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Love story Lawrence author has had more than 20 romance novels published

By DaB AUBRey

Lawrence High School girls’ soccer player Amber Wooding keeps the ball away from opponents during a game this season against Ewing. (Photo by Todd Cloward, Toddc LLC.)

how far would Wooding goes from nervous you go if they were sick? freshman to stellar sophomore The sophomore collected two Wooding would not deny it. goals and an assist in leading “After scoring those two goals It was opening day for the Lawrence to a 4-2 victory, and my confidence went up a lot Lawrence High girls soccer the fuse was lit for a breakout going into the season,” she said. team, and the Cardinals were season. “I had a mentality to never give locked in a war at Hightstown. “I think that helped with her up, bring energy to the team to Amber Wooding, who was a shy confidence this year,” coach win as a whole and to always Welcome toago, Capital Health. freshman just one year was Emily Palombo said. “She just have that fearless look on your See WOODING, Page 5 ready to stand firm. elevated her game from there.” When someone you care about is sick, you’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they get the best care. And so do we.

By RiCH FisHeR

Lawrence-based writer Carrie Turansky has just released her latest of 20-some novels, The Legacy of Longdale Manor. Turansky was born and raised in Oregon but has lived in Lawrence with her husband, Scott, and their children for more than 30 years. The Legacy of Longdale Manor is described by publisher Bethany House as a story about two women—-a century apart—who embark on a journey to healing, faith, forgiveness and romance. Turansky began writing her novels in 2005 but had previously worked on short stories, essays, devotions and articles. She started writing shorter novels to break into the industry and has since been writing 60,000-word stories and has shifted from the contemporary romance genre to focus on historical fiction. Turansky prioritizes her research and takes time to compile the information she needs before creating a novel, and the process usually takes her about a year. As a result of her writing time table, her editor suggested

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that she move towards writing standalone novels instead of series. She spent a year in Kenya with her family, and due to frequent power outages, “there would be a lot of time to use your imagination or to read.” When she returned to America, Turansky missed Kenya, and decided that she wanted to write a book that would take place there. Turansky shared that she let the story “pour out” of her, and admitted that she was inexperienced writing fiction at the time. “All I knew is that I had a great imagination,” Turansky said. The first time she attended a writer’s conference, she saw a red slash across the copy of a chapter she had shared with an editor, and was told to work on her writing. The experience caused Turansky to temporarily doubt her abilities, until she started to learn more through creative writing books. Taking the time to focus on learning how to write creatively, she went on to join the American Christian Romance Writers, now the American Christian Fiction Writers, a professional organization dedicated to Christian fiction. Through ACFW, Turansky joined a critique group that consisted of five women. Together they shared their work and proSee TURANSKY, Page 4

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RWJUH Hamilton December Healthy Living / Community Education Programs PROTECTING YOURSELF FROM CYBER CRIMES Monday, Dec. 4; 10:00-12:00 p.m.

Cyber-crimes are more common than you might think. Join offi cers from the Hamilton Police Department and the US Secret Service to learn how to protect yourself from Cyber Scams. Light refreshments will be provided.

GOT STRESS?

Monday, Dec. 4; 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Support group about dealing with stress. When you experience stress, your body produces physical and mental responses. Gain valuable insight about how others deal with similar situations.

WHAT’S EATING YOU?

Wednesday, Dec. 6; 11:00-12:00 p.m.

A group for people experiencing emotional eating. Support is key. We offer a safe space to connect with others going through similar experiences.

COOKING WITH CARDIOLOGY Wednesday, Dec. 6; 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Worried about overindulging during the holiday season? Dr. Shakil Shaikh from Hamilton Cardiology Associates will guide you with heart healthy recipes and tips for eating healthy.

SELF-CARE FOR WOMEN Thursday, Dec. 7; 6:30-8:00 p.m.

This interactive session with Anjali Bhandarkar, MD will go through the importance of self-care prevention, vitamins, social networking for women.

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN – THE GIFT OF BEING PRESENT Thursday, Dec. 7; 5:00-6:00 p.m.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS: SENIORS SUPPORTING FAMILY MEMBERS & FRIENDS

FROSTED WONDERLAND

Tuesday, Dec. 12; 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 4; 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Healthy eating starts early! Empower kids with culinary skills and nutrition knowledge to become their healthiest selves! For children 5 years and older. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Fee: $5 per person. Taryn Krietzman, RDN

Family members and friends play a critical role in supporting loved ones who have a mental health condition, and the questions and concerns are typically the same. What to do? When to intervene? Where to go? How to help? This presentation is intended to help you better understand the issues you might face. This program will be led by Chelsea Kennedy, MAHS.

STRESS LESS: RESET YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM LETTING GO OF CLUTTER Monday, Dec. 11; 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Discover tools to help you move through your day with peace. You’ll find greater wellbeing and compassion, as well as the interplay between mental and physical wellbeing. Learn about your nervous system; how it influences your choices, habits and overall wellbeing; and tools to bring yourself into an optimal and relaxed state using something called Poly-Vegal Theory. Fee: $15 per person. Michelle Gerdes, YT200

HOW SMART ARE HEARING AIDS TODAY? Tuesday, Dec. 12; 10:00-11:00 a.m.

We discuss the remarkable features of today’s hearing aids. Bluetooth, AI, Rechargeable Batteries, Tinnitus Therapy and more! Join Dr. Lorraine Sgarlato to learn more about the latest in hearing aid technology!

Tuesday, Dec. 12; 1:30-2:30 p.m.

This support group explores how our emotional ties to our “stuff” can create clutter and affect our mood. An Oaks Integrated Care caregiver specialist will conduct these interactive groups on crucial topics and facilitate a supportive group experience.

MANAGING STRESS AND DIABETES Tuesday, Dec. 12; 3:00-4:00 p.m.

This support group is for people living with diabetes. Learn how to cope with stress and diabetes in a healthy way.

ORTHOPEDIC OPEN HOUSE Wednesday, Dec. 13; 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Discover the latest advances in knee and hip replacement surgery and rehabilitation. Presented by Michael Duch, MD board-certified orthopedic surgeon; Maureen Stevens, PT, DPT, GCS, Cert MDT; and Courtney Fluehr, PT DPT. Dinner is included.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX? **VIRTUAL**

WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION-DRUM CIRCLE

All things seasonal, all the time! Learn what wonderful fruits and vegetable are up to this time of year and how to make them shine! Taryn Krietzman, RDN

“Drum back the sun” on the longest night of the year. Celebrate with ritual, stories and of course, drumming. Drums and light snacks provided. Mauri Tyler, CTRS, CMP. Fee: $15

Thursday, Dec. 14; 12:00-1:00 p.m.

ASK THE DIETITIAN

Monday, Dec. 18; 3:00-6:00 p.m.

Do you have a question about diet and nutrition? Join our dietitian for a one-on-one Q&A. Registration is required. Taryn Krietzman, RDN

Wednesday, Dec. 20; 7:00-8:30 p.m.

DANCE IT OUT! WINTER BREAK EDITION Friday, Dec. 29; 11:00-12:00 p.m.

PREDIABETES CONNECT

After a holly, jolly season of indulging, join us for an hour of dancing. Bring your kids and grandkids during their winter break to get those sillies out.

Diagnosed with prediabetes? This group is for you to connect with others affected. Share and explore ways to improve lifestyle changes.

HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR AT RWJUH HAMILTON

Tuesday, Dec. 19; 11:00-12:00 p.m.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS

Wednesday, Dec. 20; 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Meditation has been shown to quiet your restless mind and help your entire body to relax. Come experience what all the buzz is about. Beginners welcome. Patti McDougall, BSN, Integrative Therapies Nurse.

ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT

Wednesday, Dec. 20; 6:00-7:00 p.m.

Support and information for family and friends of people with Alzheimer’s. An Oaks Integrated Care specialist will conduct these interactive groups on crucial topics and facilitate a supportive experience.

Wednesday, Dec. 6; 9:00-2:00 p.m.

Come out and shop from some amazing local crafters and small businesses while supporting a great cause! Located at the Roma Bank Café inside of the RWJ Hamilton Hospital.

*All programs require registration and are held at the RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center, 3100 Quakerbridge Rd., Hamilton, NJ, unless otherwise noted.

Better Health Programs/Complimentary Membership at 65+ Years Old YOGA CLASSES

Tuesday, Dec 5 and 19; 10:00-11:00 a.m.

MEDITATION CLASSES

Tuesday, Dec 5 and 19; 11:15-11:45 p.m.

LET’S TALK, A SENIOR SOCIAL GROUP

Wednesdays; Dec 6, 13, 20, and 27; 10:00-11:00 a.m.

GAME TIME

Thursday, Dec 7; 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Join us for game time, snacks and some wholesome fun. A variety of board games will be available or you are welcome to bring your own. Scan the QR code to register and become a member or call 609-584-5900 or email bhprogram@rwjbh.org to learn more.

*Registration and free Membership required to attend the Better Health Programs

“SOCRATES CAFÉ” DISCUSSION GROUP

Monday, Dec 11; 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Socrates Café is an opportunity for people to work together to seek a deeper meaning into a perplexing

2  Lawrence Gazette | December 2023

question, issue, or problems that demand our consideration. Questions are voted upon by the group.

BETTER HEALTH HOLIDAY PARTY

JEOPARDY! WITH DR. ALI

We all love the Holidays, but with them comes one of the busiest times of the year for all of us. You deserve a break to sit, eat and enjoy the most wonderful time of the year. The Better Health Program is proud to present our annual Holiday Party! With food and friends, come celebrate the holidays with your fellow members. Lunch will be provided.

Thursday, Dec.14; 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Put your medical knowledge to the test with Dr. Sara Ali. Join in the fun with your favorite geriatrician.

TAI CHI CLASSES

Thursdays, Dec. 14 and 28; 1:00-2:00 p.m.

CREATE YOUR OWN FESTIVE HOLIDAY CENTERPIECE

Friday, Dec. 15; 10:30-12:00 p.m. or 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Join Diane Grillo, VP of Health promotions, Yolanda Singer of Avalon Rehab and Antonia James of K’s Events and Decorations as we decorate with lives greens. Everyone will leave with a beautiful centerpiece they create.

Thursday, Dec. 21; 12:00-2:00 p.m.

PINOCHLE GROUP Coming in 2024

Interested in playing Pinochle? Email us at CommunityEdHAM@rwjbh.org and we will let you know when this new group gets started.

A MATTER OF BALANCE: A 4 WEEK SERIES PARTICIPANTS MUST ATTEND ALL 8 SESSIONS

Monday & Wednesday Jan. 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31; 1:00-2:30 p.m.

A Matter of Balance is designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase the activity levels of older adults who have this concern. The class utilizes a variety of activities to address physical, social, and cognitive factors affecting fear of falling and to learn fall prevention strategies. It was designed to benefit older adults who are concerned about falls, have sustained a fall in the past, restrict activities because of concerns about falling, are interested in improving flexibility, balance and strength, are age 60 or older, mobile and able to problem-solve. Linda Buckley, Nurse Educator will instruct.

