Historic cemetery to Celebrate Veterans Day, WWII heroes
The Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery will celebrate Veterans Day with an “Honor Our Heroes” tribute on Monday, Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. The event will take place at 435 Newark Ave.
The free event will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and students from the Learning Community Charter School will participate in the program by placing flags on the tombstones of Civil War vets. Refreshments will be served.
Stevens Cooperative to hold Open House
The Stevens Cooperative School will hold an open house at its Newport campus in Jersey City on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 100 River Drive at 8 a.m. The open house will be for families with students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Mason Civic League and local healthcare nonprofits to hold free health screenings
The Mason Civic League, in conjunction with Hudson County Health Services and Hoboken Family Planning, will hold a free health screening on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 654 Bergen Ave.
The health screenings – for blood pressure, glucose, and HIV – are open to everyone and will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Hoboken-based Mason Civic League is a nonprofit organization that assists residents and community groups, in addition to promoting health care, the arts, and educational programs.
Hudson County Health Services and Hoboken Family Planning are also nonprofits organizations based in Hoboken that provide a wide range of health services at three locations in Hudson County.
For more information on this program, call (201) 333-6884.
New dance classes coming to the Bethune Center
Beginning this week, the city will add two new dance classes to the roster of recreational programs being offered at the Bethune Family Life Center at 140 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. On Tuesday nights from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. there will be a salsa/Latin dance class offered and an African dance class taught on Thursday nights from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The salsa/Latin dance class will be taught by Edson Jeune, a professional American Rhythm and Latin Dance instructor at The Manhattan Ballroom Dance Center and past U.S Rising Star Competition Finalist. The African dance class will be taught by Yah’Ya Kanate, an instructor at the Alvin Ailey Extension.
Both classes, which are part of the administration’s ongoing expansion of culture, recreation, and community programming at the Bethune Center, are free and open to the public.
For more information, call (201) 547-4565.
West Side Community Alliance to hold annual meeting
The West Side Community Alliance will hold its annual meeting of West Side residents at the Hank Gallo Community Room Lincoln Park Administration Building, in Lincoln Park, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Among the agenda items to be discussed will be the possibility of starting a West Side Avenue Special Improvement District.
Mayor Steven Fulop, Ward B City Councilman Khemraj “Chico” Ramchal, Freeholder William O’Dea, and Public Safety Director James Shea are among the invited guests.
For more information, contact the West Side Community Alliance at (201) 737-7269 or visit us on Facebook.com/West Side Community Alliance, Jersey City.
Wine and cookies at Casa Colombo
On Sunday, Nov. 17, there will be a wine tasting and cookie-making workshop at Casa Colombo at 4 p.m. at 380 Monmouth St. The workshop will be led by Anthony Verdoni, known as “the wine professor” on “Eat! Drink! Italy!”
Admission is $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers.
For more information, visit www.casacolombo.org.
Activist collecting winter supplies for homeless
Activist and resident Riaz Wahid, a founding member of the Jersey City Homeless Advocacy Group, is collecting winter goods, personal hygiene, and toiletry items for the homeless people living around Journal Square. He is asking for donations of sleeping bags, hats, gloves, socks, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, lotion, lip balm, sanitary napkins and other items. Anyone who wants to donate items can contact him by phone at (201) 669 7608 or by e-mail, riazonroad@yahoo.com.
Journal Square area becomes target of focused TNR program for stray cats
Things are looking up for feral cats in Jersey City’s 07306 zip code, which covers the Journal Square and Marion neighborhoods. As anyone who lives there knows, this area is currently overrun with stray cats. Thus, the area has been selected as the focus of an effort to spay or neuter 250 homeless cats. The effort is a joint project between the Liberty Humane Society and Neighborhood Cats and was made possible with a grant from PetSmart Charities.
In the coming months, cats in the target area will be humanely trapped, spayed/neutered, and returned to their original locations. Spay/neuter services will be provided by the People for Animals clinic in Hillside, New Jersey. The cats will also be vaccinated against rabies and “ear tipped.”
During ear tipping, the point of a cat’s left ear is sliced away while the animal is under anesthesia. This lets animal advocates know the animal has already been spayed or neutered.
The whole process is known as “trap-neuter-return,” or TNR, and is the best way to gradually reduce the number of homeless cats while improving overall health and eliminating the mating behaviors that create public nuisances, like pungent tomcat spray and late-night caterwauling.
At present, the city’s 07306 zip code accounts for one of Liberty Humane Society’s highest intake rates of feral and stray cats, with 143 kittens and adults turned in over the past year. TNR for this targeted project will be concentrated in the area’s northeast section as far west as Tonnelle Avenue and with Lincoln Highway marking the southern border.
Residents in the target area can report the locations of unneutered colonies by contacting the Jersey City Feral Cat Hotline, (201) 351-7772 or by e-mailing info@neighborhoodcats.org. Community members can also receive training from Neighborhood Cats to become feral cat caretakers to make sure their colonies are properly fed and sheltered.
Anyone interested in adopting a kitten or friendly cat rescued from outdoors during the TNR project can contact Liberty Humane Society’s foster care program at volunteer@libertyhumane.org or 235 Jersey City Blvd.
Child advocate group holding informational session on Nov. 12
Are you interested in helping children in the foster care system? If so, Hudson County’s Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program is recruiting volunteers to advance the best interests of abused and neglected children.
An informational session, addressing the program and the role of its volunteers, will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 6 to 7 p.m. in Room 400 of the Hudson County Administration Building, 595 Newark Ave., Jersey City.
CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes. Its volunteers speak for children in court, serve as fact finders for judges, and safeguard children’s interests while they are in the foster care system.
Hudson County has nearly 700 children in foster care; most have been removed from their homes for abuse or neglect.
For more information, call (201) 795-9855, e-mail mgarcia@hudsoncountycasa.org or visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org.
Weichert Realty kicking off annual toy drive
The Weichert Family of Companies recently announced the start of the 35th Annual Weichert Toy Drive. Members of the community are invited to drop off new, unwrapped toys at the company’s sales offices through Dec. 13. The toys will be delivered to financially and physically struggling children through partnerships with various local charities.
“Every year I look forward to the Annual Weichert Toy Drive,” said Jim Weichert, president and founder of Weichert Realtors. “I’m proud to say that for the last 35 years we’ve had the unique privilege of making a special difference, and brightening the spirits of those less fortunate in this country. I invite you to join us in our efforts to give the greatest gift of all this holiday season: joy to the children and families who need it most.”
To date, Weichert has donated hundreds of thousands of items for underprivileged children in the communities Weichert serves. Last year more than 16,000 toys and over $4,000 in monetary donations were distributed to charitable and service organizations.
To make a donation, visit any Weichert Realtors sales office. To find your local office, please go to www.weichert.com/offices.