Boys & Girls Clubs Launch Care Package Drive To Support Troops

UNION COUNTY—In an effort to help support our troops overseas, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County, which includes clubs in Roselle Park, Union, Elizabeth and Plainfield, are sponsoring a care package drive now through June 15.

All residents within Union County and surrounding towns are asked to support the drive by donating new items, which will be packaged and shipped along with letters to the soldiers through Operation Shoebox. This is a community service project led by the teens in Keystone & Torch Clubs, which teaches children ages 11-18 leadership and character development skills.

Items frequently requested by U.S. soldiers and marines include lip balm, sun block, moist wipes, bug spray, bars of soap, small bottles of shampoo, deodorant (non-aerosol), powdered drink mixes, cereal/snack/granola bars, instant oatmeal, boxes of hot chocolate that contain individual packets, small cans of tuna with pop tops, small cans of fruit with pop tops, microwave popcorn (individual bags), athletic socks, batteries (all sizes), gum, candy, small boxes of cereal and small bags of pretzels.

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Clark Residents Fight Cancer

CLARK—Cancer doesn’t sleep. And neither will the American Cancer Society until a cure is found.  Residents of Union County and surrounding communities are invited to celebrate the lives of local cancer survivors, and remember those lost to cancer at the upcoming Relay For Life of Clark at Arthur L. Johnson High School, 365 Westfield Avenue.

Coin Toss For A Cure – Students, faculty and staff at F.K. Hehnly Elementary School in Clark are gearing up for the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life. On May 1, students were asked to bring in their spare change to “Toss Your Coins For a Cure” and donated their coins to this fundraising event. Over $300 was raised in one day! All month, students will be donating their spare change to “Coins for a Cure.” The Relay for Life is being held in Clark on June 12 and Hehnly is motivating the entire school with various events throughout May including a Wear Purple Day, a Mini-Relay, and much more. Pictured above, Hehnly student Samantha Ianco and her mom Christina, who has been battling cancer for six years, look on during the coin toss. (Photo courtesy of Hehnly School)

Registration check-in opens on Friday, June 12, at 5 p.m. Opening ceremonies begin at 7 p.m. The event will continue throughout the night until the closing “Victory Lap” Saturday morning, June 13, at 8 a.m.

Relay For Life of Clark is not your typical fundraising walk. It is a unique opportunity for all in the community to make a serious difference in the fight against cancer, while having fun at the same time. Individuals and teams camp-out and picnic, while walking or running around a track “relay” style. Each team has a representative on the track at all times during the overnight event. Donations collected at Relay For Life of Clark support research, advocacy, and patient services in Union County.

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Volunteers Helped 1,700 Linden Residents With Taxes

LINDEN – Volunteers from the Department of Public Property and Community Services’ free income tax assistance program helped nearly 1,700 Linden residents to complete their federal and state income tax forms this year.

The volunteers reached approximately 100 homebound individuals, and provided assistance at Tremley Point Recreation Center and the John T. Gregorio Recreation Center.

The Department of Public Property and Community Services the following volunteers for devoting their time, energy and expertise:  Mike Sienicki, John Italia, Catherine Shaffer, Dick Campbell, Tillie Kolesar, Howard Horn, Barbara Slaughter, Bob Gibbons and Helen Karafa, Theresa Kloc, Richard Sczaro. These volunteers will be receiving certificates of on Senior Citizen Day in May.

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Exploring Career Choices

Exploring Career Choices—Dr. Peter Brody (right) of Murray Hill Veterinary Associates in New Providence, advises Elizabeth Bukiron, a junior at Benedictine Academy, on how to handle “Tate” during a checkup. Bukiron, an Elizabeth resident, was among 40 juniors from her school who participated in “B Week” April 20-24, enjoying off-campus job shadowing opportunities. Additional career options explored included: education, engineering/technology, fashion design, healthcare, law, law enforcement, medicine, and social services. (Photo courtesy of Benedictine Academy)

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Soehl Students Of The Month

Soehl Students Of The Month—Principal Diana Braisted (far right) recently honored Soehl Middle School’s April students of the month. Pictured left to right are sixth graders Yasmeen Bayoumi and Brett Musialowicz; seventh graders Travis Horsch and Melissa Nava and eighth graders Eric Gregorich and Sheldon Quinerly. (Photo courtesy Linden Public Schools)

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