Scan QR code to view, learn more & register on-line for the programs listed above. Or visit rwjbh.org/HamiltonPrograms Email CommunityEdHam@rwjbh.org or call 609-584-5900 to learn more

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TURANSKY continued from Page 1 vided feedback for each other. All women had not yet published their work, but would publish their works in the future. “I really recommend critique groups as a way to really polish your writing and to build friendships that are supportive and helpful,” she said. Turansky has been honored for her work with the following awards: the ACFW Carol Award, the Crystal Globe Award, and the International Digital Award. Here is a sampling of her new work, a novel about a young art appraiser’s unexpected journey to England, the past and a family secret: The lift door slid open, and Gwen Morris stepped into the third- floor offices of Hill and Morris, one of the most prestigious art and antique auction houses in London. She still felt a thrill each time she walked down the dark paneled hallway toward her new office and took in the beautiful paintings, jewelry, and antiques on display. The receptionist looked up as Gwen approached. The young woman’s eyes widened, and she quickly looked down at her desk and shuffled some papers. Gwen’s steps slowed. “Good morning, Mary Ann.” “Morning.” Mary Ann slowly lifted her eyes to meet Gwen’s. “Your grandfather — I mean, Mr. Morris — would like you to come to his office

right away.” stepped into her grandfather’s office, and A prickle of unease traveled through closed the door. Gwen, but she quickly dismissed it. He Her grandfather looked up, his gray eyes probably wanted to discuss some new cool and assessing. He sat behind his large acquisitions, or perhaps give her feedback wooden desk, with his back to the tall winon her first month as junior specialist for art dows behind him. Dark gray clouds draped history and antiques. the buildings on the opposite side of St. “Thank you.” She started down the hall James Street, and rivulets raced down the and glanced through Charlene’s open glass in a dizzy dance. The downpour outoffice doorway. As the older side seemed a perfect reflecwoman met her gaze, her tion of her grandfather’s expression hardened, and she shadowed expression. He turned toward the windows. nodded to the chair in front That was odd. Charlene usuof his desk. “Have a seat, ally offered a “Good mornGwen.” ing,” or at least a nod as Gwen A shiver raced down her passed. back as she lowered herself She continued down the into the chair. She should hall and received chilly looks ask what was wrong, but she from three other colleagues. couldn’t seem to force out the What was going on? Certainly, words. the weather was gloomy, and “We have a situation ... Turansky they all had a heavy worka very serious situation, I load, but she couldn’t imagine might add.” His gray eyewhy everyone seemed to be in such a dark brows drew down into a deep V. “One of mood this morning. the Impressionist paintings we auctioned She approached her grandfather’s outer last Saturday” — he glanced at his comoffice, and Mrs. Huntington, her grandfa- puter — “Avenue of the Allies, which you ther’s fi ftyish administrative assistant, lifted listed as a copy of Childe Hassam’s painther head, her face impassive. “Mr. Morris ing by the same name...” said you are to go right in.” Gwen nodded, remembering the paintGwen’s stomach tensed. This did not ing clearly. Hassam was an American bode well. She straightened her shoulders, Impressionist who painted in Britain and VISIT OUR SHOWROOMS

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France as well as the U.S. His work was copied by many artists in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He focused on her again. “It was an original.” A shock wave jolted Gwen, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “The buyer is thrilled to have purchased an original Hassam at one-tenth of its true value,” her grandfather continued. “But the seller, Ivan Saunders, is irate. He’s threatening a lawsuit and promising to spread the story of our incompetence far and wide.” She stared at her grandfather and tried to swallow, but her throat seemed blocked by a huge boulder. How could she have made such a terrible mistake? Her thoughts raced back to the last week of February, when she’d started in her new position. After one year as an intern, stepping into the role of junior specialist had been a huge transition. That same week, she’d gone through a painful breakup with her boyfriend, Oliver St. Charles. She’d lost hours of sleep over that heartache, and her mind had been in a fog. Was that why she’d failed to realize she was evaluating an original Hassam? “Well, Gwen, what do you have to say for yourself?” “The Legacy of Longdale Manor” by Carrie Turansky, 352 pages,$29.99 Hardback, $16.99 Paperback, Bethany House.

An award-winning publication of Community News Service, LLC. © Copyright 2023. All rights reserved. Trademark and U.S. Copyright Laws protect Community News Service LLC Publications. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission of the Publisher.

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WOODING continued from Page 1 back of the net.” face whether we are playing a good team Part of the problem last year was Woodor not.” ing’s tendency to endure a confidence hit It was a far cry from 2022, during which if things didn’t go right. Which is basiWooding was trying to find her place. cally an issue most freshmen face. “Freshman year for me was scary,” she “She’s so fast, she gets herself in open said. “I was very nervous and thought I spots but sometimes she’d maybe miss wasn’t gonna fit in. During the season I a breakaway and get down on herself,” wasn’t very talkative as I am now, because Palombo said. “But this season we saw a I was just always shy. I didn’t commu- lot of her mental game grow, and her abilnicate well and my head was in a lot of ity to stay calm and shake off what happlaces.” pened and just worry about the next play. With her head on straight and her focus Just keep working and know it’s gonna in the right spot, Wooding come. She also set teamblossomed this past fall. mates up more, which She led Lawrence with was nice to see as well.” With her head 12 goals and added four One thing that helped assists for a team-high 28 Amber was her friendon straight points. ship with classmate and her focus “Freshmen come in Becca Boggs, a fellow and they lack that expeforward/midfielder who in the right rience of what it’s like was second on the team spot, Wooding to play in the CVC and with seven goals and led it’s stressful and nerve way with nine assists. blossomed this the wracking,” Palombo The two have developed past fall. said. “When they come a potent chemistry. in as sophomores they “Playing with Becca know what to expect and helps me a lot,” Wooding I really think that helped said. “She’s my partner Amber this season. She in crime on and off the knew what to expect, she field. She assists half of was confident in her abilities. She knew my goals, she’s also the reason why I stay how to take people on and focused more positive in the game and I thank her for on finishing this season.” that.” It was something she almost had to do An all-around athlete who also plays if Lawrence was to continue its streak of basketball and runs track (100, 200 non-losing seasons, and Wooding’s effort meters) for the Cardinals, Wooding helped lead it to a 9-8 campaign. began playing soccer at age 6 – with a “I was happy with how much I group of boys. improved from last year when I only had “I told my parents I wanted to play socfive goals,” she said. “I honestly surprised cer but they didn’t see me playing any myself because going into the season we sports at the time,” she recalled. “I invited lost some seniors, which meant I had to my dad to a school picnic where he could step up into a goal-scoring role and I think watch me play. He saw how good I was for See WOODING, Page 6 I fulfilled that role by putting 12 in the

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WOODING continued from Page 5 my age at the time so he signed me up for rec soccer and moving forward over the years I’ve played on many club teams.” She began playing basketball in fi fth grade “and I became a huge fan of the sport.” Both she and Palombo feel that participating in multi-sports has been a great help in soccer. “A lot of what she does well translates because she takes some stuff from basketball, like using her body very well, and she’ll be able to turn people,” the coach said. “Her vision of the soccer field helps her in basketball and helps her defensively as well. And there’s her speed in track, which translates to the soccer field. She’s very fast, that helps her. She uses her body so well, and a lot of that comes from boxing out in basketball.” That actually leads to one of her greatest advantages. “Her strength is when she knows somebody’s gonna be on her back, she uses her body well to shield and then turn off of them and she finds herself in open space,” Palombo continued. “Sometimes she also knows where to be if someone is playing the ball baseline; and she’s been able to finish those goals. She works really hard. She wants to score, she wants to do well.” Wooding feels there are even more advantages to jumping from pitch to gym. “Basketball helps when you have to communicate with your teammates on the court and on the field; knowing where to be in your position is also important, and mentally keeping yourself in the game,” she said. “Basketball is definitely mental and has helped me during this soccer season to keep my head in the game.” When it comes to soccer, Wooding was a defender and winger “a long time ago, but overall scoring has been my thing. I

love the feeling of scoring.” Palombo has Amber mainly at forward but if the situation calls for it, she will move her to the wing to take advantage of her speed. “In the beginning of the season I started her on the outside,” the coach said. “When we started to have some injuries we needed to move things around so we put her at forward and she just found a lot of success up there as well. She was mainly a forward at the end of the year but we did start her on the outside at times. If the other team has us beat I may move her out there if we’re trying to exploit a certain side.” When it comes to scoring, Wooding definitely loves using that speed. “I like getting the ball played through the defenders or over the top for me to run on to get it and score or go one on one with a defender,” she said. “Doing this makes me use more of my speed and that gives me an advantage.” Wooding, Boggs and Caelyn LaFlamme are a sophomore nucleus that provides hope for the future, along with freshmen Ava Donnelly and Emma Skinner. “Just one year of experience makes such a difference,” Palombo said. “We had young players stepping up and some leadership that took the girls under their wings and made them feel comfortable and created a good environment to thrive in.” It is something that has Amber excited for the next two seasons. “From a team standpoint, I can definitely see a lot of positives because of the young talent we have performing well in their roles,” she said. “This is a huge plus going into the future because of how much potential and talent we have on this squad.” And Wooding’s talent will be right in the middle of it all.

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6  Lawrence Gazette | December 2023

Rainbow Girls mark 100 years of service By Joe Emanski

Young women looking for ways to volunteer their time for a good cause have a variety of options available to them these days. Among them is the International Order of the Rainbow For Girls, a youth group for girls ages 11-20. The order formed its first assembly in McAlester, Oklahoma, in 1922, and a first New Jersey assembly was held in 1923. This fall, New Jersey assemblies marked a century in existence with luncheons and service projects. Members of Trenton Assembly No. 9, which meets twice monthly in Mercer County, donated 100 purses to HomeFront for its service project. HomeFront pursues its mission of ending homelessness in New Jersey by providing shelter, meals and necessities for families in need. The 22 members collected 100 “gently used” pocketbooks and filled them with toiletries and other essentials for women before donating them to the nonprofit. “The Rainbow Girls are mostly a service organization, so we wanted to do something that was relevant to the community,” said Christine Storie, a Ewing resident who serves as mother advisor for the Trenton Assembly. “The young ladies, in combination with the parents and advisers who help us, collected items all year long to stuff in these bags.” Storie (who is also an account representative for Community News Service, the publisher of the Ewing Observer), said the assembly held a luncheon on Sept. 25 that both current members and alumnae of the assembly attended. “We had octogenarians through 10-year-

olds all sharing in the tradition,” Storie said. “It’s a sisterhood. It’s a community of ladies who go through the same set of traditions throughout the years.” Girls ages 5 through 10 are eligible to become Rainbow Girl pledges, while girls ages 11-20 are eligible to become Rainbow Girls. After the age of 20, many Rainbow Girls remain involved with their assemblies as advisers to the group. The order is affiliated with the Masonic Lodges, Order of the Eastern Star Chapters, and Courts of Amaranth. At the state (or country) level, the order is divided into grand assemblies; local assemblies are organized at the town level. There are eight local assemblies in New Jersey, including Trenton No. 9, which is based at the Masonic Lodge on Nottingham Way in Hamilton. The assembly’s stated goal is for Rainbow girls to learn about charity, hope and service through their involvement and support with various projects, benefiting such causes as Shriners Hospital for Children, Elizabeth H. Repka Charity Fund, Scottish Rite Learning Centers and the ARC of NJ. Today, The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls has assemblies in 47 states; only Delaware, Utah and Wyoming do not have grand assemblies. Addition ally, there are assemblies in nine other countries, including Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil and Japan. To be eligible to be a pledge or a Rainbow girl, a candidate must be unmarried and be either a friend of a Rainbow girl, the daughter or granddaughter of a Master Mason, or a member of the Eastern Star or Majority Rainbow Girl. A prospective member must also be recommended by two Rainbow girls and sponsored by an adult. Local assemblies See RAINBOW, Page 8

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RAINBOW continued from Page 7 are usually happy to help candidates obtain recommendations and sponsors. Christine’s daughter, Bella, now 20, first joined the Rainbow Girls when she was 12. Today, Christine serves as mother advisor, and Bella as grand worthy advisor for the New Jersey Grand Assembly, in addition to her duties as a member of the Trenton assembly. “We try to get out into the community,” Christine said. “We do membership tables at trade shows, at community events — the Hamilton National Night Out is a big opportunity for us. We do a lot by Facebook and word of mouth.” Storie says Rainbow girls get opportunities for leadership, service and public speaking experience. While faith in a supreme being is a listed requirement, she says that girls of any faith are welcome. Storie said the Trenton assembly has supported organizations such as Alex’s Lemonade Stand, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County and the Eastern Star Masonic Home. “The fun thing is that the young ladies pick the charities,” she said. “Every four months, we switch officers, and a different girl is the worthy advisor or the president. Every four months, they have an opportunity to change our charity and learn new things about the community.”

