Hamilton Hamilton PPost ost
DECEMBER 2020
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Season of giving
Schools go remote for rest of 2020
Volunteers help nonprofits provide amid pandemic
By Rob Anthes
By Rob Anthes, Joe EManski and SaMantha Sciarrotta
In the last decade, Hamilton-based nonprofit Joey’s Little Angels has made the holiday season a bit brighter for more than 20,000 sick children. The tradition continues in 2020, with an ever-expanding reach. This year is the 10th time JLA will conduct a Christmas toy drive. What started as a way for Nicole and James Angiolino to give back has grown into a massive effort that requires the assistance of volunteers from around the region and helps children at hospitals across the United States. The main event every year is an in-person celebration— which was scheduled for Nov. 28 at Notre Dame High School in Lawrence—where thousands of toys are collected. But JLA will be accepting and distributing donations up until Christmas Day. Donations will be delivered to 26 hospitals across the country. Recipients include patients at Capital Health in Hopewell and children’s hospitals in Los Angeles, Boston and Cincinnati. The Angiolinos pack the See NONPROFITS, Page 12
The Hamilton Township School District will return to a full-remote instructional model for the rest of 2020. District schools will remain remote until at least Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. HTSD superintendent Scott Rocco said in a Nov. 20 letter to parents that the district has struggled to maintain an appropriate inperson learning environment for students due to increasing cases of COVID-19, staff shortages due to quarantining requirements and delays Hamilton resident Amanda Angermiller portrays the Peppermint Princess at Six Flags Great in receiving COVID-19 testing and test results. Adventure’s Holiday in the Park event, which runs through Jan. 3, 2021. (Photo by Kyle Majkowski.) As of Nov. 20, two of the district’s three high schools, one of its three middle schools and two elementary schools were already using full-remote instruction due to COVID-19 cases or staffing issues assoran up to the director, pleadciated with required quaranAmanda must have watched Steinert senior have a line tines. Six more schools were 100 times, when she was ing, ‘Can’t I please One morning, a message written in chalk appeared plays Peppermint to say?’ So, as one of the flying one case away from joining barely two,” Michele said. in front of an RWJBarnabas Health facility. The words Amanda had her first “pro- monkeys, I got to say, ‘Here them, spurring the district’s Princess at Great couldn’t beendecision simpler, or stirring, Wicked to more movesoulentirely fessional acting moment” three she comes!’ when the have accurate. remote. Adventure onmore stage.” years later, when she “was Witch arrives or That kind of ambition has Since Oct. 31, HTSD has thrown on stage when I was around 5.” She had already per- worked well for Amanda, who seen 25 confirmed positive By Lois LeVine with those cases comformed in her first talent show started working at Six Flags cases, “Heroes in contact Although Amanda Angermi- in Kindergarten at Yardville Great Adventure when she ing work here.” with 466 people ller’s first official dance class Elementary School, when a was only 14 and has turned inside district schools. “These are challenging was at the YMCA in Hamilton connection of Michele’s helped the job into a role fit for royalty. Amanda will times for our school comwhen she was just a toddler, Amanda nab the part as one For the first time, Three words of gratitude and encouragement that her mother Michele notes her of the munchkins and a flying perform at the theme park’s munity and families,” Rocco capture the courage and compassion of health Park event as wrote. “As a school commuactual first dance teacher was monkey, in a stage version of Holiday in the workers here and nity, across your Princess. we America. have and To willshare continue The Wizard of Oz at Rising Stars the Peppermint popstar Paula Abdul. thanks ortoto work supporttoourdeal Emergency Response Fund, “I really wanted with the challenges “There was an old Sesame Voice Studio in Bordentown. it would be faced by this pandemic, adapt “I was so determined to have there: I thought Street video, ‘Zoe’s Dance visit rwjbh.org/heroes Moves,’ with Abdul, that a line,” Amanda said, “that I See HOLIDAY, Page 11 See SCHOOLS, Page 9
Their courage and compassion inspire us all.
Role fit for royalty
And please, for them, stay home and safe.
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You Benefit from a Close-Knit Community Whether it’s your local retail store or your favorite cafe, shopping at neighborhood businesses gives you the opportunity to better connect with other members of your community. Towns with a higher number of local businesses are proven to have stronger social ties and more participation in community events.
