again girlfriend Lisa cross paths with Lucho, they unwittingly upset the balance of crime. The result: kidnapping, rape and murder. The Colombians may be dangerous, but when it comes to family, the New York mob draws a line in the sand. Winner takes all.]

“I think as you mature you should get better. It’s like anything else you do. I think if you look at my first book and my last book, the style of writing gets better,” said Romano. “I got more into showing and telling. If you want to tell, write a textbook. If you want to show, write fiction or nonfiction. It’s an exercise I’m now pretty used to.”

Now “Besa,” the sequel to “Fish Farm,” will be getting a film adaptation.

Above: Louis Romano

Romano has other works in his repertoire. He created his crime novel series “Intercession” in 2012. It follows the adventures of recurring characters Detective Vic Gonnella and Raquel Ruiz. Also, to offset the severity of the mob and crime genres, Romano wrote the young adult novel “Zip Code.”

Prior to being a writer full-time, he was a salesman in the energy oil business and currently runs Hopewell Senior Care along with his son. He considers writing a way of reinventing himself and I do not miss adding some creative flair to his a day of writing. life. However, he doesn’t regret I don’t believe not being a professional writer that there is a from the beginning. thing called “It was the right time for me writer’s block – to start. I couldn’t do my job to me, that and concentrate on writing at doesn’t exist. the same time. I just couldn’t do it,” said Romano. “I always wanted to write a book about something. I always wanted to create something. I always thought in thoseterms. I had a creative mind in a non-creative world.

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Selling heating oil and diesel fuel, I didn’t find anything Finally, here are 13 simple guidelines to help you when you hit the running shoe store: to introduce the new ones and “take off and write creative about it. I think the writing world is a great the dialogue.” This is actually a common approach stage for people.” 1. Try on both shoes and walk and 5. Make sure the shoes flex atwriters take. the 10. The heel should fit snugly and

Romano’s writing process is very detailed. First is jog around the store. Climb stairs, if same place your foot flexes. shouldn’t rub or slip. “You know the story. Characters are together and the research. For example, he travelled to Sicily, Italy possible. they’re chatting with each other. They’re going towards for his piece “Carusi: The Shame of Sicily,” as a part of 6. Try shoes after a workout and 11. Try shoes on with the socks you let’s say a mob murder. They talk to themselves in mob his new Heritage Collection Series. His research takes 2.. Try on as many pairs as needed later in the day. This is when your run in. language. Then if there’s any love interests in the book, him a month, sometimes longer. Thereafter, his general to make a good comparison. Don’t foot is the biggest. that’s easy because you’ve been in love so the romantic goal is to write 1500 words a day. rush. 12. Sizes vary among shoe brands plot comes out in my writing. It just happens. It’s one of

“I do not miss a day of writing. I don’t believe that 7. Try shoes on standing up. Allow and styles. Chose shoes based on those things if you’re not a writer I don’t know if you can there is a thing called writer’s block –3.. Make sure the shoe is paddto me, that doesn’t ed a half-inch in front of your longest comfort, not the size printed inside. ever understand it,” said Romano. “That’s how I do it.” exist,” said Romano. “I start writing at different hours. where your foot needs it. toe. Romano appreciates the reactions he gets from [Before COVID-19,] I’d go to Sofia in Englewood. There’s his readers. 13. Ask questions. Make sure the a bar downstairs and I’d go with my laptop and write for 4. Check the quality of the shoes. 8. Don’t rely on a break in period. salesman is knowledgeable. If the “The most rewarding is positive reviews and readers hours. I may get there at 12 or 11 o’clock and write until Lay them on a flat surface and make Shoes should feel good on the day salesperson doesn’t know the anwho contact me to discuss chapters and characters,” 4. Write and then rewrite. Write and then rewrite.” sure they lay flat at the middle of the you by them. swers, find someone who does. he said. “It’s a blast. I enjoy meeting people and get-

Outlining is also important to him, but he never shoes. Check the quality of the eye- ting input on my writing. I’m successful if one person looks back at the outline until the end of the process, lets stitching, gluing and laces. 9. The key to finding the best shoelikes my book.” to make sure he covered everything. By 50 days, he is comfort, not price. However, he recognizes that he is also susceptible then has a manuscript. to criticism and that the possibility of one negative

According to his publisher, Romano has a real knack Dr. Michael Gross is the founder and director o section chief of sports medicine and the orthopedic f Active Orthopedic and Sports Medicine. He is the director of the Center for Sports Medicine at Hackfeedback in the midst of positives could stay in for introducing characters in a way that does not con-ensack University Medical Center. Dr. Gross has written numerous articles and book chapters on sports your mind. “You got to develop a thick skin. It’s a fuse his readers. Romano says that his characters tend injuries. He has taken care of some of Bergen County ’ s finest athletes – weekend athletes. Dr. Gross can be reached by email at drgross@activeorthopedic.com. different world.”■ warriors to professional

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THIS PLACE IS DIFFERENT

By Tara DeLorenzo

Looking to build connections and to help ease the burden for caretakers everywhere, Jessica Ippolito and Jessica Matfus, both working mothers of 2-year-olds, have developed an interactive and multi-disciplinary monthly box of activities for toddlers and preschoolers.