Most recently, the Trenton assembly was doing work to benefit the Foundation for Fighting Blindness. As is true for many of the groups affiliated with Masons or Shriners, the International Order of the Rainbow For Girls is steeped in organizational traditions. “We’ve been opening our meetings the same way for a hundred years,” Storie said. In a typical meeting, the assembly will give the Rainbow girls opportunities to stand up and talk about committees they’ve been working on. “It can range from a fun project they’ve been working on to a service project or fundraiser — anything from working on a scrapbook to learning how to talk about Rainbow in public,” Storie said. “All those things we try to encourage, and we let them learn from each other. We dont have a set curriculum. The younger girls learn front he older girls. It’s a fun process and really sweet to watch.” The Trenton assembly held a BowTique Yard Sale on Oct. 28 and a Candy Bar Bingo on Nov. 5. It will hold Breakfast With Santa, a benefit for Toys For Tots, on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 8 a.m. The location for all the events is the Masonic Lodge in Hamilton, 3682 Nottingham Way. More information is available on the web at njiorg.org and on Facebook at facebook. com/NewJerseyRainbow.

SIX09

Seasons Greetings

Special section starts on pg 8 thesix09.com DECEMBER 2023

ARTS > FOOD > CULTURE

Taste the Love

No matter how the cookie crumbles, Lawrenceville baker Arline Conigliaro, better known as “Aunt Cookie,”elevates classic recipes with modern flair. Page 2. Photo by Gale Zucker Photography.

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Arline Conigliaro, the retired school counselor behind “Aunt Cookie,” understands that good things come in “gifted” packages. When she launched her business, “Aunt Cookie, Taste the Love,” in August 2020, Conigliaro equipped the one-car garage of her Lawrenceville home with a doubledoor convection oven, a 20-quart mixer, and all the ingredients she needed to ship her small-batch products—baked fresh daily— across the country. A native of Rochester, New York, Conigliaro has lived almost exclusively in Lawrenceville since graduating from college. She was a school counselor for Ewing Township, working at both Fisher Middle School and Ewing High School before switching to the Moorestown School District, where she wrapped up her 26-year career in June 2019. But Conigliaro is no cookie-cutter retiree. In her transition from compassionate care to a cottage license, she established an online retail site, auntcookie.com, selling cookies by order in themed gift boxes.

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Arline Conigliaro, opposite page, runs “Aunt Cookie” from her Lawrenceville home, shipping products like the bestselling salted chocolate chunk cookies, left, and the raspberry shortbread “retro bars,” above right. Cookies are available for sale by the bag or in themed gift boxes, above left, that deliver a feeling of comfort to any doorstep the same day they leave the oven. feel the warmth of the holiday season, no matter what holiday you’re celebrating,” Conigliaro said. Aunt Cookie reimagines classic flavors utilizing higher-quality ingredients like Barry Callebaut Belgian chocolate to create a sentimental throwback for the taste buds with a newly tied bow. “Everything is done with my two hands, and the recipes have been created and changed up since the recipes from back

in the day,” she said, swapping the lard for butter—save for the ginger snaps and the granola bars, the latter of which uses coconut oil—for the finest, yet still reassuringly familiar, baked goods. Conigliaro said that her bestsellers are the salted chocolate chunk cookies made with both Belgian white and dark chocolate, the rainbow sprinkle-covered NYC confetti cookies, and the range of Italian biscottis.

Each order contains an approximately 1-pound bag of the chosen cookie for $24.95, with other varieties including oatmeal chocolate cherry cookies, lemon poppy seed shortbread, pecan sandies, powdered walnut shortbread, peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies, and gingersnaps that feature pieces of crystallized ginger scattered throughout. Aunt Cookie also goes beyond its namesake baked goods with a new collection

of “retro bars,” a nostalgic return to traditional treats more conscious of health and dietary restrictions. In tastes all evocative of the warm, fuzzy memories of youth, the line includes flourless chocolate brownies, blondies, raspberry shortbread bars, grain-free granola bars with dried sour cherries, and oatmeal caramel bars that play on the gooey layers

See AUNT COOKIE, Page 4

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YEARS YEARS YEARS

Conigliaro’s parents, Jean and Sheldon Phillips, with her grandmother, Sonia, center, who taught her the recipe for the mandel brot cookie with walnuts that she eventually turned into the biscotti loaded with toasted almonds, at right.

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AUNT COOKIE, From Page 2 of carmelitas. Conigliaro launched the retro bars in October to a positive reception, adding that the raspberry shortbread and flourless brownies became fast favorites. The retro bars are available in a 6-pack drawer box with the customer’s choice of flavors for $44.95 each. Auntie Cookie also sells themed gift boxes for occasions ranging from birthdays, bereavements, celebrations, expressions of gratitude, and care packages, each containing a selection of cookies paired with accompanying items. Commemorate those special days with balloons, blowers, and a birthday crown, or send condolences alongside packets of forget-me-not seeds that say “Forever in Our Hearts.” The goal, Conigliaro said, is to present someone with the “taste of love.” “It’s not just a box of cookies—it’s an experience. I try to create the wonder of first receiving the box, but also when you open the box, there’s real joy, and there are things to look forward to instead of just receiving a box of cookies,” she said. “In my age group, we don’t need another candle; we don’t need another basket of fruit. If you can get these cookies and put them in the freezer, or use them right away for company that’s coming over, or a college kid just dying for some homemade treats, it’s just an eclectic way to give some comfort to somebody.” The specialty boxes are available in three sizes: small, a choice of two cookie varieties, for $34.95; medium, a choice of four

cookie varieties, for $59.95; and large, a choice of eight cookie varieties and recommended for families, for $99.95. Options like the fall gift box include a cinnamon-scented candle, faux leaves, and Harney & Sons’ hot cinnamon spice tea, a deeply aromatic, rich blend of black tea leaves, three types of cinnamon, orange peel, and cloves known as “the brand’s most popular flavored tea worldwide.” The only price difference is for the holiday gift box, which comes with an assortment of Hammond’s Candies, a handmade cinnamon-scented candle, a holiday card, and seasonal cookie cutters with a choice of red-and-white or all-white packing confetti. This bundle also offers an incremental selection of cookies and related goodies at $39.95 for small, $69.95 for medium, and $119.95 for large. All Aunt Cookie orders can be customized with a handwritten message, combining the intimate, personal touches of the past with the professional standards of today, while the recently redesigned packaging is made from “earth-friendly” recyclable materials. For a full catalog of products, ingredients, and nutritional information, see the Aunt Cookie website at auntcookie.com. Conigliaro, née Phillips, grew up the second youngest of four sisters with her mother, Jean, and her father, Sheldon, an optical engineer. Sheldon worked for the Eastman Kodak Company, better known as Kodak, for more than 30 years. According to Conigliaro, when a new grant program promised to pay tuition for those who wanted to become teachers because of the shortage during the Viet-

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The lemon poppy seed cookies are a redux of a recipe from a close friend of Conigliaro’s mother and feature a light coating of lemon powdered sugar. nam War, Jean decided to go back to school full time to earn her master’s degree in education from SUNY Brockport. Having grown up around others who enjoyed preparing meals and desserts for their family, Arline began doing the same when she was just 12 years old. She had always observed her Russian grandmother Sonia, whom she referred to as “the matriarch of the family,” host Sunday night dinners and cook nearly every holiday until she was no longer able to. Watching as she ran the kitchen without recipes, simply relying on feeling and past experience, Conigliaro followed along, measuring ingredients and writing down each step. “I enjoy the word nurture. The word nurture—through food, through company, through environment, through any form of kindness—is just something that I really thrive on, so I think watching her enjoy feeding people was a big inspiration for me, and the joy that it brought,” she said. It should come as no surprise that to fully “taste the love” of Auntie Cookie, one should try the plain, toasted almond biscotti adapted from her grandmother’s recipe for mandelbrot, or mandel bread, a traditional Jewish cookie derived from the original Italian treat. Both are baked twice as a log, then cut into individually crunchy slices, perfect for dunking in tea or coffee. Although mandelbrot directly translates to “almond bread,” Conigliaro’s grandmother, who lived through the Great

Depression, used walnuts, which were less expensive at the time. “She used them very sparingly. I am a big personality, and I like things big, and I like things luscious and making a statement, so mine are just jam-packed with toasted almonds, then I did variations on it by adding toasted almonds and chocolate chunks, and then toasted almonds, chocolate chunks, and cherries.” “Last year, I came out with the double chocolate, so the dough is chocolate, as well as having the toasted almonds and the chocolate in the chocolate chunks and the dough,” Conigliaro added. Conigliaro also shared that the lemon poppy seed cookies follow a recipe from one of her mother’s friends, but with an added lemon powdered sugar coating. “The pecan sandies were supposed to be like drop cookies, and I made them more into a bar that I could slice and bake, just trying to streamline some of the waste as opposed to scooping everything,” she explained. “Aunt Cookie” comes from Conigliaro’s godchildren, who affectionately call her by the nickname when they visit and bake cookies together. Since the title “Aunt Cookie” was already in use, Conigliaro started her business under the full trademark “Aunt Cookie, Taste the Love,” yet she was able to secure the coveted auntcookie.com domain. Conigliaro studied to be a recreational

See AUNT COOKIE, Page 6

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Customers can purchase the popular rainbow sprinkle-covered NYC confetti cookies, near and lower right, in a palette of holiday hues palatable for any hungry Santa, as portrayed by former Moorestown teacher Chuck Gill, upper right. AUNT COOKIE, From Page 5 therapist at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, a co-op school where she worked at both the University of Washington Hospital’s spinal cord injury center in Seattle and for Eunice Kennedy Shriver at the Special Olympics main headquarters in Washington, D.C., to get an understanding of the occupation. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Conigliaro worked at the Carrier Foundation in Belle Mead, a behavioral health facility now known as the Carrier Clinic under Hackensack Meridian Health. But Conigliaro, in all of her spirited energy, still found herself fatigued. “I wanted to take all the patients home with me. At 22 years old, you think you can save the world, but you can’t. You can try, and I tried, and I just got a little burned out a little too quickly,” she said, acknowledging how this initial exhaustion led her to realize how important change is. “I’m of the belief that when you get burned out or you’re not happy at work anymore, it’s time to reinvent yourself and go do something else. Because life is too short,” Conigliaro explained. “You can’t be miserable.” While at the Carrier Foundation, Conigliaro had started a catering business on the side, High Expectations Catering, and continued to run the culinary operation after she left. She then designed community maps for cable television installations and sold subscriptions door-to-door. Conigliaro eventually returned to school for her teaching certificate from the Col-

lege of New Jersey and worked in a vocational school, where she taught students in a special education program about food and basic healthcare services. According to Conigliaro, the owners of the Princeton Charcuterie, a new gourmet deli and catering business on Nassau Street, then “approached” Conigliaro “to open, manage, and be the face of the establishment.” But a year and a half into a demanding 16-hour, seven-day-a-week schedule, she left in 1987 to manage a short-lived gourmet grocery store, Kaufelt’s Fancy Groceries, in the newly opened MarketFair shopping center on Route 1. She worked in the admissions department of a nearby technical school, the former Cittone Institute in Princeton, before continuing her studies at Rider University, where she earned a master’s degree in counseling services with a concentration in school counseling. Her mother started teaching kindergarten in Rochester, but when its principal switched to the suburban district where the Phillips family lived at the time, he invited Jean to join him there, where she taught fourth grade until retirement. Conigliaro explained that her mother’s actions not only encouraged her to see food as an expression of love, but also inspired her to embark on an educational journey of her own. Conigliaro expressed a similar sense of fulfillment in combining these interests, adding that a shared activity like baking can be a way to get younger children, “especially boys,” to open up. “You’re working side by side, and it

became a therapeutic environment in many ways,” Conigliaro said. Since not everyone responds to traditional methods, these creative “diversions,” or alternative methods, may just be the communication style that “helps heal the soul.” Conigliaro explained that she loves helping people and bringing positive changes to the world, which has likely been her “impetus” for every occupation along the way. This wide range of career choices, from cartography to catering, relates to her endless zeal for finding the joy in life—never one to dwell on a chapter that no longer serves her or fails to spark that same infectious joy she so easily passes on to others. But Conigliaro also gets her ambitious nature from various role models throughout her life, citing an “entrepreneurial” aunt with a similar disposition who had opened several stores of her own. PROVIDE ACCESS TO PROGRAMS THAT Conigliaro’s Polish grandfather ran a INSPIRE YOUTH TO STRIVE FOR GREAT dry-cleaning PROVIDE ACCESS TO PROGRAMS THAT and tailoring business in

