around town Sharon School students give back to area nonprofits

The Sharon School Parent Teacher Association, Sharon School Student Council along with Sharon Elementary School recently hosted their fifth-annual “Sharon Shines” event, a day of servicelearning in which the entire school supported several nonprofits in the local community.

Across the 54 pre-K to 4th grade classrooms, excitement and engagement were felt by the 1,000 student participants, 79 parent volunteers, and members of the Robbinsville Town Council and Board of Education.

The students learned about 13 local nonprofit organizations in the community through an engaging video and lesson plan.

During the interactive piece of the lesson, pre-K, kindergarten and first grade constructed 359 snack bags to be delivered to the local organizations. Second grade students wrapped 2,150 utensils in napkins. The third and fourth grades created 217 activity bags and 209 cards.

“Sharon Shines is an incredible program that introduces the students of Sharon Elementary to philanthropy,” said Danielle Liegl, Sharon PTA president.

“Not only does it aim to educate the students, but it also provides hands-on experience. This shows that no matter the age, one person can make a difference.”

This year’s event benefitted the Robbinsville Senior Center, Robbinsville Meals on Wheels, Rose Hill Assisted Living, Project Freedom Inc., HomeFront, ONE Project, Be Kind, Shine and Inspire, Inc., Mercer Street Friends Preschool, Better Beginnings Child Development Center, NJ Rise, JFCS of Greater Mercer County and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.

Ott Installed as new Rotary Club president

George Ott of Hamilton Square has been installed as president of the Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton.

Ott was handed the gavel from outgoing president Kalpana Patel at an installation ceremony at Tessara Restaurant in Hamilton on June 22.

“Rotary is not just an organization. It’s a movement fueled by compassion and a desire to create positive change,” Ott told his fellow Rotarians. “Together we have the power to address the most pressing challenges facing our communities and work towards a brighter future.”

Ott is a retired chemical engineer. He is a volunteer and executive board member at the Roebling Museum, and a member and past president of the Antique Automobile Club of America, Mid-Jersey Region.

The Rotary Club performs a variety of service projects in its two communities and supports charitable causes locally and around the world. Information about club activities and membership is available at rhrotary.org.

Members and guests meet weekly at Pj’s Pancake House, 17 Main St., Robbinsville on Friday mornings at 7:30 a.m. The club welcomes new members.

League of Women Voters advocacy groups merge

The League of Women Voters of Princeton Area and the League of Women Voters of East Windsor-Hightstown Area are merging into a new league.

The new organization is being called the League of Women Voters of the

Greater Princeton Area. Together the new league has over 80 members.

The new LWV-GPA covers towns spanning three counties including Princeton, Robbinsville, East Windsor, Hightstown, West Windsor, Cranbury, Plainsboro, South Brunswick, Rocky Hill and Montgomery.

The merger became official on July 19 when the new group voted yeah to finalize the merger.

The stated reason for the merger, is to allow for more efficient operation of the previously separate organizations.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grass roots civic organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Membership in the League is open to people 16 years and older of all gender identities. With over 100 years of experience, the League is one of America’s oldest and most trusted civic nonprofit organizations.

For additional information, visit the League’s website at lwvprinceton.org

Phil not only loaned the McLaughlin’s a vehicle for over a month free of charge when their family SUV died, but they stepped up with the help of all of your donations to provide Karen, Bruce, Nico and Mikayla with a brand new Plymouth Voyager.

I’d also like to thank Jeannine Cimino (executive VP and chief retail officer for William Penn Bank, Hamilton). Janine has been a fixture to our Pay It Forward events since day one. There’s really no one else we’ve ever considered as our emcee. Year after year, she knocks it out of the park with her wit and charm.

She’s been an amazing advocate for both the business community and for our expanded community. No one really ever considers having a charitable event in Mercer County without including Jeannine. So to her dedication to Mercer County and the Robbinsville, we are giving her our first ever Pay it Forward award tonight and just want to thank her for everything she done.

When Janine did this the first year, we did not know how this is going to work out, and there’s a whole bunch of funny stories that we could tell about how we actually pulled the first night together. But when it ended, Janine called me the next day and she’s like, “I have no idea what you’re going to do next year, but we’re in.”

The township is attempting to acquire the former Investors Bank building for a new municipal building. The Town Center-based office and retail building was constructed in 2005 and has been occupied by Investors Bank (and its predecessor, Roma Bank). The bank sold the building in 2021 to Realty Management Systems for $20 million in a leaseback deal. Investors Bank subsequently vacated the building after being purchased by Citizens Financial Group in 2022.

I’d also like to thank my wife, Kitt, and my kids Brett and my new college