Pacyna to replace Tagliareni on Bayonne Housing Authority
At its Aug. 14 meeting, the Bayonne City Council is expected to approve the appointment of Lou Pacyna to the Bayonne Housing Authority to fill the unexpired term of the late Joseph Tagliareni, and reappoint Rev. H. Gene Sykes to a five-year term expiring December 31, 2016. The appointments are made by the mayor and acknowledged in a public vote by the council.
The mayor also appointed Matthew Klimasky to the Bayonne Ethics Board to fill the unexpired term of Edward Gorski, who resigned. The term expires August 31, 2014.
Cunningham foundation helps local kids in college
The annual scholarship winners for the Sandra and Glenn D. Cunningham Foundation were announced in early August as students look forward to the fall school semester. A total of 15 students were selected as scholarship recipients for students heading to schools throughout the area such as St. Peter’s University and William Paterson College or as far away as West Virginia University and Howard University in Washington D.C. Of the group, eight new students were selected as scholarship winners while seven students were continued scholarship recipients.
“Each and every year we coordinate our efforts to ensure that the foundation lives up to its founding ideals of assisting students through scholarships to realize their dreams of higher education,” said foundation president and cofounder Sandra Cunningham.
As one of the founding principles of the foundation, scholarship recipients will be paired with a mentor who is a professional from various backgrounds in the community. These mentors will serve as role models for the students and also a sounding board for students needing guidance in these crucial phases of their lives. Each scholarship winner will receive a check for $1,500 to help defray the cost of tuition.
“This is why Glenn and I formed the foundation, to help those who need it most as they pursue a path to better their lives through education,” Cunningham said.
The new recipients are: Derrick James, Rider College; Ashley Harrison, NJCU; Cornelius Higgins, West Virginia University Institute of Technology; Naomi Lopez and Raquel Smith, both heading to William Paterson University; Renique Wallace, Kean University; Jasmine Rosario, LIM University; and Brianna Lawrence, St. Peter’s University.
Returning recipients are Danielle Jimenez, St. John’s University; Brian Villa, HCCC; Alexandria Henderson, Howard University; DeyshaBeals, Penn State; James Wright. Jr., Stockton State College; Jocelyn Lennon, William Paterson; and Melvin Badger, Montclair State.
NJ gets $2.1 million for homeless programs
U.S. Senator Robert Menendez in early August announced that New Jersey has been awarded $2,173,288 to support efforts to end homelessness in New Jersey through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care program.
According to the Corporation for Supportive Housing’s most recent data, there are an estimated 11,741 homeless men, women, and children across the state of New Jersey. These funds will help ensure local shelter and service programs can continue operating and prevent an interruption in services.
“These federal resources will help New Jersey’s organizations on the frontlines of ending homelessness ensure that housing and quality services are available for the men, women, and children that need them,” said Senator Menendez, chairman of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Housing. “Efforts to end homelessness in New Jersey have taken on an even greater urgency in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. More New Jerseyans than ever understand what it means to be without a home, and working to make sure individuals and families have roofs over their heads is an essential part of our Sandy recovery.”
Local groups include Garden State Episcopal Community Development Corporation of Jersey City which will receive $393,586 and the North Hudson Community Action Corporation, Rapid Rehousing, $550,000.