To find a list of participating businesses visit: www.shophamiltonnj.com December 2020 | Hamilton Post3
Thank You ! “I am sincerely humbled by your support and I will never forget that I work for you, in our shared commitment to make Hamilton the very best it can be.”
Happy Holidays
Hamilton Post we are a newsroom of your neighbors. The Hamilton Post is for local people, by local people. As part of the community, the Post does more than just report the news—it connects businesses with their customers, organizations with their members and neighbors with one another. As such, our staff sets out to make our town a closer place by giving readers a reliable source to turn to when they want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood.
Charles “Chuddy”
WHALEN Hamilton Council Paid for by Charles Whalen for Council. 2316 Talbot Way. Hamilton, NJ 08619
4Hamilton Post | December 2020
EDITOR Rob Anthes (Ext. 124) EDITORIAL INTERNS Rebecca Briegs, Matthew Guear CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rich Fisher, Lois Levine CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS Peter Dabbene, Thomas Kelly, Bob Sherman, Jr. AD LAYOUT & PRODUCTION Stacey Micallef SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jennifer Steffen (Ext. 113)
An award-winning publication of Community News Service, LLC © Copyright 2020 All rights reserved. CO-PUBLISHER Jamie Griswold
CO-PUBLISHER Tom Valeri
MANAGING EDITOR, COMMUNITY DIVISION Rob Anthes
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Thomas Fritts PRODUCTION MANAGER Stacey Micallef DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL INITIATIVES Joe Emanski
MANAGING EDITOR, METRO DIVISION Sara Hastings
Community News Service 15 Princess Road, Suite K Lawrence, NJ 08648 Phone: (609) 396-1511 News: news@communitynews.org Events: events@communitynews.org Sports: sports@communitynews.org Letters: ranthes@communitynews.org Website: hamiltonpost.com Facebook: facebook.com/hamiltonpostnj Twitter: twitter.com/mercerspace 40,000 copies of the Hamilton Post are mailed or bulk-distributed to the residences and businesses of Hamilton 12 times a year.
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December 2020 | Hamilton Post5
Around town
Police collect Toys for Tots
LEARN MORE 609-208-3724
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1063 Washington Blvd., Robbinsville, NJ 08691 robbinsvillenj@codeninjas.com
The Hamilton Township Police Division once again will oversee a local Toys for Tots drive in town. Now through Dec. 18, 2020, toys for children ages 4-17 are being collected at official drop-off locations. Unwrapped toys can be brought to one of the official Toys for Tots collection box locations at Hamilton Township Police Headquarters (1270 Whitehorse Mercerville Road) or Foley’s Family Market (1080 White Horse Ave.) for further distribution. This year, Marine Corps has put into place extra COVID-19 safety measures, including sanitizing and quarantining of all toys. For more information, call Officer Bob O’Hare at (609) 581-4021.
We have everything you’ll need for your Don’t Forget To Order Your Holiday Pies Early
Firewood by Stack or Cord
Holiday Decorating
FREE PIE!* With Christmas Tree Purchase $89.99 or more. $15 value. offer good until trees are gone. Must present coupon
Custom Made Wreaths & Centerpieces • Gift Certificates Artificial & Cut Trees
• Trees • Wreaths • Roping
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Cookies • Cider Donuts • Cheese Cakes Cakes • Honey • Jellies Jams • Pies • No Sugar Added Pies!
1203 Route 130 North Robbinsville • 609.448.0663 • Call for seasonal hours 6Hamilton Post | December 2020
• Grave Wreaths • Blankets • Pillows
Local artist honored at county Artists Exhibit Several Hamilton Township residents were honored at the Mercer County Artists Exhibit, hosted by The Gallery at Mercer County Community
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton will host its 19th Tree of Lights winter celebration online this year Friday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. Tree of Lights is an event intended to bring the community together, and celebrate and honor its strength. To view the Dec. 4 event, go online to rwjbh.org/hamiltontreeoflights. This year, the event is not a fundraiser. Those who wish to donate, however, can go to rwjbh.org/give.
WHAT DID WE MISS? What are you noticing in your community? What stories do you think we should tell? Do you have news to share? We want to hear from you. Send your news or tips to news@communitynews.org.
HOLIDAY CATERING AVAILABLE
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OPEN FOR INDOOR DINING Call 609-298-9000 for Reservations
PRIVATE BANQUET ROOM AVAILABLE Call 609-298-1200 for information
73 Route 130 • Bordentown, NJ 08620 • 609-298-9000 Banquet Hall: (609) 298-1200 • villamannino.com
RWJ’s Tree of Lights event goes virtual
We are here for you. Thanks for being there for us. Warmest holiday wishes from the Rockwell family.
The Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce named Robbinsville resident and director of community development Hal English as its next president and CEO, replacing Peter Crowley, who announced his retirement in June. Crowley’s last day is Dec. 31; English officially begins his role Jan. 4, 2021. English, a longtime presence in the Mercer County business community, is currently the director of community development in Robbinsville, where he also lives. He has previously served as vice president and general manager of Grand Bank and as vice president of First Choice Bank. Prior to his banking career he also served as business administrator, and director of technology and economic development in Hamilton Township, during which time he helped oversee the successful development of the Hamilton Marketplace on Route 130. English, who holds a degree in economics from Boston College, is also the author of “Behind Ivy Walls,” a memoir that recounts his challenging, unhappy childhood in Trenton. English’s appointment follows a sixmonth national search led by Dennis C. Miller & Associates. “I am excited to welcome Hal as our new president and CEO,” said Brenda Ross-Dulan, chairman of the board, in a statement. “His knowledge of the region, coupled with his extensive work with nonprofits and small businesses, make him a perfect match to follow our exiting president, Peter Crowley.” “I have had the honor to be a Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber member for many years and witness the tremendous growth and business impact that this organization has accomplished,” English said. “I look forward to helping continue that growth.”
College Oct. 29. The show was held virtually using online conferencing. The exhibition, an outgrowth of a partnership between the college and the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission dating back to the mid-1990s, accepted 27 pieces from 21 artists. The show was organized by Gallery Director Alice K. Thompson, juried by Colleen McCubbin Stepanic, a mixed media artist, and sponsored by Blick Art Materials. Tiffany Fang of Princeton took home Best in Show for her graphiteon-paper piece, “Sun Spot.” Other winners include “Skull Drawing” (Conte crayon on paper) by Larry Chestnut of Hamilton; “Dialogue 2” (acrylic) by Shahla Mansouri of Hamilton; “Hippo” (automotive paint on Masonite) by Megan Uhaze of Hamilton; “The Moment in Time” (mixed media) by Janis Purcell of East Windsor; “Glitch” (oil on canvas) by Megan Serfass of Princeton Junction and “Rooted” (digital art on paper) a selfportrait by Danielle Rackowski of Hamilton. The Gallery at Mercer County Community College is funded by Mercer County Community College with additional support through a grant from the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission. All events are free and open to the public. For more information email gallery@mccc.edu.
English named chamber president
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A Home for the Holidays! ROBBINSVILLE BRICK $714,900 $555,000