DRIVE is an activity box directed to toddlers and preschoolers that focuses on emergent literacy, math skills, fine and gross motor skills and sensory play with modifications available for children of an older age range. These 20 activities each month feature a thematic element, and for their premiere box, DRIVE celebrated with its “Under the Winter Sky” January collection.

The company and these collections of activities originally were inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, as Ippolito, a stylist at Mania Hair Studio in Park Ridge and a River Vale resident, had to go back to work after the quarantine was lifted.

“It was a real adjustment for me. I was a stay-at-home mom for those three months, and then I had to return to work. We just had a calm, relaxing three months. We didn’t go anywhere, we didn’t have to prep or plan and then things opened back up, and I went back to work, and life just came flooding back. I was overwhelmed. It was at this moment that the idea came to me. I wanted to prepare myself and help others in the same situation as well,” Ippolito, president and founder of DRIVE LLC, said. “I kept thinking I needed to prep activities a month in advance, so they were readily accessible when needed, then thought, ‘Oh wait, I need to do this for all the parents out there just like me who are struggling.’ The stars aligned, and I met Jess [Matfus], and she told me she was in early education previously; I knew she was the person I needed to do this with.”

Matfus, a working professional, co-founder of DRIVE and breast cancer survivor, has a background in early childhood education and once worked in New York City as a LEAD instructor for a program for 2-year-olds. When the pandemic began, she and her family had moved back to River Vale. There, while on a neighborhood drive, she met Ippolito outside in her yard, and the two became fast friends. Matfus was immediately on board when she heard the concept for DRIVE.

“[The quarantine] was just a really tough time,” she said. “I was just coming out of standardized care treatment, and it was a really hard transition for me because it was like, ‘Okay, you’re going through cancer treatment, and now you’re done, so good luck,’ and this

DRIVE Co-Founders Jessica Ippolito and Jessica Matfus developed an interactive and multi-disciplinary monthly box of activities for toddlers and preschoolers, DRIVE.

Olivia engages in one of the 20 activities featured in the thematic monthly box. Photos by Amelia Holowaty Krales – Instagram @holowatyrose; Twitter @holowaty From left, DRIVE Co-Founder Jessica Matfus, Olivia, River and DRIVE Co-Founder Jessica Ippolito.

came about at the time the pandemic hit, and I felt lost. To be able to connect with Jess [Ippolito] who had this vision, I really did feel something in my bones that this was going to be something special and really great. I was very excited to be a part of it and to feel that energy and willingness to help other people and develop a program was really exciting. There are so many things about DRIVE that sparks a lot of energy behind us. There’s something really special about the name itself to catapult us forward and provide for other families.”

The two began this venture at the end of September, as they sat down to figure out what toddlers and preschoolers really need and what activities would engage them while also focusing on emergent literacy, math skills, fine and gross motor skills and sensory play. They spoke about their own children – Ippolito’s 2-year-old Olivia and Matfus’ 2-year-old son River – and what they like to do and started developing activities.

The two also made sure to incorporate a theme to each collection and mapped out a calendar for what they wanted each month. For January, a favorite of the activities, they said, is the craft project for the toddlers to make their own penguin. And with that penguin, there’s also an alphabetized fishing game, where they can feed the penguin, making it not only an art project but an emergent literacy one as well. With the themes too, Ippolito and Matfus hope to see the learning extend into books being read or movies being watched, so the children are able to continue their learnings.

Their goal in all the activities though, in addition to educating toddlers, is to help take the stress and tension from parents, grandparents or any caretaker for young children.

“Every project won’t be one we fully created; there are thousands of resources out there for parents and teachers to find, and what we’re really trying to do is that legwork for parents, so they don’t have to do the planning and prepping. They can just focus on the actual engagement with their child,” Matfus said. “So, we’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re just making sure that wheel is driving a bit more smoothly to be able to make sure each child is getting a full engaging 20 activities a month.”

Ippolito concurred and added, “I think the hardest part is the planning and the prepping and trying to prep it when your crying toddler is hanging on you. You’re not engaged. We want to take that away so you can just take out a project and enjoy – enjoy being with your toddler. Those precious moments go so fast that if you can soak up a laugh or soak up hearing the ABCs for the first time, that’s the best gift out of all of this.”

