Free workshop offered for parents of autistic children
A free workshop, “Hidden Dangers – Keeping Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities Safe in the Community, School, and Home,” will be offered on Monday, Feb. 29, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bayonne Community Museum,
The museum is at 229 Broadway, corner of 9th Street.
The workshop has been organized by Elisha Demaria and the Parents of Autistic Children.
“The information in this workshop could save your child’s life,” Demaria said.
The workshop also offers 2.5 continuing education unit hours.
Visit www.poac.net to register.
Nature Club photography reception being held Sunday
The Jewish Community Center of Bayonne is hosting a photo exhibit presented by the Bayonne Nature Club; “Wings: An Exhibit of Photographs by Lois Adlin in her Memory,” with an opening reception on Sunday, Jan. 31, from 1 to 4 p.m.in the JCC Lobby Gallery, 1050 Kennedy Blvd. (between 44th and 45th streets).
Guests are invited to join an “indoor bird walk,” which will take place at 2 p.m. with bird expert and guest speaker Michael Britt.
The event is free and open to the public. It is family friendly and for all ages. The JCC is also wheelchair accessible.
The exhibit will be on display through March 10.
For more information, call Fine Art Director Erin Kachmar at (201) 436-6900.
Scholarship program offered to Harbor Pointe residents
Castle Lanterra Properties has launched an academic scholarship program to provide opportunities for its tenants at the company’s residential properties, announced Elie Rieder, founder and CEO of the New York-based real estate company.
The Castle Lanterra Properties Scholarship Program will be offered to residents of the 544-unit Harbor Pointe complex in Bayonne and other Castle Lanterra complexes.
Eligible Castle Lanterra tenants are high school seniors, graduates, and post-secondary undergraduates who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school for the entire 2016-2017 academic year. The company will award one $5,000 top scholarship and two additional $1,000 awards.
The program is designed to recognize students with strong academic performance who demonstrate leadership and participate in both school and community activities. Work experience, career and educational goals, and personal/family circumstances are also considered.
Those interested in applying should see the Harbor Pointe property manager. The program has an application deadline of March 1, 2016.
Freeholders approve $90,000 for ‘Grandmothers Program’
The Hudson County Board of Freeholders approved $90,000 on Jan. 14 for the “Grandmothers Program” of the Urban League of Hudson County.
This program will employ, train, and supervise eight senior citizens to serve as “grandmothers” for Hudson County children identified by the New Jersey Department of Children Services as at risk for secure foster care placement.
“These grandmothers will serve as role models to assist troubled families in the development of a nurturing home environment,” a spokesman said. “The ultimate goal is to stabilize home environments and reduce the number of children who enter foster care placement.”
The contract will be for the term of Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2016.
“The Hudson County Board of Freeholders is committed to providing the necessary resources to assist community based organizations which are working with New Jersey Department of Children Services to prevent at-risk juveniles of Hudson County from entering into foster care,” said Freeholder Chairman Tilo Rivas.
Menendez advocates addressing state foreclosure crisis
U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez on Jan. 19 held a roundtable discussion with a wide range of stakeholders in his Newark office to develop solutions to tackle New Jersey’s foreclosure crisis. New Jersey’s foreclosure rate outpaces every other state and is two and one half times the national rate. The Garden State also leads the nation in so-called “zombie” foreclosures, in which the mortgage servicer decides against completing the foreclosure process without notifying the homeowner, leaving long-vacated homes abandoned and the distressed homeowner on the hook for back taxes and fees.
“More than 35,000 New Jersey families faced foreclosure in 2015. These are real families that have lost jobs, seen their life savings pillaged by the economic crisis, and have been confronted with excruciatingly difficult choices about debt and their children’s futures,” said Sen. Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development. “And beyond the household itself, high volumes of foreclosures in a community can in short order lead to devastating impacts for the neighborhood at large, blight and crime weighing down the values of neighboring homes.”