HAMILTON BRICK $610,000 $555,000
PRINCETON BRICK JUNCTION $599,000 $555,000
FREEHOLD BRICK $555,000 $450,000
JACKSON BRICK $399,000 $555,000
Cynthia Duvin 609-577-1032
Maryann Petito 609-405-6609
Sneh Lata 732-646-0732
Dennis Breza 609-273-6931
Iris Nitzan 609-273-5550
4 Bed, 3.5 Bath, 3,176 sq. ft.
4 Bed, 3.5 Bath, 3,736 sq. ft.
3 Bed, 2.5 Bath, 2,308 sq. ft.
5 Bed, 2.5 Bath, 2,800 sq.ft,
3 Bed, 2.5 Bath, 1,550 sq. ft.
COLUMBUS BRICK $354,500 $555,000
TRENTON BRICK $315,000 $555,000
EASTBRICK WINDSOR $299,000 $555,000
SOUTHAMPTON BRICK $289,900 $555,000
HAMILTON BRICK $289,000 $555,000
Margaret Panaro 609-575-0312
Steve Psyllo 609-510-2624
Donna Moskowitz 732-740-2917
Dale Michele Parello 609-571-6644
Brian A. Smith 732-710-2535
3 Bed, 2 Bath, 2,002 sq. ft.
3 Bed, 1.5 Bath, 1,476 sq. ft.
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EASTBRICK WINDSOR $283,500 $555,000
HAMILTON BRICK $248,900 $555,000
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MT.BRICK HOLLY $555,000 $215,000
Donna Moskowitz 732-740-2917
Raymond Pyontek 609-558-0497
Dale Michele Parello 609-571-6644
Tony Lee 609-456-8360
Michael Gerstnicker 609-306-3772
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HAMILTON BRICK $555,000 $214,900
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TRENTON BRICK $170,000 $555,000
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Robbinsville Sales Office 17 Main Street, Suite 402 · Robbinsville, NJ 08691 · 609-890-3300 © BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity. Information not verified or guaranteed. If your home is currently listed with a Broker, this is not intended as a solicitation
8Hamilton Post | December 2020
SCHOOLS continued from Page 1 to the situation, and provide both a remote and hybrid instructional model for all of our students. Over the many months of this pandemic, we have made improvements to our instructional model based on what we have learned. We will continue to do so during this period of remote learning.” Remote learning will be five days per week, with Wednesdays as a half day for students. On Wednesday afternoons, teachers will be available to provide academic support to students— one of the adjustments made due to parent feedback on past remote learning experiences. Hamilton joined several other districts in Mercer County by moving to full-remote instruction for the rest of 2020, including Robbinsville and Lawrence. Other districts, like Ewing and West Windsor-Plainsboro, planned to go remote for two weeks following Thanksgiving, and then attempt to return to some in-person instruction in December. LTPS superintendent Ross Kasun said on Nov. 17 that he made the decision to stay remote in December based on the same factors Rocco did: rising number of COVID-19 cases in the area, a difficulty maintaining proper staffing levels and the approaching holiday season and flu season. “Although I am saddened about not opening our schools for in-person instruction and reverting back to a complete remote model, I cannot, in good conscience, open as we planned,” Kasun wrote in a Nov. 17 letter to parents in Lawrence. “My responsibilities include being the steward of safety and learning. Both would be compromised by instituting what we previously planned.” Statewide daily cases were 5-times higher in mid-November as they were at the beginning of October. Positive COVID-19 cases in New Jersey have increased from an average of 760 per day to 3,212 daily in six weeks. Hamilton has seen cases spike within the township, too, regularly recording 30 or more new cases a day as of mid-November. In a five-day span between Nov. 13 and Nov. 17, the township registered 208 new cases of COVID-19 in total—more than the entire month of October. A growing number of school districts around New Jersey have made similar calls as Hamilton did in light of the new wave of COVID-19 cases. The districts include Delran, East Brunswick, Jersey City, Newark and Paterson. School districts have been left to make their own plans, with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy saying Nov. 12 that he is not planning to order another
statewide shutdown. According to state data, schools have not been a major contributor to the spread of COVID-19 especially in Mercer County. Mercer County, for example, had only had one outbreak of COVID-19 linked to a school, as of Nov. 17. That outbreak included two linked cases, which is the minimum threshold. However, even single cases of COVID-19 within a school can cause problems, particularly with staffing. A case in one high school student, who changes classes frequently throughout the day, could force multiple teachers into a two-week quarantine. Quarantine of 14 days also has been required of any student or staff member who has travelled out of state, has had a family member test positive for COVID19 or has experienced COVID-19 symptoms and has not received an alternate diagnosis. Kasun said that in his district so many staff members have had to quarantine that there would not have been enough teachers to cover the classes of quarantining staff members had LTPS been using a hybrid model at all grade levels. Lawrence schools opened in waves, starting with special education students in October and elementary school students in early November. LTPS students in grades 4-12 have not been in a school building for instruction since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. They were scheduled to return Nov. 30, before the district’s decision to return to a full-remote model. “This year, it is simply not possible to cover all classes with substitutes, as many are not available to work due to their concerns about COVID-19,” Kasun wrote. Substitute availability is almost nonexistent.” Districts across the country, including Hamilton, had been experiencing shortages of substitute teachers prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Still, Rocco struck a hopeful tone, saying a return to at least some normalcy is near. “I still believe, at some point in the near future, we will overcome this pandemic and our students will be able to return to our schools and classrooms in a manner that is similar to past years,” Rocco wrote. “To get there, we need to continue to work together, adapt to the situation, follow health and safety guidelines, support each other, and keep thinking positively about what we will be able to do in the future.”
‘I still believe, at some point in the near future, we will overcome this pandemic.’ –Scott Rocco, in letter to Hamilton school parents
Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranthes@communitynews.org, (609) 3961511, ext. 124, facebook.com/robanthes, twitter.com/robanthes.