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Rochester. After it burned down during the race riots, he continued to operate on a client-by-client basis. “I’ve always wanted to have my own successful business, and when you’re paying a mortgage, and you have responsibilities, it’s not necessarily the time,” she explained, noting that although she opened side ventures before her full-time professional commitment to the Princeton Charcuterie, “Aunt Cookie” was a perfect match in both timing and interest. Conigliaro said that although the pandemic was undoubtedly a major factor in shaping the early trajectory of her business, her shift to the modern cottage industry presented an even bigger opportunity for growth. Although “technology was my Achilles heel,” she said, Conigliaro was able to create a brand through connecting with others across the world—a web designer in Idaho, an artist in Texas, and another in Japan—

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6SIX09 | December 2023

Get up close with seasonal sweets like gingersnaps, peanut butter cookies, and a 6-pack of retro bars, which offer new versions of classic treats like flourless brownies and granola bars with healthier ingredients. and a treasured friend close to home. All of Conigliaro’s promotional images on the website were professionally shot by commercial photographer Gale Zucker, her best friend since 11 years old. Zucker has worked for entities like the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Penguin Random House, and the Berroco yarn company. For more from Zucker’s portfolio, see her website at gzucker.com. Arline’s husband is Sebastiano Conigliaro, better known by his nickname “Iano” (or “Uncle Pizza” to the godchildren), who moved from Sicily to America at the age of 21 and started making pizza. He owned Iano’s Rosticceria on 86 Nassau Street—now the location of MTea Sushi & Dessert, which opened this year—from 2005 to 2012. Arline noted that Iano could go out in Princeton and recognize people by their orders, complete with perfectly memorized preferences. While they no longer have the storefront, Iano remains his wife’s greatest advocate. When Arline realized how much physical strain the motions of cookie-making were putting on her shoulders and neck, Iano, with his over 30 years of pizza experience and ability to “scoop a 20-quart batch of dough in minutes,” stepped in to assist. “He’s just a huge source of help for me,” she said. “It’s just getting so big that I couldn’t do it all on my own.” Conigliaro is currently focused on the upcoming holidays, which includes planning social media promotions with her former colleague Chuck Gill, a Moorestown teacher who became a full-time professional Santa after retiring. She is still in the early stages of developing the next collection, and while she expects to expand to a larger location in the future, Conigliaro has no interest in open-

ing a brick-and-mortar store. Instead, she wants to focus on what Aunt Cookie means to her—delivering a sincere “warmth in the heart” sensation that encourages everyone to indulge in nostalgia and cultivate community. When schools closed at the beginning of the pandemic, Conigliaro explained, she went to her garage bakery and assembled “home economics boxes” for all the neighborhood children. Toting three pounds of sugar cookie dough, cookie cutters, five colors of sprinkles, parchment paper, and instructions, Conigliaro, joined by Iano and their new puppy, dropped off a package at each home with children and listed her own number as the “bakery hotline” for any questions. They also ordered a case of toilet paper— a hot commodity at the time—and distributed 48 rolls with invitations taped to each roll, all of which welcomed a household to the Conigliaro backyard for fresh, brick oven pizza. While the neighbors congregated around the back gate of the house at a safe distance and chatted, Arline delegated the orders to Iano, who churned out pie after pie. Both Conigliaros recognized that these much-needed moments of normalcy were forged through coming together, conveying that message through grand gestures and gregarious, warm personalities, as well as their respective trades in dough. “For me, it’s all about building community, and that’s why we do the things we do, so the cookies are part of that,” Arline said, adding that strengthening those relationships and sharing a mutual “sense of belonging” is what drives her. Food, according to Conigliaro, is the perfect way of doing so—a “united front.” Aunt Cookie, Taste the Love. auntcookie.com.

A Princeton Holiday Tradition!

PR I N C E TON SY M PH ON Y OR C H E ST R A R OSSE N MIL ANOV , MUS I C DI RE C TO R

2023-2024

Saturday, December 16 3PM and 6PM

Richardson Auditorium

John Devlin, conductor Morgan James, vocalist With The Princeton High School Choir Vincent Metallo, director GET TICKETS

princetonsymphony.org 609/497-0020 Dates, times, artists, and programs subject to change.

Accessibility: For information on available services, please contact ADA Coordinator Kitanya Khateri at least two weeks prior at (609) 905-0937.

December 2023 | SIX097

SEASON’s GREETINGs Special Section Hamilton Dental

Associates

Trenton Area Soup Kitchen

Don’t Let Your Annual Benefits Go to Waste!

Driving Hunger Out of Our Community: New TASK To-Go Truck Means More Access to Food More meals, more places. That’s the goal. A recent report indicates that nearly 17 million households across the country are experiencing food insecurity, an increase of nearly 3.5 million households in just one year. TASK has seen the impact firsthand. Already serving 10,000 meals per week, all of TASK’s 36 meal sites are reporting an increase in need, with some sites experiencing lines that stretch city blocks forming hours before the meals even begin. As a result, in early 2024, TASK will be launching mobile meals. This project will initially focus on serving the City of Trenton, where

8SIX09 | December 2023

27% of the population – including 37% of resident children – are living below the poverty line, a rate more than twice the State average. TASK’s mobile meal program, which will offer TASK’s signature freshly-prepared and balanced meals more accessibly than ever, is just the first step on the journey to help expand food resources in Trenton. TASK is committed to ensuring that every household will have reliable access to healthy, nutritious food. With your support, you can help TASK drive hunger out of Trenton. See ad, page 14.

Every year, thousands of people sit on their dental insurance and benefits until the new year rolls around, losing out on their past year of coverage. While some may use it to cover routine dental checkups, most pay for these yearly benefits without ever using them, leaving them unused and therefore going to waste. Instead of eating it as a sunk cost, consider scheduling some dental work with Hamilton Dental Associates! Dental insurance can be much less confusing for patients to understand compared to medical insurance. The language used in dental insurance policies directly tells people what procedures receive coverage, how much you have to pay, and how much the insurance provider pays. However, people wind up leaving money on the table when their insurance plan rolls over at the end of the year. Whatever the difference between their maximums and what they spent on dental procedures is, they lose that

money. To maximize the benefits of their dental insurance plans, patients need to understand what is currently offered, what kind of procedures are offered, and how much their insurance will cover. Knowing Your Coverage. Most dental insurance plans follow the 10080-50 structure. They will cover 100% of the costs of minor procedures such as bi-yearly visits, teeth cleanings, xrays, and dental sealant procedures. For things such as cavity fillings, root canals, and gum disease, your insurance will cover around 80% of the total cost after the deductible is met. The major procedures like crowns, bridges, inlays, or dentures will only have about 50% of the procedure covered. Knowing how much your insurance will cover helps you plan out your visits and maximize the money still left on your account before losing it at the end of the year. What If I Have an FSA Account? Flexible Spending Accounts, or FSA, are provided through employersponsored insurance plans and are designed to help provide flexibility in how you pay for specific procedures. During your enrollment period, you select which FSA account you want and determine how much money is

Aquatic Performance Training

Trenton Farmers Market

The Safest and Most Effective Exercise Program

Residents of the Trenton region have relied on the Trenton Farmers Market to provide locally grown Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables since 1939. Starting off along the river in South Trenton, the Market moved to 960 Spruce Street in Lawrence Township in 1948. We’re celebrating 75 years on Spruce St. this year! During the summer season, Trenton Farmers Market boasts half a dozen farmers from Mercer, Burlington and Atlantic Counties, many who are third generation family famers. The local season starts in April with cool weather crops like lettuce, arugula, asparagus, bok choy, leeks and spinach. May brings our famous local strawberries, kale, & leeks. June brings the first local blueberries, a brief cherry season, early beans, cabbage and carrots, and of course, sweet Jersey corn. That can only mean that Jersey tomatoes, peaches, nectarines and plums are coming in July! Local Jersey Fresh fruits and produce (including organics) will be available at Trenton Farmers Market now through November. We even have a mushroom farmer who brings both beautiful and flavorful mushrooms in many varieties. Local fruits and vegetables are just part of the story at the Trenton Farmers Market. The Market has worked very hard to change with the times and to bring vendors in who help make the Market a destination beyond the area’s best produce. The Trenton Farmers Market just wouldn’t be complete with our two Amish vendors, Cartlidge’s Meats, and King Foods. Fresh, top-quality meats and prepared foods with that homemade Amish country goodness are what brings so many people back week after week. Another top vendor is Pulaski Meats, the areas best connection for amazing luncheon meats, pierogies, and many other Polish and Eastern European specialties. If that isn’t tempting enough, consider the Market’s TWO vegan eateries — Lady & The Shallot and the Savory Leaf Café! Every Saturday the Market features Terra Momo Bread Company — baguettes, croissants, focaccia, simple sandwiches, whole grains, rye and sweet treats, too! Speaking of sweet, our own Pie’d Piper has its own following for overstuffed donuts, pies, cakes, salads and more, they are way more than a

Jersey fresh since 1939

Aquatic Performance Training was born out of necessity for anyone looking to improve their overall health but may be limited at a traditional gym due to an injury or physical limitation. The owner of Aquatic Performance, John Dohanic, was inspired to create the business after having four shoulder surgeries by the time he was 19 years old, including a shoulder replacement. Being active in sports and traditional workouts such as weight lifting and powerlifting all of his life contributed to the extensive injuries that John was experiencing that left him out of shape, gaining weight, and full of pain. Doctors told John to get in the water and he joined a local aqua aerobics program that included noodles, foam dumbbells, and kickboards. Although the water felt good on his injury, the program and the equipment were not effective enough to deliver the results John was looking for. He started doing extensive research and education on more specialized equipment for the pool and began investing in underwater bikes, aquatic treadmills, and strength training equipment for the pool that would deliver the results he was looking for. Aquatic Performance Training has been growing since 2010 and has helped more than 5,000 local clients accomplish their health goals. The

different programs offered at the new Quakerbridge Road facility are a wide range of high-energy group sessions that are led by amazing instructors. Aquatic and land-based personal training are geared towards individuals who need more one on one attention and accountability. You will find the world’s first all aquatic gym that includes aqua bikes, underwater treadmills, aquatic ellipticals, and swimming. Anti-gravity treadmills increase your cardio health and leg strength without the wear and tear of normal land treadmills. The mission of Aquatic Performance Training is to provide the safest, most effective exercise and soon to be aqua therapy company in the country. We look forward to the opportunity to help you with your goals very soon! More information: www.aquaticperformancetraining.com. See ad, page 12.

in that account. These pre-tax dollars come out of your paycheck over the year and are then used to help cover the cost of these procedures. The FSA plans work similarly to a debit card in that the money in the account can be withdrawn to cover the expenses. However, like other benefits, once the new year comes and the plan rolls over into 2021, you lose whatever balance is left on the FSA account. This is why you should take the time to plan out what dental procedures you need done throughout the year and do what you can to maximize the money in your FSA account. Where Do I Go From Here? That’s the most important question right now.

