Jersey City opens warming centers as temperatures drop
Mayor Steven Fulop and the Department of Health and Human Services remind residents that they can find shelter from the cold this weekend as temperatures drop into the teens and single digits by visiting one of the city’s two warming centers or two senior centers, as well libraries and senior lunch sites.
If you are homeless or know someone who is homeless and needs assistance, the number to call is 1-800-624-0287.
These facilities are available if you are suffering from the cold:
• The Mary McLeod Bethune Center, 140 MLK Drive, will be open Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• The Pershing Field Community Center, 201 Central Ave., will be open from 1 to 6 p.m. on Friday and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
• Two senior centers will be open Friday Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Joseph Connors Senior Center, 28 Paterson St.
• The Maureen Collier Senior Center, at 335 Bergen Avenue. (Friday will include senior lunch service).
In addition, the following locations will be open Friday for senior lunch from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please call in advance to see if the center is able to accommodate additional seniors.
• Boyd McGuiness, 2555 Kennedy Boulevard, (201) 706-4745
• Ocean Tower, 425 Ocean Ave., (201) 434-8691;
• Berry Gardens, 92 Danforth Ave., (201) 451-7955.
The Jersey City Public Libraries will be open to the public on the following schedule:
• Glenn D. Cunningham Branch, 275 MLK Drive, Mon. and Wed. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tues. and Thurs. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Five Corners Branch, 678 Newark Ave. Mon. and Wed. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tues. and Thurs. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Greenville Branch, 1841 Kennedy Blvd. Mon. and Wed. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tues. and Thurs. 9 a.m. to 8p.m.; and Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Heights Branch, 14 Zabriskie St. Mon. and Wed. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tues. and Thurs. 9 a.m. to 8p.m.; and Fri and Sat 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Miller Branch, 489 Bergen Ave. Mon. and Wed. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tues. and Thurs. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Pavonia Branch, 326 Eighth St. Mon. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tues. to Thurs. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fri. and Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Lafayette Branch, 307 Pacific Ave. Mon. to Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Marion Branch, 1017 West Side Ave. Mon. to Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• West Bergen Branch, 476 West Side Ave. Mon. to Sat. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The following locations are funded by the city:
• Garden State Episcopal Drop In Center, 514 Newark Ave (Hudson CASA Coordinated Entry program), 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.
• Hudson County Community Wellness Center/CSPNJ, 124 Claremont Ave., Monday through Wednesday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Saturday, noon to 7 p.m.
• Hudson Pride Connections Center, 32 Jones St., Monday and Wednesday noon to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, noon to 9 p.m.
The county’s Warming Center in Kearny provides overnight shelter for homeless individuals during the extreme winter months. This plan runs continuously through March 31, regardless of temperature. The homeless are picked up at two separate locations and provided with food, showers, and shelter at the facility. The pickup locations are:
• The Hoboken Shelter, 300 Bloomfield St. at 8:30 p.m.
• The Taxi Stand, Jersey City, on Sip Avenue at 10 p.m.
GSECDC’s team conducts outreach from 3 to 11 p.m. to inform the homeless of this and provide them bus service to the shelter. Anyone who notices a homeless person in the cold is asked to contact the police who can arrange transportation to one of the shelters.
On-line application process to open for youth summer employment
The Jersey City Summer Works initiative online application process for summer job opportunities within city departments and agencies will launch on Tuesday, Feb. 16. The initiative includes: City Youth Jobs, which offers a wide range of summer positions within the Recreation Department, Department of Public Works, the Jersey City Public Library, the Police and Fire Departments and many other city offices; and the Jersey City Summer Arts Program, which offers youth with demonstrated talent in visual arts the opportunity to apprentice with working artists to create public art.
Most JC Summer Works jobs will run for six weeks from early July to mid-August. Residents ages 15 to 24 can submit employment applications for City Youth Jobs beginning Tuesday through Friday, May 6.
Residents can submit applications for City Youth Jobs at http://jerseycitysummerworks.org/city-youth-jobs/ or for the Jersey City Summer Internship Program at http://jerseycitysummerworks.org/jersey-city-summer-internship-program/.
For more information, please visit www.jerseycitysummerworks.org.
The previously announced 2016 Jersey City Summer Internship (JCSI) Program is also part of JC Summer Works. JCSI is a competitive program that places eligible public school juniors in summer internships at leading firms and institutions and offers career enrichment. The JCSI application, which was released in January, is due on Monday, Feb. 29, and is also available at jerseycitysummerworks.org.
In addition to employment and internships, JC Summer Works includes the Saturday Jump Start program, a series of free enrichment, career guidance and certification workshops in partnership with higher education institutions and nonprofits. A full schedule for Saturday Jump Starts will be available this spring.
Information sessions about Jersey City Summer Works employment opportunities will be held at
local high school, youth-serving organizations and community centers in February and March. Schools, libraries and community groups will also make computer labs available for application submission.
Jersey City Medical Center holds blood drive
Jersey City Medical Center, a Barnabas Health facility, and The American Red Cross will sponsor a blood drive all day on Friday, Feb 19, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the donor bus parked in front of the hospital’s main entrance at 355 Grand St. in Jersey City. The blood drive is entitled “Circulate the Love,” to tie in with Valentine’s Day and Heart Awareness Month in February.
“During the winter months blood supplies are low, which is why we strongly encourage people to take a few minutes at this time to donate their blood,” said Mark Rabson, the hospital’s Director of Public Affairs. “This ensures that blood is on the shelf when needed – which can save someone’s life.”
Donors should bring photo identification with a signature and be in good health. It is recommended that donors eat before donating blood.
All donors will receive a free Red Cross t-shirt and donor’s parking will be validated. Appointments, which are preferred, can be made by signing up at redcrossbloood.org and entering code JCMC or calling 800 red-cross.
HCCC offers pharmacy technician course
Hudson County Community College offers a pharmacy technician course that will prepare students to work as a pharmacy technician in a retail pharmacy or other pharmacy setting, and to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s PTCB exam.
Course content includes pharmacy medical terminology, the history of pharmacy, the pharmacy practice in multiple environments, pharmacy calculations and measurements, reading and interpreting prescriptions, and defining drugs by generic and brand names. Through classroom lecture and hands on labs, students will review dosage calculations, drug classifications, the “top 200 drugs”, I.V. flow rates, sterile compounding, dose conversions, aseptic technique, the handling of sterile products, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), dispensing of prescriptions, inventory control, and billing and reimbursement.
Class will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from Feb. 23 to April 28 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuition is $1,299 and classes will be held at the Union City High School. Payment is due at time of registry, and can be paid via cash or check in person and via credit card online; grant funding may also be available. For more information contact the department of Community Education at (201) 360 – 4246,or CommunityEd@hccc.edu. If you would like to view more about the class, or other classes offered, visit http://www.hccc.edu/communityeducation/ to check out the catalog.