The name DRIVE itself sparked not only their serendipitous meeting, but also from the idea of the caretaker being the driver – a caretaker looking to maximize their time with their toddler in a meaningful way – and the toddler being the little driver, being driven by their caretaker to slow down and grow with fun activities.

DRIVE seeks primarily to spark inspiration in its users. Their readymade art experiences are cost efficient, and with each month, a calendar is provided so that each day, people are ideally on the same project, allowing a connection between

users. At the end of the month though, a challenge is presented to help toddlers dive further into their own imagination.

“When you finally get to the bottom of the box, you have this empty box, and we want to drive their imagination,” Matfus explained. “We’re asking people to think about what they’ve learned. For example, with January’s theme of ‘Under the Winter Sky,’ with these activities and skills they’ve learned, what can they do with just this box? Can you make it into a sled; can you make it into an igloo? We just want to make these simple things ignite inspiration in their homes.”

Additionally, with their collections, DRIVE is looking to build a community, especially in this time of isolation. Their hope is, with the Facebook and online community, that parents can share their projects and have the toddlers feel a little more connected as they’ll all be doing the same projects at the same time.

“Community isn’t lost with DRIVE, and that’s something that’s really important to us because we were so disconnected for so long,” Matfus said.

Another essential element to DRIVE is giving back. While they one day hope to be able to donate a box for every box purchased, they’re currently partnering with Soul Ryeders, an organization committed to empowering and aiding those in the community affected by cancer. DRIVE will be donating a box to a parent of a young child so they’re able to have something ready while going through cancer treatments, something Matfus said she wished she had had during her own treatments.

Ippolito and Matfus both have high hopes and aspirations for their budding company, and with customers from New Jersey to California, they are excited to hear the feedback, not just from the parents but also from the toddlers as they experience these activities.

“We’ve been spending all this time together prepping and planning projects for upcoming months, and it’s awesome to see it growing,” Ippolito said. “I had this idea driving in the car and now it’s a business, so that’s really special to me. I [also] feel so lucky to have a best friend out of this now, and I feel all of that has been the best part. A lot of the activities you can do just once, but others you can go back to. Like the fish game, Olivia and I probably have played once a day for the last two months. It’s fun, and that’s what we really want these kids to get out of these activities. We want them to use them multiple times and come up with different things. And as a parent, seeing your child grow is so exciting, so if parents see that with their child, developing new skills, it will make them happy. I know from personal experience.”

With every collection, they hope to ease the stress of planning and prep for parents and caretakers in order for them to enjoy the journey with their children and be able to fully engage with their toddlers in meaningful and impactful ways.

“We just don’t want you to worry about anything,” Matfus said. “We want you to sit down, open this box and take a project out day-by-day, if you want to do it day-by-day, and just do something fun.”

More information can be found on DRIVE’s website www.drivesteertheplay.com and Instagram (@drive. steertheplay). Boxes can be purchased for $50 and include 20 multi-disciplinary activities. February’s theme will be “Love & Acceptance.” ■

It was 17 years ago when a quiet man in his 50s timidly entered the showroom of FTMobility, a Saddle Brook company that specializes in selling, renting and servicing wheelchair accessible vehicles.

His wife experienced a traumatic brain injury a little over a year prior, and he was new to navigating the rehabilitation process. Yet through all of the then-recent uncertainties and unimaginable life adaptations, he knew that he needed to buy a van functional for his wife.

With his single intent to find easier transportation to therapy sessions and doctor appointments, he maintained his reserved manner throughout the sales process and selected a custom Toyota Sienna that was modified with a power wheelchair conversion.

He came back two weeks later to pick up his license plates and registration, yet this time, his aura of apprehension vanished. An overwhelmingness of joy illuminated in his teary eyes, as he reminisced his wife and him traveling to their favorite restaurant over the weekend – a slice of normalcy he didn’t think would ever happen again. His vehicle purchase brought so much more than what he initially thought – it gave him and his wife hope.

This is the story that Nicole Bryson, CEO of FTMobility, has told numerous times to family, friends and employees of her first sale. This is the story that sparked Bryson’s passion of wanting to make a difference in people’s lives.

FTMobility has generated ease for thousands of individuals and families in need of wheelchair transportation, like that husband and wife, since its founding in 1975.

“I started working for the company, and I just was immediately intrigued by how life changing this type of service is when people are not able to do simple things like go get a gallon of milk or go to the post office,” said Bryson, who became the owner in 2018. “You see the world through the eyes of someone who uses a wheelchair, and how big of a deal it is to have the freedom of an accessible vehicle that they can actually do those small tasks.”