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Hamilton resident Amanda Angermiller (left) plays the Peppermint Princess at Six Flags Great Adventure’s Holiday in the Park event. HOLIDAY continued from Page 1 fun to be with my friends,” she said. “At first, I worked taking pictures around the park. Then, I switched to aquatics as a lifeguard. I was thrilled when I was told I could work Fright Fest. Last year was my first time doing that. I was a prisoner in the cell block. And then one of my supervisors was interested in having me play a part for the holiday show.” The Six Flags Great Adventure’s winter festival offers over a million glittering lights, festive food offerings, rides and holiday entertainment (this year, with a particular focus on safety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic). There are 14 specially themed areas, and coordinated sights, sounds and attractions. Just a sampling of the holiday attractions include the Jolly Jamboree (housed in the catering area of the park, it includes traditional wreaths, garlands and lighting, decorated trees and hot holiday fare); Illuminated Animals (located in the Wild Lights National Park); Polar Point (where ice-blue trees twinkle with the illusion of falling snow and a Snow King and Queen come out to meet guests); Holiday Fire Pits, which offer six wood-burning fire pits around the park, popular for toasting s’mores; and Gingerbread Junction (a giant, inflatable gingerbread man welcomes guests). Gingerbread Junction is where you get to see the Peppermint Princess —you guessed it—where Amanda prances, smiles, waves and chats with young guests, takes pictures and generally has the time of her life. “I have a costume that I love so much,” she said. “It’s a red dress with candy cane-striped stocking, and a big, platinum blonde wig that I love because it’s the complete opposite of my own real hair. They have this great makeup artist, Andrea, who does my makeup every day, and helps me put
my wig on. I was a little nervous at first, but it is now just so much fun and so heartwarming. I get to have so many interactions with little kids.” Six Flags Holiday in the Park Winter Festival runs until Jan. 3, 2021 on weekends and select days. Amanda’s passion for performing does not go unnoticed, either at Six Flags, at home or at Steinert High School, where she is a senior. Stephanie Giunta, the director of musical theater at Steinert High School has worked with Amanda for the past three years on school musicals, and is Amanda’s teacher this year in AP music theory. Giunta said Amanda has made her presence known. “She is a delight, and when she is onstage, she fully immerses herself in her character and the scene she is in,” Giunta said. “Many students struggle with how to remain present in a scene when they are not the focus, but not Amanda. She brings out the best in everyone around her, and is a very hard worker.” Mom Michele is not surprised at Amanda’s love for music and theater, either. “We took her to a lot of plays and concerts,” Michele said. “She saw The Wiggles at Six Flags, we always went to the circus and Disney on Ice, and my parents took her to see Mary Poppins on Broadway when she was 4. We all love music.” (It runs in the family, as Michele is a radio DJ at rock station FM107.1-The Boss.) Amanda has no intention of leaving show business behind once she graduates Steinert. “I’m not sure yet about which college I want to go to, but I want to major in music production and the music business, and hopefully work at a record label one day,” Amanda said. “I have always loved the music industry: it has always been a huge part of my life.”
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The Angiolino family donated more than 5,000 toys to sick children at 25 hospitals last Christmas through their Joey’s Little Angels nonprofit. James and Nicole Angiolino are Hamilton residents and teachers in the township school district.
