In the Vicinity

March Madness Fundraiser

Helping Hands of Chatham, a group comprising local residents raising funds to provide grocery gift cards to local families in need during the pandemic, is celebrating its 1-year anniversary this March with a March Madness fundraiser.

Participants are invited to purchase $15 raffle tickets for one of two instant wine fridge restock prizes valued at $265, which are being donated by Friends of the Candace Lane—Johnson Dr. Neighborhood of Chatham, NJ. The drawing will be held on St. Patrick’s day. Those interested in participating in the raffle can enter by making a $15 Venmo donation to @ JoannCarroll. Local businesses are also encouraged to donate gift cards for future raffles and can find details for doing so on the group’s Facebook Page.

Nominate Women of Berkeley Heights

The Berkeley Heights Diversity Council is seeking nominations for its “Women of the Week” (WOW) series to celebrate Women’s History Month in March. The public is invited to nominate women who live or work in town and are driving change, blazing trails and nurturing society, by sending an email to the BHDC at BHdiversity@ gmail.com. Women’s History Week was established in 1980 and became Women’s History Month in 1987.

Summit Seeks Hometown Heroes

Enrollment is open for Summit’s 4th Annual Hometown Heroes Program, where banners with names, images and dates of service of active military and veterans, will be displayed on Summit city streets from mid-May through mid-August. The program will include a total of 250 honorees. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis, with a deadline of March 31. Applicants must have lived or worked in Summit in the past or present. Eligibility includes those who have served in the Air Force, Marines, or Navy or are members of the Merchant Marine and Women Airforce Service Pilots in World War II. They may also be current or former volunteers in the Summit EMS, police Auxiliary or Volunteer Fire Division. More information is available on the cityofsummit.org website.

Millburn Chooses Bridge Year Program

In light of the pandemic, Millburn is taking advantage of the Bridge Year Pilot Program that was recently announced for all of NJ by the NJ Department of Education. It permits a fifth year of high school for students in the 2021 and 2022 high school graduating classes. Those enrolled are able to defer their graduation for one year, while participating in one more year of academic courses and extracurricular activities including Spring sports. This program enables students to take advantage of missed opportunities because of COVID. They are still able to participate in graduation ceremonies and walk with their classes, but their diploma is held until the fifth year is completed. While students remain enrolled at Millburn High School, they must take between 9-12 credits each semester that may be earned from a combination of MHS and the County College.

American Association of University Women Offers Grants

The AAUW Madison Branch is offering a Mature Woman Grant for women 25 and over to be used for education-related expenses incurred in pursuit of a degree or certification. Applicants must reside in Chatham, Chatham Township, East Hanover, Florham Park, Harding Township, Madison, Morristown, Morris Township, Morris Plains or Randolph Township. Applications are due by March 31, 2021 and can be downloaded on the group’s website at aauwmadisonnj.com. For details, send an email to aauwgrant@hotmail.com.

Free Audition Workshop Series

The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts will offer a series of Audition Workshops through April 30, including Do You Know Your Scales & Arpeggios?, Tips for Making a Great Audition Video, and New Jersey Youth Symphony Audition Preparation Excerpt Workshops. Instrumentalists entering grades 3-12 from anywhere in the world are invited to take advantage of this series of virtual workshops to hone skills and prepare for orchestral auditions.

Said Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Helen H. Cha-Pyo, “This has not been an easy season for our young musicians as they had to pivot to online lessons and rehearsals. These instrument-specific audition workshops will provide extra support to help them hone their basic skills and prepare for upcoming auditions.”

The Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts’ mission is to provide the highest quality performing arts education to a wide range of students in a supportive and inclusive environment, where striving for personal excellence inspires and connects those we teach to the communities we serve.

The Audition Workshop series is free and open to the public. To register to attend, visit WhartonArts.org. For New Jersey Youth Symphony 2021-22 season auditions, visit www.NJYS.org.

WHICH LOCAL RESTAURANT HAS THE BEST SPECIALTY BURGER?

Vicinity Magazine is proud to announce the first Specialty Burger Contest that will benefit the Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry. This is a fun way to promote local restaurants and give MCIFP the exposure they deserve as they help our neighbors in need.

Through March 10, local restaurants can enter by submitting a burger from their menu OR one can be created—but, the entrees MUST be SPECIAL. In order to qualify the burgers must be much more than a Big Mac. Rather they need to be unique creations that include special meats/proteins, buns, toppings, fillings and/or flavor profiles. Also the burger must be available to the public for purchase for 60 days from the start the contest which begins April 1st.

Each burger will be featured in Vicinity Magazine and online where residents can vote for their favorites. The burgers with the most votes will be awarded Gold, Silver, Bronze Medals and be featured in Vicinity Magazine.

All voters will be automatically entered to win 1 of 20 gift certificates to any of the competing restaurants. All voters will learn about the works of Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry and learn how they can help.

The contest is open to restaurants in the Vicinity Magazine footprint: Berkeley Heights, The Chathams, Florham Park, Gillette, Harding, Madison, Millburn, New Vernon, New Providence, Short Hills and Summit.

So if you have a favorite special burger from a local restaurant, tell them to enter it into the contest at: WinBestBurger.com!