Regardless of disability or situation, Bryson emphasized that there’s no limitations for what FTMobility could “You see the world do in providing acthrough the eyes cessible solutions of someone who for people – the uses a wheelchair, essence of the busiand how big of a ness goes way bedeal it is to have yond trying to make the freedom of an a sale.“ It’s not what accessible vehicle we do, it’s why we that they can do it” is a motto actually do those engraved within the small tasks.” FTMobility team. The way that FTMobility assists is individual to everyone that comes in, Bryson explained. If somebody already owns a minivan, as long as it’s a newer model and meets certain criteria, then a wheelchair ramp conversion can be produced on the factory line.

However, it’s more common that people purchase from FTMobility’s inventory of new or pre-owned vans that are already equipped with a variety of ramp system styles to choose from. These vehicles were previously converted to be wheelchair accessible by a manufacturer and then distributed to dealers like FTMobility.

For vans either already purchased or bought through FTMobility, further modification can occur after it’s converted to fit each particular need. For example, if an individual only has full function of their upper body, the vehicle can be adapted for driving. The ramp will lead up to the driver’s position and equipment will allow that person to operate the vehicle with their hands.

Seeing the impact that these customizations have on people inspires Bryson to do all she can to touch even more lives for the rest of her life.

Bryson began her journey at FTMobility at a time where she was just looking for a job in 2003, unaware of the existence of modified vehicles. But she soon understood its profound effect and became more involved.

She was promoted from receptionist to salesperson to general manager – which she never envisioned – so she taught herself all that she could, even staying after work hours. She poured through the manuals and absorbed every detail about the mobility equipment, systems and conversions.

After 15 years, she became the owner after the previous one retired. But that didn’t come without its challenges. A main one was being a woman in a male-dominated industry.

“I had some employees that weren’t up to listening to a woman boss,” Bryson said. “If I told the customer that they had a certain mechanical issue with their conversion, a lot of times I wasn’t taken seriously because I was a woman relaying that information. It’s almost like they needed that to be validated by a man.”

Yet, Bryson said that she chose to look at her struggles and being underestimated, not as discouragements, but as a chance to diversify her profession.

Another hardship has been the COVID-19 pandemic, as FTMobility’s customers are at high risk of the virus and traveling less. This has caused devastation to the rental business and concern for the safety of the company’s mobility community. It was through these rough times that compelled Bryson to end the year with optimism for a better 2021.

Although FTMobility tries to donate a vehicle every year to someone in need, the company was able to donate a fully equipped 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan with a BraunAbility wheelchair conversion two days before this past Christmas.

The recipient of this gift was Cindi Albinder, a single mother from Mahwah, whose 8-year-old daughter, Bria, was born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Albinder, herself, is a bone cancer

Cindi Albinder and Bria with their new van from the vehicle donation event on Dec. 23. Photos by Danielle Podence.

survivor with an endoprosthetic limb from surgery. As her daughter, who is dependent on her wheelchair, continued to grow, it became too strenuous to lift her in and out of her previous 2012 Honda CR-V. Overwhelmed with medical bills, Albinder was unable to afford a wheelchair adaptable van.

The pandemic brought upon additional stress and desperation for Albinder, who persistently had to look for therapists to come to her home.

She, among others, was, then, referred to FTMobility by the Special Kids Fund, a nationwide foundation that donates wheelchair accessible vans, after Bryson reached out to a partner there for some applications of those in the Bergen County area.

Albinder was chosen.

“They called me and told me I won, and I was completely floored. Not having school and not getting her therapy is not good. She’s regressed,” Albinder said. “So, it was just nice to be able to know that this organization gave such a beautiful thing. They gave us the gift of freedom for Christmas, and, so in 2021, we’re going to be able to do a lot of a lot more things.”

Her new van includes a ramp that leads the wheelchair to the cleared middle aisle, where it’s held in place by four tie downs, Albinder said.

With 2021 here, Albinder is looking forward to taking her daughter to the swings at the park. Bria loves being outside, and the new van makes it possible to go places.

What FTMobility does opens the world up to people like Albinder and her daughter, and Albinder is grateful for the care that Bryson shows all.

“She has an innate sense of compassion for the disabled community. And I think that she tries to be a conduit to freedom for disabled people,” Albinder said. “My first impression of her was that she’s a beautiful person.”

For Bryson, she and her staff ensure that they are serving their customers to the fullest, whether it’s their 24-hour maintenance and service or just establishing a rapport.

Bryson said that she almost always hears back from her customers. Their situation may be profound in ways of medical bills, home adaptations or therapies, but their vehicle modifications bring a sense of independence to go to the beach, store or visit family that was unthinkable previously. One of the biggest aspects of FTMobility is serving the veterans of New Jersey.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t leave my store, thinking there’s just so much to be grateful for, even on the most difficult days,” Bryson said. “It’s so much more than a job or career, selling a vehicle. It’s so much bigger than that.”■