Since you only have a set amount of time left in the year to utilize your dental insurance benefits to their fullest, don’t wait! We can help you schedule your routine checkups, schedule any additional dental work you may need, and work with your insurance provider to figure out how much is covered and what you need to pay out of pocket. We’re an in-network option for various insurance plans and can work with plans that offer out-of-network benefits. Contact our team to learn more about how we can help today! Visit Hamilton Dental Associates today, and come see what all the smiles are about! See ad, page 12.

bakery. Nothing goes with great baked good like an awesome cup of locally roasted and ground coffee at Kafe Ojala or any one of hundreds of loose teas, matcha, bubble teas and fresh PMS 485 quiche at the Tea for All tea shop. What’s that irresistible smell? No matter where you enter the market, chances are you’ll notice the unmistakable smell of BBQ — beef, brisket, pork, chicken, beans, corn bread and more at Hambone Opera — praised by both the Food Network and the New York Times always pleases hungry shoppers. Great for take-home dinner or eat-in lunch! Since no one lives on food alone, the Trenton Farmers Market also features over a dozen artisan makers, creators and sellers who have been carefully curated for our shoppers. You will find handmade soaps, bath products and skin lotions, you will find our wildly popular Sea Moss vendor, textiles, woodcraft, jewelry, hand poured candles, oils and scents even a gluten free / vegan baker! And because we know pets are an important part of the family, the market has a dog treat “barkery” and vendor who sells anything you might need for your pet’s health and happiness. Need a watch or clock repaired? We have a guy. Need something from a variety store? We have a guy. We even have a smoke shop outside the market where you can try your luck at the lottery or stock up on smokes and supplies. Try the Lunchbox: a full-service lunch spot just outside the market offering sausage & peppers, burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches. Check out our holiday market through Christmas Eve and our artisans market starting in January! When was the last time you made a visit to the Trenton Farmers Market? Rediscover what thousands already know, that Jersey Fresh is ALWAYS in season at the Trenton Farmers Market. 960 Spruce Street, Lawrence. Hours: Thurs-Sat 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit www. thetrentonfarmersmarket.com, Like us on Facebook & Instagram. See ad, page 10.

December 2023 | SIX099

SEASON’s GREETINGs Special Section

Hamilton Y’s Summer Day Camp A Journey of Discovery and Fun The Hamilton Area YMCA’s Sawmill Summer Day Camp, nestled in the heart of Mercer County, is your child's gateway to an unforgettable summer experience. With 50 acres of sprawling outdoor space and the largest pool in Mercer County, this camp is a haven for fun, learning, and adventure. During five fun-filled days packed with excitement, campers are encouraged to find their spark, embrace a sense of wonder, forge new friendships, and embark on thrilling adventures. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE at Sawmill Summer Camp! Discover What Makes Sawmill Camp Special: Find Their Spark: Our camp is a nurturing ground where kids develop essential skills, grow in confidence, and form new friendships. As they engage in diverse activities, from outdoor play to learning to swim, they

gain valuable personal development skills. These experiences help shape their identity and passions, influencing their academic pursuits, relationships, and future career choices. Find Their Sense of Wonder: The great outdoors is a world of discovery at Sawmill Camp. We understand the importance of outdoor play. Our camp promotes active engagement with the environment and with their peers, fostering respect and consideration for the world around them. Camp provides kids the perfect opportunity to discover the outdoors and get their bodies and imaginations more active. Find Their Adventure: Every day at our camp is a new adventure, a chance for kids to stretch their imagination and embrace creativity without the fear of failure. This freedom allows them to explore and express themselves in ways they might not elsewhere. Find Their Friends and Fun: Sawmill Camp is more than a summer getaway; it's a social hub where lifelong friendships are formed. Here, children learn to collaborate, build relationships, and navigate conflicts, all while having the time of their lives.

A Summer of Enrichment: Recognizing the multifaceted benefits of camp, we've planned an exciting summer filled with theme weeks, special events, and new experiences. Campers will immerse themselves in a wide-range of activities, including arts and crafts, music, science, dance, sports, and swimming. Our highly trained counselors are committed to making your child's summer both safe and exhilarating. Children look at camp as a fun way to spend the summer in the sun and splashing in the pool, but parents understand that camp allows kids to

reap many life benefits that will follow them through their lives long after the sun has set on their summer camp days. Join Us for a Summer where ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. At Sawmill Summer Day Camp, we're dedicated to creating an environment where every child can find their adventure and fun. We invite you to be a part of our vibrant community this summer. For more information and to register, please visit hamiltonymca.org/camp. See ad, page 13.

THE TRENTON FARMERS MARKET Visit our Holiday and Makers Market THURS 11/30 9:00am thru SUN 12/24 2:00pm

VOTED#1 MARKET IN MERCER COUNTY HOLIDAY HOURS: THURS-SAT 9-6 SUNDAY 9-3 OPEN EVERY DAY 12/15 THROUGH 12/24 • JERSEY FRESH PRODUCE • BREADS & BAKED GOODS • AMISH MEATS • WATCH REPAIR • EASTERN EUROPEAN FAVORITES • LOTTERY/SMOKE SHOP • DELI • CLOTHING • BURGERS, FRIES, HOT DOGS, • JEWELRY, SKIN & HAIR CARE CHICKEN & MORE • COFFEE & TEA VENDORS • AMISH, BBQ, & VEGAN EATERIES

FARMERS ACCEPT ACEPTAMOS ROLNICY AKCEPTUJA *INDIVIDUAL FARM, VENDOR & MERCHANT HOURS VARY

960 SPRUCE STREET, LAWRENCE 609-695-2998 TheTrentonFarmersMarket.com 10SIX09 | December 2023

PMS 485

Rumble Boxing Knocks Out Princeton

revolves around authenticity and single, seamless class. Each a departure from the clichés often round symbolizes a distinct associated with group workouts. challenge, weaving together It champions the celebration of boxing-inspired movements individual uniqueness while fostering and targeted strength training a collective environment where exercises. From jab-cross everyone fights for shared fitness combinations to bodyweight goals. circuits, participants engage Rumble Boxing’s dedication to in a fusion of disciplines that authenticity doesn’t mean sacrificing elevate heart rates while style or grace. On the contrary, it sculpting and toning muscles, melds an edgy vibe with a touch of making each session a elegance, mirroring the multifaceted complete, full-body workout. nature of its workouts — raw, The inclusive nature of powerful, yet executed with finesse. Rumble Boxing’s community At Greenwood House Hospice, our families and caregivers The spirit of Rumble Boxing is evident in its diverse Princeton is LOVE echoed through the clientele.WE Novices and HOW MUCH CARE! AND YOU WILL, TOO. stories shared by its members. They seasoned athletes find celebrate their individual fitness their place within the gym’s journeys while acknowledging the welcoming embrace, fostering “I am and honored serve asand Greenwood House Hospice Medical collective support thatproud fuels their a senseto of belonging Directorof and alongside some of the best nurses, social workers, progress. This celebration unity to work encouragement. and individuality within a fitness and volunteers As RumbleinBoxing chaplains the business. Our team provides intimate community marks Rumble Boxing becomes a fixture in and comprehensive care for ourlandscape, terminally ill patients. We support not At Green as a standout in Princeton’s fitness Princeton’s fitness ring, embrace the challenge, and just those in their butmerge also the their families and loved ones.” scene. its final ability months to seamlessly LOVE emerge stronger, fitter, and more HOW At the core of Rumble’s appeal art of boxing with the science of empowered than ever before. lies its high-octane 10-round fight HIIT, MetCon, and cardio solidifies Rumble Boxing Princeton, “I am proud and concept. This distinctive approach its status as a revolutionary fitness 3495 Route 1, Suite 120B, Windsor – DAVID R. BARILE, MD Director and offers an authentic blend of Highdestination. With each round Green Shopping Center. 609-464chaplains a Medical Director, Greenwood House Hospice Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), symbolizing a step closer to personal 8722. www.rumbleboxinggym.com/ and compreh metabolic conditioning (MetCon), triumph, Rumble Boxing Princeton princeton. See ad, page 8. just those in and the full benefits of cardio in a beckons individuals to step into the

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A New Fitness Haven Lands in Town

If you’ve been in the Whole Foods complex recently, you’ve seen the new gym that’s opening soon. Rumble Boxing, renowned for its immersive workouts that seamlessly blend the sweet science of boxing with the transformative power of strength training, has expanded its domain, bringing its unique brand of fitness to the Mercer County area. Rumble Boxing has quickly become a buzzworthy destination for fitness enthusiasts seeking a thrilling, yet challenging, workout experience. What sets Rumble Boxing Princeton apart isn’t just its exceptional workout regimen; it’s the philosophy that underpins every jab, hook, and squat within its walls. Emphasizing the power of collective effort while celebrating individuality, Rumble Boxing curates an experience that’s group fitness for the individual. The ethos of Rumble Boxing

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At Greenwood House Hospice, our families and caregivers Hospice is about living the fullest possible according Our Hospice TeamWILL, consists of: LOVElife HOW MUCH WE CARE! AND YOU TOO. to a patient’s capabilities within a life-limiting condition. • Hospice Medical Director, In hospice, your choices guide the care we provide. a board-certified hospice physician “I am and honored to serve as Greenwood House Hospice Medical Hospice care affirms quality of life.proud Our goal is to • Registered Nurses (RNs) monitoring Directoranxiety and to work alongside some of the best nurses, social workers, prevent and relieve pain, discomfort, and fear. pain, managing symptoms and chaplains and volunteers in the business. Our team provides intimate guiding patient’s plan of care and comprehensive care for our terminally ill patients. We support not We provide emotional and spiritual support to patients • Hospice Home justisthose in theirwherever final months but also theirCertified families and lovedHealth ones.” and their loved ones. Hospice care provided Aides (CHHAs) providing personal a patient feels most comfortable or where they call patient care and companionship home. We help families and caregivers prepare for end–• DAVID R. BARILE, MD patients Social Workers supporting of-life challenges and find creative ways to share in life Medical Director, Greenwood House Hospice and families and connecting them review and legacy projects so that our patient’s wisdom with community resources and memories can be treasured for future generations.

• Spiritual Counselors providing emotional support and personal counseling Hospice is about living the fullest life possible according to•aBereavement patient’s capabilities within a offering life-limiting condition. Services In hospice, your choices guide the care we provide. guidance and education concerning Hospice care affirms quality of life. Our goal is to anticipatory griefdiscomfort, to families prevent and relieve pain, anxiety and fear. throughout care and bereavement We provide emotional and spiritual support to patients • Hospice withwherever and their loved Volunteers ones. Hospice assisting care is provided a patient feels most comfortable where they call a variety of patient andorfamily home. We help families and caregivers prepare for endpersonalized activities of-life challenges andsupport find creative ways to share in life review and legacy projects so that our patient’s wisdom and memories can be treasured for future generations.

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Greenwood House Hospice is a nonprofit, mission-based organization rooted in cherished Jewish traditions and an industry leader in providing high-quality senior health care in the state of New Jersey. Seniors of all faiths are welcome. Call us today: (609) 883-6026 Or email us at info@greenwoodhouse.org Call us today: (609) 883-6026

greenwoodhouse.org

Or email us at Hospice is about living the fullest life possible according Our Hospice Team consists of: to ainfo@greenwoodhouse.org patient’s capabilities within a life-limiting condition. • Hospice Medical Director,

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• Spiritual Counselors providing emotional support and personal counseling In hospice, your choices guide the care we provide. a board-certified hospice physician Hospice care affirms House quality ofis life. Our goal is to agency of • Bereavement Services offering Greenwood a beneficiary the Jewish Federation of Princeton, Mercer, Bucks. • Registered Nurses (RNs) monitoring prevent and relieve pain, discomfort, anxiety and fear. managing symptoms and *Greenwood House Hospice was establishedpain, in memory of Renee Denmarkguidance Punia.and education concerning anticipatory grief to families guiding patient’s plan of care We provide emotional and spiritual support to patients throughout care and bereavement • Hospice Certified Home Health and their loved ones. Hospice care is provided wherever • Hospice Volunteers assisting with Aides (CHHAs) providing personal a patient feels most comfortable or where they call a variety of patient and family patient care and companionship home. We help families and caregivers prepare for endpersonalized support activities • Social Workers supporting patients of-life challenges and find creative ways to share in life

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December 2023 | SIX0911

SEASON’s GREETINGs Special Section Greenwood House Senior Healthcare Serving the Aged Since 1939 Greenwood House Senior Healthcare, its campus located in Ewing Township, NJ, off I-295 at Scotch Road and Parkway Avenue, has been serving Mercer County and the local community with personalized quality care, through its comprehensive network of senior health care services since 1939. What historically started as a local Home for the Jewish Aged, today continues to operate as a nonprofit, nonsectarian, reputable senior healthcare organization offering a continuum of care including skilled nursing, rehabilitation, memory care, assisted living, home care, hospice care, and Kosher meals on wheels. Greenwood House provides care with a person-centered approach that greatly enhances well-being and an enriched daily life. The goal is to ensure each and every resident, patient, and client experiences quality care in an atmosphere that promotes not

only dignity and empathy, but embraces aging with quality, expertise, respect, and compassion. The care and services focus on social, emotional and spiritual support to create a resource unlike any other. Greenwood House Skilled Nursing Facility is CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid) 5-Star Quality Rated, and Greenwood House Home Care is a certified New Jersey CAHC (Commission on Accreditation for Home Care) accredited agency with “distinction.” Greenwood House Hospice is unique in the network as not only do we provide treatment and compassionate care to seniors and the elderly population, but any individual, all ages, who may be enduring a life ending disease or are terminally ill. The hospice team provides a highquality upscale program customized for each patient, and includes a support team there for the patient, family and their loved ones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. “Our team provides intimate and comprehensive care for our terminally ill patients wherever they call home. I am proud to work alongside some of the best hospice healthcare professionals in

THE GIFT OF A SMILE With the end of the year in sight, now is a great time to assess your family’s unmet dental needs. Consider your annual benefits that expire at the end the Contact us With the end of the year in sight,of now is year. a great to help you plan your time to assess your family’s unmet dental needs. New Year Consider your annual benefits that expire at smile! the

THE GIFT OFTHE A SMILE GIFT

the business,” says Dr. David Barile, Greenwood House Hospice Medical Director, board-certified in geriatrics and internal medicine. Greenwood House Senior Healthcare has on staff medical directors, board-certified in geriatric and internal medicine, an ancillary team of specialists consisting of a dentist, podiatrist, optometrists, audiologist, and psychologist, as well as nurse practitioners, a dietician, nutritionist, social workers, life enrichment and activities staff, spiritual counsel and 24/7 care team consisting of RNs, LPNs, CNAs (Certified Nursing Aide), dietary aides, housekeeping and maintenance.

