Weehawken tree lighting this Sunday evening
The Township of Weehawken will kick off the holiday season this Sunday evening at 7 p.m. when Mayor Richard Turner and members of the township council light the holiday tree outside Town Hall. All members of the public are invited to attend, enjoy the lighting ceremony, as well as caroling performances by Weehawken’s various school choirs. Town Hall is located at 400 Park Ave.
Hudson County CASA recruiting volunteers to advocate for foster children
Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), a non-profit organization that assigns volunteers to specific children in the Hudson County foster care system, announced is recruiting volunteers. Volunteers are critical to the organization’s work, which attempts to insure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them towards safe homes. Volunteers typically speak for children, serve as fact finders for judges who hear their cases, and safeguard the interests of foster children while they remain in the system, according to a press release.
There are nearly 700 children in Hudson County in foster care, most of who were removed from their home due to abuse or neglect, said the press release.
The organization will hold an information session for those interested in volunteering on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. in room 400 of the Hudson County Administration Building at 595 Newark Avenue in Jersey City. For further information, please contact Meghan Garcia at (201) 795-9855 or at mgarcia@hudsoncountycasa.org, or visit the organization’s website, www.hudsoncountycasa.org.
Sires requests additional hurricane relief money from President Obama
Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) signed a letter along with 44 other members of the House of Representatives last week, urging Pres. Barack Obama to provide additional funding for federal disaster assistance programs, as well as an extension of the 100 percent cost share of disaster assistance to states and local governments by the federal government. The letter was sent as a result of diminishing funds available in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Disaster Relief Fund.
“Hurricane Sandy took the lives of more than 100 Americans, destroyed homes and businesses, crippled infrastructure and devastated a large portion of the East Coast,” said Sires, in a press release. “We must rebuild our communities in the most efficient manner possible. We cannot wait years for the restoration to begin. It is imperative that more funding is readily available to local and state governments to cover the necessary costs for complete recovery.”
Specifically, Sires and his colleagues urged the Office of Management and Budget to submit an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2013 budget request, pursuant to the Budget Control Act, to provide emergency aid for federal disaster assistant programs. Additionally, it was requested that the administration extend current provisions for 100 percent reimbursement for a full 30 days after the disaster and expand these provisions to cover all direct federal assistance. The letter also advocated for the President to take into consideration the full scope of recovery assistance when preparing the Fiscal Year 2014 budget proposal.
“A full recovery will require disaster assistance programs through a number of agencies and departments across the entire federal government- not just FEMA,” said Sires in a press release. “In addition to providing increased and immediate monetary assistance now, it is critical that in preparation for the Fiscal Year 2014 budget, the President and Congress must factor in the financial resources that will be necessary to meet ongoing recovery needs.”
Hudson County Freeholders recognize November as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
The Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders announced this week that they officially recognized November as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. As with most forms of cancer, scientists have yet to discover a cure for the disease, and approximately 1,130 deaths will occur in New Jersey as a result of it in 2012.
In a press release, the board highlighted the work of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, a national patient advocacy organization that began serving the Hudson County community this year. The Network focuses its efforts on public policy, research funding, patient services, public awareness, and education related to developing effective treatments and a cure for the disease. According the press release, “the good health and well being of the people of Hudson County are enhanced as a direct result of increased awareness about pancreatic cancer and research into its early detection, causes and effective treatments.”