“No matter what possible challenges face our team of professional experts in today’s world, our residents, patients and clients will have everything they personally need to keep them healthy, safe and secure, and in turn allowing their families & caretakers peace of mind their loved ones are being cared for by one of the best healthcare organizations in our area,” says Richard Goldstein, Executive Director, Greenwood House Senior Healthcare. To receive information email info@ greenwoodhouse.org, call 609-7180587 or read more and apply on the website at www.GreenwoodHouse. org. See ad, page 11.

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DECEMBER 2023

B I - M O N T H LY N E W S F R O M C A P I TA L H E A LT H

Capital Health First in Mercer County to Offer Minimally Invasive Procedure for Detecting and Removing Lung Cancer Nodules in One Visit Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, but getting diagnosed at the earliest stage significantly increases the likelihood of better outcomes. While early-stage diagnosis can be difficult, experts at Capital Health’s Lung Center of Excellence, part of Capital Health Cancer Center, now perform a minimally invasive procedure that uses the latest in robotic-assisted lung biopsy technology to detect and remove cancerous nodules in the same visit. Capital Health is the first hospital in Mercer County to offer this procedure. DR. DIANA KOLMAN, director of Interventional Pulmonology at Capital Health, is trained to use the minimally invasive Ion endoluminal system to obtain tissue samples that facilitate a fast and accurate early-stage lung cancer diagnosis. Ion is an advanced robotic-assisted platform that has greater flexibility and reach than previous systems, which allows physicians to navigate all parts of the lungs, including areas that were previously unreachable from this approach. Immediately after Dr. Kolman retrieves a tissue sample, a pathologist reviews the sample to determine if it is cancerous. If cancer is diagnosed, DR. AFRICA WALLACE, director of Thoracic Surgery at Capital Health, then performs a minimally invasive surgical lobectomy to remove the nodule, all while the patient is still under anesthesia. This eliminates the need to schedule a separate procedure to remove the nodule at a later date. “When a suspicious small mass or nodule is found on a patient’s lungs, referring physicians may recommend a lung biopsy to collect and analyze a lung tissue sample,” said Dr. Kolman. “With previous technology, our reach into the peripheral areas of the lungs was

limited, but the Ion system can be precisely placed to obtain a biopsy in all 18 sections of the lungs. This greatly improves our ability to detect lung cancer in its earliest stages when it is most treatable.” “Until very recently, patients had to schedule lung biopsies and surgical resections separately,” said Dr. Wallace. “For appropriate patients, the single-anesthesia approach we’re now offering at our Lung Center allows diagnosis and treatment to occur in one visit. In patients where a cancerous nodule is detected during biopsy, they can wake up after our combined efforts and be told that the nodule has already been removed from the lung instead of having to come back at a later date to go through another procedure.” Capital Health Cancer Center, located at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, is home to the Lung Center of Excellence as well as other centers of excellence specializing in breast care, liver health, neuro-oncology, pancreatic health, and robotic-assisted surgery. To learn more, visit capitalhealthcancer.org. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kolman, call 609.815.7390. For an appointment with Dr. Wallace, call 609.537.6000.

Health Headlines by Capital Health | Lawrence Gazette9

Understanding the Complexities of Concussions Concussion awareness, particularly in the sports world, has greatly improved in recent years. However, the permanent and catastrophic consequences caused by a concussion are now becoming more apparent in individuals who did not follow appropriate steps to prevent additional injuries before they fully recover. Because the signs and severity of concussion symptoms can be different from one person to the next, providing care requires a multilayered approach that matches each person’s specific challenges with the appropriate treatments and support. Capital Health offers a comprehensive Concussion Program as part of its Capital Institute for Neurosciences. DR. EMIL MATARESE, a board certified neurologist with experience in diagnosing and treating concussions, is director of the program. “With no outward physical signs of injury, people unfamiliar with concussions tend not to take them seriously,” said Dr. Matarese. “Any delay in addressing a concussion could extend the time it will take to recover.” “There is also a condition known as Second Impact Syndrome that can occur if a second concussion occurs before an individual fully recovers from their first concussion. This can trigger a serious sequence of events that can result in permanent and irreversible brain damage, most commonly intellectual impairment, or death. This complication can occur in young athletes whose brains have not fully matured, typically under the age of 23 years old.” “Our team of highly trained specialists provides comprehensive concussion care that takes into account the patient’s specific neurologic deficits that can include intellectual and academic performance, eye movement abnormalities, mood disorders, balance and impaired coordination.” Capital Health’s Concussion Program includes a highly trained neurologist, neuropsychologists, and specialized rehabilitation specialists in concussion therapy. The program also works with expert pediatric doctors and nurses in the Pediatric Emergency Department at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell. Dr. Matarese is also an active partner in community health, offering workshops and educational programs to help teachers, nurses, athletic trainers, and other school staff better understand and plan for a student who is recovering from a concussion.

WHAT IS A CONCUSSION? A concussion is a sudden jarring of the brain inside the skull that results in temporary loss of normal brain function. This movement can stretch the brain cells, causing microscopic swelling of the cells and chemical changes in the brain.

10Lawrence Gazette | Health Headlines by Capital Health

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS? There may be no physical signs of a brain injury, but it is necessary to restrict the individual from any activity until they are seen by a medical provider who specializes in evaluating and treating concussions. Look for any of the following symptoms (some may be immediate, others may occur hours or days after the initial injury):

… Temporary loss of consciousness … Headache

… Fatigue

… Memory loss/confusion/ difficulty concentrating … Slurred speech

… Sensitivity to light and noise … Interruption in sleep patterns … Mood swings

… Dizziness

… Depression/anxiety

… Ringing in the ears

… Personality changes

… Nausea/vomiting Visit capitalneuro.org to learn more about the Concussion Program at Capital Institute for Neurosciences. To make an appointment with Dr. Matarese, call 215.741.9555.

Capital Health Surgeon Becomes First Black Woman to Lead Regional Surgical Society DR. AFRICA WALLACE, director of Thoracic Surgery at Capital Health, was recently named the president of the Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society (ECTSS).Dr. Wallace is the first black female president for ECTSS and the first of any cardiothoracic surgery society. “The Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society works to advance the highest standards of excellence in patient care through education, research, and surgical training programs,” said Dr. Wallace. “I’m excited to lead an organization that aligns with my personal commitment to quality, diversity and inclusion in health care and Capital Health’s mission of improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves.” Thoracic surgery is used to treat diseased or injured organs in the chest. Dr. Wallace, a board certified thoracic surgeon, performs procedures at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell to treat cancer and other conditions, with a focus on minimally invasive techniques using video-assisted or robotic approaches. She is

part of Capital Health Surgical Group and Capital Health’s Robotic Center of Excellence, a team of experienced surgeons who provide a multidisciplinary suite of robotic-assisted procedures that meet the highest national quality standards. Dr. Wallace is also co-lead of Capital Health’s Lung Center of Excellence (part of Capital Health Cancer Center), which provides comprehensive care in the detection, evaluation, monitoring, and treatment of lung disease. Along with her new role as president of the ECTSS, Dr. Wallace serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work Force of the Society of Thoracic Surgery. She is a member of the Women in Thoracic Surgery and Association of Women Surgeons. Dr. Wallace’s current research interests include racial disparities in the surgical management of thoracic cancers and clinical outcomes as they pertain to minimally invasive approaches to pulmonary and esophageal surgery. For more information about Capital Health Surgical Group, visit capitalhealthsurgicalgroup.org. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Wallace, call 609.537.6000.

Capital Health Opens New Primary Care Location in Ewing Township If you live or work near Ewing Township, you may have noticed a new Capital Health building on Scotch Road. Whether you’re scheduling a wellness check-up or not feeling well, advanced medicine starts with your primary care provider. Capital Health Primary Care – Ewing, part of Capital Health Medical Group and a trusted provider of primary care for children and adults in Mercer County, New Jersey, is now located at 51 Scotch Road, Ewing, NJ 08628, just minutes away from the original Ewing location. Consolidating the physicians from two previous Ewing offices on Parkway Avenue and Parkside Avenue, the new 11,000-square-foot location offers patients medical care from the same board certified providers, including DRS. KASHIF ANWAR, SYLVIA BOLOCK, ROBERT HOGAN, DANIEL JASS, MERIAM KHAN, SHODHAN PATEL, and PAUL PIERROT. They are all available for appointments to provide check-ups, sick visits and preventive care for children and adults.

“Primary care providers are the first line of defense for maintaining good health, and it’s important for patients to find clinicians they can trust,” said Dr. Jerrold Gertzman, Chief Medical Officer – Medical Care for Capital Health Medical Group. “Our practices are built on that trust, and now our Ewing-based physicians are offering safe, convenient care in one brand new, state-of-the-art facility.” In addition to office visits, most of the physicians at Capital Health Primary Care – Ewing offer easy access to sick visits from the comfort of your home or on the go through the Capital Health Virtual Primary Care Program. Appointments for this service can be requested online (seven days a week, 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.) at capitalvirtualcare.org. They can also provide easy access to experienced specialists and surgeons when necessary and the most advanced care in the region at nearby Capital Health hospitals when it is needed most – virtually everything patients need to keep them on the path to better health. Office hours at the new Capital Health Primary Care – Ewing are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Thursday (10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.). To schedule an appointment, call 609.883.5454 or visit capitalhealth.org/ewing for more information.

Health Headlines by Capital Health | Lawrence Gazette11

FREE UPCOMING HEALTH EDUCATION EVENTS Register by calling 609.394.4153 or register online at capitalhealth.org/events and be sure to include your email address. Please register early. Zoom meeting details will be provided via email 2 – 3 days before the program date. Registration ends 24 hours before the program date.

The Knee: A to Z Wednesday, December 6, 2023 | 6 p.m. Location: Zoom Meeting The knee is one of the largest joints in the human body and one of the most complex. Learn more from an expert at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, DR. ARJUN SAXENA, a fellowship trained and board certified orthopaedic surgeon specializing in primary and revision hip and knee replacement/reconstruction and director of the Marjorie G. Ernest Center for Joint Replacement. Dr. Saxena will discuss the anatomy and physiology of the knee, common injuries, and the latest surgical techniques available.

Achieve More with a Healthy Pelvic Floor Thursday, December 7, 2023 | 6 p.m. Location: Zoom Meeting Are you experiencing pain in your pelvic area during sex, personal care, or urination/bowel movements? It’s time to advocate for yourself! Join Kathie Olson, nurse practitioner and program director for Capital Health’s Center for Incontinence and Pelvic Health, to learn strategies for living your life without pelvic pain. Kathie will be joined by Natalia Ochalski, a certified pelvic floor physical therapist, to discuss the benefits of pelvic floor physical therapy. All genders are welcome! 12Lawrence Gazette | Health Headlines by Capital Health

There’s a lot going on in Lawrence Township walking to and from school). Over the past formed to properly assess the roadway increased costs and utility impacts. Our Traffic Consultant wasn’t asked the subject of study to determine how it tion of traffic flow. The field observations, to provide an estimate, but our Municipal can be made safer. Route 206 is a State- existing traffic volumes and roadway char- Engineer believes the cost would be in owned road, which limits our ability to acteristics were compiled and executed in the $500,000 range for a signal at either address the issue on a local level. traffic signal warrant analysis worksheets location. Recently, our municipal engineer as set forth in the Manual on Uniform I plan to meet with officials from was able to advocate successfully to the Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Hopewell and Ewing to discuss plans if NJDOT for positive changes. It has agreed Highways, 2009 Edition Revisions 1, 2 & 3. our governing body is supportive. It is my to add a 4-inch wide stripe along the curb The MUTCD guidelines are published by recommendation, based on public safety line of Eggert Crossing Road at Route 206 the Federal Highway Administration. needs, that we aggressively pursue the and widen the sidewalk area to increase A traffic signal warrant analysis gen- traffic signal at Federal Point and seek the the buffer zone (motorists’ travel lane and erally involves the investigation of the cooperation and contribution of Hopewell the sidewalk). Additionally, we petitioned existing or proposed traffic conditions, and Ewing for this work. the N.J. DOT to create a 25 MPH school pedestrian characteristics, and geometric POST SCRIPT: At the council meeting, zone at the intersection in both directions alignment of a study location. The traf- the governing body supported the plan to along Route 206 to include flashing lights fic signal warrant investigation is com- install the light after reaching an agreeto warn of children in the area. In a let- prised of analyzing several factors related ment with the adjacent towns (Hopewell ter dated October 27, 2023, the N.J. DOT to the existing operation and safety of the and Ewing) on sharing costs. informed us that its Division of Traffic study location. The factors are utilized to Hero Park. If you drive by Hamnett Engineering will investigate the current determine if signalization will improve Park off Ohio Avenue, you see the active conditions to determine if the requested the traffic flow compared to unsignalized work being done to create our dog park, 25 MPH is warranted. I will report back conditions. which will include two dog-run areas once we receive their conclusions. The MUTCD outlines a total of nine and a walking path around the perimeter Federal City Road and Federal traffic signal warrant criteria, which are for pedestrians to use for exercise. We Point Warrant Analysis for traffic applied to determine if signalization is jus- expect the work to be completed in about a light. As you know, we have a 55+ commu- tifiable. The 105-page report essentially month. We need several months for grass nity located on Federal City Road known states the following: to grow within the areas before opening up as Traditions at Federal Point. This site • The intersections of Federal City Road for use. April 2024 is the target time frame borders Hopewell Township, which had with Bull Run Road and Federal Point Bou- for a more formal opening. approved a 300-unit housing development levard both meet the warrant for a traffic Colonial Lake Park. The walking known as Woodmont directly across the signal. path on the northern side of the lake has street from the entrance at Traditions. • While signals are recommended at been completed, which completes the loop With the approval of this large devel- both intersections, it would be most ben- around the lake. We have a Lake Manopment on the border of Hopewell, the eficial to Lawrence Residents to have a sig- agement Grant of $316,800 available for impact to traffic in the area is evident and nal at Federal Point Boulevard. hydro-raking, shoreline restoration, and the concerns of residents living nearby • A signal at only Federal Point Boule- asphalt removal of that portion of the Sheft were justified. Specifically, our Lawrence vard will provide minimal benefit to the property we acquired behind the bowling residents our currently experiencing dif- intersection of Bull Run Road. Similarly, a lane building. Our match to this grant is ficulty in safely exiting from their develop- signal at only Bull Run Road will provide $79,200. ment onto Federal City Road and Ewing minimal benefit to the intersection of FedEldridge Park. N.J. DOT presented and Lawrence residents near the inter- eral Point Boulevard. us with an opportunity to apply for the section of Bull Run Road and Federal City • There should be no issue with the funding of a local project involving pedesRoad have the same concerns. As a result, proximity of US Route 295. trian improvements. It is a pilot program officials from Hopewell, Lawrence, Ewing Widening for opposing left turn lanes to install porous pavers on a township and Mercer County met to determine would likely be recommended at Fed- site to showcase the product and other See NERWINSKI, Page 14 how best to address the issues with traf- eral Point Boulevard. This will result in fic lights at the forefront—first at Bull Run Road. Since we believed this light would not adequately address the specific needs of our residents, we undertook a warrant analysis study to determine whether a traffic light was justified at the entrance of Traditions. Before installing a traffic light, this Mercer County’s Oldest Waterproofing Contractor type of analysis is required by the NJDOT. Deal Directly with Owner/Operator We recently received the report from Email: paul@apennacchi.com • Web: www.APennacchi.com our traffic consultant, and I shared it with Contractor Lic. #13VH01138400 you yesterday by email. A summary of the report is as follows: The traffic signal warrant analysis is • All Phases of Waterproofing a comprehensive investigation of traffic • Foundation Restoration conditions and physical characteristics. 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KEVIN NERWINSKI several years, the intersection has been infrastructure design and smoother operaFROM THE MANAGER’S DESK

The following is an update that I gave to township council regarding various matters of concern to the township at its Nov. 9 meeting. I have asked the Gazette to run it in the interest of keeping our residents informed. Mike Rodgers retirement. Our Construction Official, Michael Rodgers, is scheduled to retire on November 30, 2023. Mike has served Lawrence Township since July 23, 2001. He became our construction official after Anthony Cermele’s retirement in July 2020. Mike has done a tremendous job, and I enjoyed working with him. I want to publicly thank him for his good work and wish him the best in his retirement. We have a succession plan, and an announcement will be made shortly concerning promoting a current staff member to the position of construction official. Keeping in line with the Construction Office, some of you may know that we have transitioned our permit process to an online portal (accessed through our township website) for residents and business owners working with the Construction Office for building inspections. The entire staff underwent extensive training over the past year. The system is by Mitchell-Humphrey and is called FastTrackGov. Its purpose is to make the permitting process more transparent and user-friendly. It allows applicants to view the progress of their permits and identifies whatever issues must be addressed. This system reduces phone calls to the office and provides immediate information to the end users – our residents and business owners. Recently, we included the ability to pay online with a credit card. Our inspectors were also provided with field handheld devices to input their findings, reduce paperwork, and streamline their process. Additionally, the plan is to transfer all available historical public documents (documents subject to OPRA) to reduce the staff hours necessary to respond to OPRA requests. Our Health Department has begun the training for a similar transition to streamline health inspections and better serve our residents and the business owners in our community. Safety concerns at the Route 206 and Eggert Crossing Road intersection. This intersection is rather busy during school hours with motor vehicle traffic and pedestrian traffic (mostly students

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December 2023 | Lawrence Gazette13

NERWINSKI continued from Page 13 park improvements. The project would be administered as a grant, but all aspects— design, construction, and inspection— would be funded by the state. We were identified as a possible recipient based on our reputation and ability to deliver funded projects. We identified Eldridge Park as an area that could be improved with a porous walking path around the park’s perimeter. It is envisioned as a gently curving path outside the drip line of the mature trees, constructed of porous materials to minimize stormwater impact. Our application includes a request for four designated parking spaces, including a handicapped accessible space at the existing depressed curb on Tulane Avenue and miscellaneous park improvements such as benches, trash receptacles, and additional landscaping. The cost estimated and applied for is $415,725. This project, if awarded, would complement the planned equipment upgrade through the N.J. DCA Local Recreation Grant of $65,000 we received and recently were approved to spend and will provide linkages between play areas. I believe it is critical for us as a municipal government to make sure that all areas of our community are meaningfully addressed for capital improvements – and our community parks are good means to improve the quality of life for the nearby residents. Lawrence Nature Center. We received grant funds for $88,000 for improvements to the exterior grounds of the Nature Center. For design work to create and install a more formal parking area, fix the patio on one side of the building, and install lighting to better improve accessibility to the building. We have begun the design work. We also have some funding designated in the capital fund to complete this work. In addition to the exterior work, we are exploring possibilities for a project that will include interior furnishings and lighting upgrades for potential displays and exhibits for the ground floor of the Nature Center and detached garage. Career firefighter hirings. We received the list of eligible firefighters from N.J. Civil Service. Those who were eligible were required to take the physical skills examination, and once that was completed, we received the final eligibility list. We then conducted six interviews for the three available positions. Offers of employment will be going out over the next couple of days. Report and recommendations for a new fire and EMS station. We received a grant from the N.J. Department of Community of Affairs for $725,000. The grant award aims to provide funding for engineering and architectural design, environ-

mental studies, and preparation of bid doc- these decisions, not let important projuments for a new centralized Emergency ects languish. We will rely on the objecManagement Operations Center. tive data related to our community and The township engaged Cotter Strate- our response record to fire calls, etc., the gies, LLC, a fire and emergency services advice and recommendations of highly consulting firm, for the first phase of the qualified professionals we retain to act process. Specifically, to study the existing in our best interests and in the interest fire stations and perform a need assess- of public safety, and our judgment on the ment to better understand what will be proper course of action to take. required for a new central station. This For whatever reason, people wrongfully determines the type and size of the facility believe that a decision is to be made soon we will need as a community for a central on these very serious community issues, fire/EMS and 911 facility. and that is simply not the case. The matWe do expect to receive the report in ter will be researched, studied, and investhe coming weeks. The preliminary con- tigated, and once all of the information is clusion is that the study team supports the compiled, the elected officials will decide construction of the new whether to move forward facility at the proposed - and will do so after publocation adjacent to the lic meetings and listening For 2023, we municipal building and to comments and opinhave applied that a central facility will ions from residents. provide important benCraft Cleaners and for over efits. Reducing the numPit Stop sites. 1840 ber of fire station houses Brunswick Ave. is pres$6,088,847 in will reduce duplication of a vacant and abangrants and have ently equipment and apparatus, doned lot along Brunsresulting in significant wick Avenue (across from been awarded cost savings for taxpayers. Burger King) that we $3,608,847 in Moreover, a new facilhave targeted to address ity will provide improved in some meaningful as it grant funds. facilities for the health languished for decades and safety of personnel, first as an abandoned integration of the EMS building that used to be and fire operations, further integration of the site of a local business known as Craft career and volunteer members as a part Cleaners, which was demolished through of a combination organization, co-loca- township efforts years ago. tion of the Office of Emergency ManageThe land is currently owned by a ment, the Emergency Operations Center, defunct LLC with unresponsive memthe local 911 emergency communications bers who acquired the property, I believe, center and potential other administrative through a sheriff sale but then realized its offices. potential for being contaminated, and the Once the report is received, it will be LLC simply ceased operating as a business shared with council and the community. I entity, leaving the land unattended and left will say this again publicly: I value the vol- to accumulate tax liens. unteer fire companies’ service to our comAs we began the process of actually munity in the past, the present, and for doing the work necessary to improve the the foreseeable future. I am committed to Brunswick Streetscape, a concept in existaking responsible action to support and tence for decades but not meaningfully improve the volunteer firefighter service acted upon, we identified this vacant site to our community. as an important piece to address. POST SCRIPT: At the meeting, a resiMuch like we have handled the Pit Stop dent stated during public participation that site, we applied for an N.J. EDA under the he felt we should be taking our time and HDSRF Program and received a grant for proceeding slowly. We are. But we must $132,845. The grant was to fund a Prelimibegin, and that is what we are doing. Put- nary Assessment and Site Investigation of ting our heads in the sand and hoping the property to determine the extent of the things improve is not a valid or responsible contamination and the need for remediation. plan. We identified that our community has Since receiving approval, we have a serious public safety issue, and we applied engaged Langan Environmental Group to for and received a grant for $725,000 to perform the assessment and site investigastudy the issue and provide our elected offi- tion. That work has started, and that procials with all of the information necessary cess will take time. Once it is completed, for them to make an appropriate decision we will better understand the remediaon behalf of the community—to answer the tion work necessary to get the property question of whether to build a central Fire/ “clean.” Once the NJDEP issues a No FurEMT facility and if the Municipal Campus is ther Action Letter, we hope to obtain title the appropriate place to do so. through foreclosure. However, in contrast We must begin the process to make to the “Pit Stop” application, the ultimate

14  Lawrence Gazette | December 2023

goal for the site is for redevelopment consistent with our overall goal of improving Brunswick Avenue as a pedestrianfriendly mixed-use area. The Preliminary Assessment and Site Investigation have been completed for the Pit Stop, and the final report has been submitted to the NJDEP for review. We await their response to pursue further grant funding for the remediation work. 2024 budget process. Department heads had submitted their budgets to our CFO, Peter Kiriakatis. Pete has provided me with a copy and has conducted his preliminary meeting with the department heads. We will then get together to begin the preparation of the recommended budget to present to the governing body. Once the new council members are sworn at reorganization, the governing body can work out the plan for the public budget process. Grant Game. Throughout my report, you have heard the word grants. We are committed to keeping our community vibrant and moving forward with improvements by funding these projects from grants. As I began as the municipal manager, it was readily apparent that we did not have a formal grant program with a designated and dedicated staff member to the point person. We made the decision to make our parttime municipal engineer, Brenda Kramer, full-time and have her take over as our designated grant person. She has done an amazing job, and we have improved our ability to identify grants, apply for them, and execute them when funds are received. It has also motivated our department heads to find grant opportunities to help realize their vision for the services they help provide to the community. For 2023, we have applied for over $6,088,847 in grants and have been awarded $3,608,847 in grant funds, with applications for over $2,934,732 and $675,867 already awarded for 2024. These funds allow us to improve upon our infrastructure when our finances would preclude us from doing so, and also reduce the amount we would need from our taxpayers by the amount we are rewarded. Millions of dollars each year. From the Rec Department. The Deck the Town Hall Tree Lighting and more, will be on Dec. 8, 6 p.m. The event will feature cookie decorating; reindeer food making; trackless train rides; mechanical reindeer (new this year); hot chocolate; cookies; holiday house decorating contest. From Dec. 1 to 14, houses around town compete for the title of the best-decorated holiday house and other categories. Jolly Trolley—Dec. 15. Drive around town in a Victorian-style trolley and enjoy the wonderfully decorated houses in Lawrence Township.

workers here and across America. To share your thanks or to support our Emergency Response Fund,

First, when and why see a geriatrician? visit rwjbh.org/heroes

And please, for them, stay home and safe.

completely complimentary Better Health important as we age. Cardiovascular Program where you can “Rediscover activities such as walking are a great way your body, mind, and spirit” through free to support your overall health, especially programming and activities. Attend Tai your heart health. Strength training, exercises done with weights, helps develop Chi and yoga, learn how to incorporate Seeand our ads inmuscle. The combination of healthy tasty food choices into your diet, maintain SIX09 section and strength and attend our medical cardiovascular pgsexercises 5 and 7will help you educational classes where Geriatrician Sara Ali, MD, an our physicians and experts maintain an active lifestyle. RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group provide guidance and I also recommended provider affiHeroes liated Robert Wood health education programs incorporating balance RWJ-104 Work with Here_4.313x11.25_HAM.indd 1 4/17/20 1:21 PM Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, an designed for those 65+ years training, such as yoga or RWJBarnabas Health facility, recommends Tai chi, into your weekly old,” shares Dr. Ali. patients 65+ see a geriatrician at least once. routine. By building better To become a Better As we age, our body functions Health member, call Health balance, you can reduce differently and a geriatrician is trained Connections at 609-584your risk for falls as you specifically in identifying and treating 5900. To find a local provider age. In addition to the many symptoms and illnesses specific to this near you, visit rwjbh.org/ physical health benefits to population. Geriatricians can either see medgroupprimarycare. exercise, daily movement is Dr. Sara Ali patients as their Primary Care Physician or also great for mental health. I Follow RWJUH Hamilton as a specialist working in tandem with their always suggest taking a walk on our social channels: existing physician. Facebook-@RWJ Hamilton; LinkedInor doing yoga with friends, loved ones, Dr. Ali shares her top three tips for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital or even a pet to make it more social and healthy aging so we can make the most of Hamilton; X-@RWJHamilton; and enjoyable. all our years. Instagram-RWJUH_Hamilton. 3. Take your medication as 1. Adopt a healthy diet as early as prescribed. No matter your age, it Coming up this month at possible and continue this as you age. is always recommended to take your Eating well is the best way to get important medication exactly as prescribed by your RWJU Hospital Hamilton nutrients, maintain heart health and provider. This is important because taking For more information, call (609) 584fuel your body. The key to eating well is medication infrequently or stopping 5900. To register for a program or for balanced meals that include protein, carbs, suddenly can negatively impact your schedule changes go to rwjbh.org/events. fruits and vegetables, and consuming the health. If you do have any concerns MONDAY, DECEMBER 4 appropriate number of calories. You can about a medication or dosage, ask your Protecting yourself from cybercrimes. Monspeak to your provider about what the pharmacist or provider. Even if you don’t day, Dec. 4; 10 a.m.-Noon. Cyber-crimes are right number of calories are for you and have questions, bring a list of all current more common than you might think. Join your specific health needs or goals. When medications, including any vitamins oﬀicers from the Hamilton Police Departwe are eating well we will often have more and supplements, to every doctor’s ment and the US Secret Service to learn how to protect yourself from Cyber Scams. energy and have an overall sense of being appointment. And, never stop taking any Light refreshments will be served. healthy. medication unless instructed to do so by 2. Maintain a regular exercise your provider. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6 routine. While regular exercise is And last, I invite those in our local Cooking with cardiology. 6-7:30 p.m. Worried about overindulging during the holiday searecommended at any age, it is especially communities to take advantage of our

Ask The Doctor

son? Dr. Shakil Shaikh from Hamilton Cardiology Associates will guide you with heart healthy recipes and tips for eating healthy.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7

Kids in the kitchen – the gift of being present. 5-6 p.m. Healthy eating starts early! Empower kids with culinary skills and nutrition knowledge to become their healthiest selves! For children 5 years and older. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Fee: $5 per person. Taryn Krietzman, RDN.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12

How smart are hearing aids today? 10-11 a.m. We discuss the remarkable features of today’s hearing aids. Bluetooth technology, Artificial Intelligence, Rechargeable Batteries, Tinnitus Therapy and more! Join Dr. Lorraine Sgarlato to learn more about the latest in hearing aid technology! Mental health matters: seniors supporting family members & friends. Family members and friends play a critical role in supporting loved ones who have a mental health condition, and the questions and concerns are typically the same. What to do? When to intervene? Where to go? How to help? This presentation is intended to help you better understand the issues you might face. This program will be led by Chelsea Kennedy, MAHS.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13

Orthopedic open house. 6-7:30 p.m. Discover the latest advances in knee and hip replacement surgery and rehabilitation. Presented by Michael Duch, MD board-certified orthopedic surgeon; Maureen Stevens, PT, DPT, GCS, Cert MDT; and Courtney Fluehr, PT DPT. Dinner is included.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14

What’s in the box? **virtual** Noon-1 p.m. All things seasonal, all the time! Learn what wonderful fruits and vegetable are up to this time of year and how to make them shine! Taryn Krietzman, RDN. Jeopardy! With Dr. Sara Ali. 1-2 p.m. Put your medical knowledge to the test with Dr. Sara Ali. Join in the fun with your favorite geriatrician.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19

use it or

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Prediabetes connect group. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. Diagnosed with prediabetes? This group is for you to connect with others aﬀected. Share and explore ways to improve lifestyle changes.

Have you taken full advantage of your HealtH care benefits in 2023? 2024 is fast approaching, and now is the time to take advantage of your met deductibles, health care insurance benefits, and other health savings before the end of the year!

MONDAY, JANUARY 8

Looking for more local news? Visit our website communitynews.org to get updates about your community all month long

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A matter of balance: a 4 week series. (Participants must attend all 8 session). Also Jan. 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29, 31. 1-2:30 p.m. A Matter of Balance is designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase the activity levels of older adults who have this concern. The class utilizes a variety of activities to address physical, social, and cognitive factors aﬀecting fear of falling and to learn fall prevention strategies. It was designed to benefit older adults who are concerned about falls, have sustained a fall in the past, restrict activities because of concerns about falling, are interested in improving flexibility, balance and strength, are age 60 or older, mobile and able to problem-solve. Linda Buckley, Nurse Educator will instruct.

December 2023 | Lawrence Gazette15

Jan: 2, 16, 30 Jul: 2, 16, 30 Jan: 6, 15, 29 Jul: 1, 15, 29 Jan: 9, 23 Jul: 9, 23 Aug: 13, 27 Feb: 12, 26 Aug: 12, 26 Feb: 6, 20 Aug: 6, 20 Feb: 13, 27 Mar: 12, 26 Sep: 10, 24 Sep: 7, 16, 30 Mar: 11, 25 Sep: 9, 23 Sep: 3, 17 Mar: 5, 19 Oct: 8, 22 Oct: 7, 21 Apr: 2, 16, 30 Oct: 1, 15, 29 Apr: 9, 23 Apr: 8, 22 Apr: 1, 15, 29 Oct: 14, 28 Nov: 5, 19 May: 1, 15, 29 Nov: 12, 26 May: 7, 21 May: 6, 20 Nov: 4, 18 May: 13 Nov: 11, 25 Jun: 4, 18 Dec: 3, 17, 31 Dec: 2, 16, 30 Jun: 11, 25 Jun: 3, 17 Jun: 1, 10, 24 Dec: 9, 23 Dec: 10, 24

Jan: 8, 22 Feb: 5, 19 Mar: 4, 18

Jul: 8, 22 Aug: 5, 19

Jan: 3, 17, 31 Feb: 14,28 Mar: 13, 27

Jul: 3, 17, 31 Aug: 14, 28

Apr: 10, 24 May: 8, 22 Jun: 5, 19,

Sep: 11, 25 Oct: 9, 23 Nov: 6, 20 Dec: 4, 18

Jan: 11, 25 Jul: 11, 25 Jan: 4, 18 Jan: 10, 24 Jul: 6, 18 Jul: 10, 24 Feb: 8, 22 Aug: 8, 22 Feb: 1, 15, 29 Aug: 1, 15, 29 Feb: 7, 21 Aug: 7, 21 Sep: 5, 19 Sep: 4, 18 Mar: 14, 28 Sep: 12, 26 Mar: 7, 21 Mar: 6, 20 Oct: 3, 17, 31 Oct: 2, 16, 30 Apr: 11, 25 Apr: 3, 17 Oct: 10, 24 Apr: 4, 18 May: 2, 16, 30 Nov: 14, 30 May: 1, 15, 29 Nov: 13, 27 May: 9, 23 Nov: 7, 21 Jun: 13, 27 Dec: 12, 26 Jun: 12, 26 Dec: 5, 19 Dec: 11, 28 Jun: 6, 20

Jan: 12, 26 Jul: 12, 26 Feb: 9, 23 Aug: 9, 23 Sep: 6, 20 Mar: 8, 22 Apr: 5, 19 Oct: 4, 18 May: 3, 17, 31 Nov: 1, 15, 29 Jun: 14, 28 Dec: 13,27

MUNICIPAL RECYCLING AND PUBLIC WORKS: Ewing / 882-3382 Hamilton / 890-3560 Hopewell Boro / 466-0168 Hopewell Twp / 537-0250 Lawrence Twp / 587-1894

Pennington Boro / 737-9440 Princeton / 688-2566 Trenton / 989-3151 West Windsor / 799-8370

East Windsor, Hightstown, Robbinsville: Call your Recycling /Public Works Office for your recycling schedule

16  Lawrence Gazette | December 2023

Mercer County Participates in MERCER COUNTY

RECYCLES

ALL Recyclables EITHER Bucket!

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