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NONPROFITS continued from Page 1 toys donated at the in-person drive onto refrigerator boxes and ship them to the hospitals furthest afield. Donations that come in December are donated to more local hospitals, and often hand delivered by the Angiolinos themselves or a volunteer. Hospitals specifically want toys that can be cleaned with sanitizing wipes— items like Play-Doh, Legos, arts and crafts materials, board games and, for older children, gift cards to Amazon, Target or Walmart. Stuffed animals or blankets need laundering, and won’t be accepted. A complete wish list of needed items is available on the JLA website. The toy drive and Joey’s Little Angels itself was hatched from the Angiolino family’s own experience. Their son, Joey, was diagnosed at 8-months old with Hurler Syndrome, a disease so rare that he had the first case ever seen in New Jersey. The Angiolinos sought the best treatment for Joey, which brought them to Duke University’s Division of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation and forced them to temporarily relocate from Hamilton to North Carolina. Duke’s PBMT is a 16-bed facility that treats 80-100 children every year. When Joey died in July 2010, at 15-months old, the Angiolinos decided they wanted to help comfort children and families experiencing what they and Joey had just endured. Joey’s Little Angels formed in 2010, and in 2011, they started a Christmas toy drive for children at Duke. JLA received 87 toys that year, a haul that filled an entire room in the Angiolinos’ Hamilton home. The next year, in 2012, they tripled that amount, giving 257 toys to kids at Duke. In subsequent years, they’ve added more hospitals as response has grown. Last year, JLA donated more than 5,000 toys to 25 hospitals across the country. JLA is up to 26 hospitals this year. Nicole and James are both teachers in the Hamilton Township School
District and coach local sports teams. James is currently a soccer coach at Notre Dame High School and with Player Development Academy, as well as a basketball coach at St. Raphael’s in Hamilton. Nicole coaches the Hibernian Herricanes soccer team. They’ve used their connections to spread the word about Joey’s Little Angels. James said that athletes at every school in the area have volunteered with Joey’s Little Angels. “The fact that so many people in the community want to be involved, it’s awesome,” James Angiolino said. “We’ve come a long way. We’ve grown considerably.” A complete list of needed items is available at joeyslittleangels.org/toy_ drive.html. Joey’s Little Angels is just one nonprofit in the area attempting to serve patrons this holiday season amid the heightened demands of the coronavirus pandemic. Across Mercer County, dozens of organizations continue to serve their mission despite new challenges. What follows is a few of their stories. *** Last holiday season, Ewing residents Kelly and Chris Stevens had extra reasons to be thankful. They had moved into a new apartment with their two sons, age 15 and 8, thanks to a security deposit from Lawrence-based nonprofit HomeFront. This ended a period of homelessness for their family, during which they stayed in a low-budget hotel and their oldest son tried to run away. They said the move was a fresh start. Kelly and Chris had jobs they liked at local restaurants. Their children benefited from the stability of having a home of their own. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March. Slowly, everything unraveled. Chris and Kelly lost their jobs and got several months behind on rent. Chris got a new position at a shipping company and worked night shifts at a restaurant, but it wasn’t enough. Afraid, they called HomeFront, and
received help with back rent and groceries. Their boys were placed on a list to be sponsored so that they might receive presents this Christmas. HomeFront has provided these kinds of services to local families for 30 years. But it has found surging demand during the pandemic. The nonprofit has distributed more than double the number of groceries and other basic essentials in 2020 than in a normal year, and six times the number of diapers and baby wipes. The pandemic also hasn’t lessened the need for other services provided by HomeFront, such as emergency shelter for 38 families at its Family Campus in Ewing, managing 115 lowcost apartments and helping families with education, job training and placement and life skills. Each holiday season, it also puts on its Christmas Wishes program, where individuals, churches and businesses purchase gifts for children. Homefront supplies the child’s gender, age and a wish list so that each child will have presents to open on Christmas Day. In 2019, the community supported 3,300 homeless or formerly homeless children through Homefront. The nonprofit always has relied on help from the community in order to provide relief to local people. This remains true as it attempts to meet the increased need in the area. Much of this support comes in the form of volunteering. More than 3,000 people volunteer at Homefront every year. Volunteers, in conjunction with in-kind donations and financial support from the community, have allowed Homefront to help 32,000 local people just this year. Hamilton resident Donna Famoso said she’s supported Homefront for many years. Once she retired, she started helping in Homefront’s childcare office and with the infants. During the pandemic, she has been sorting food and donated items, wrapping diapers and hanging coats. “I like that HomeFront is local,” Famoso said. “Just seeing the Family Campus and the families there versus being out on the street. In COVID times, you could go crazy sitting home, so it’s as much for me as it is for them.” For more information, go online at homefrontnj.org or email getinvolved@homefrontnj.org. *** ONE Project knows a thing or two about massive volunteer events. Every summer, the organization hosts the Hunger Project event, where 2,000 people gather at Robbinsville High School to pack meals for the food insecure—the event typically yields 150,000 meals packed and ready to go in four hours. “This event neatly embodies both the mission and vision of ONE Project to bring people of different backgrounds and faiths together to address social needs through education and volunteerism,” wrote board member Danielle Liegl. “In other words, to work as ONE to make a difference.” This year, though, things obviously
Hamilton resident Donna Famoso has been sorting food and donated items, wrapping diapers and hanging coats at Homefront during the pandemic.
had to change. The Hunger Project was cancelled, until the organization recalibrated and decided to reschedule—with some pandemic-appropriate guidelines. Starting in October, 20 ONE Project volunteers got together on a handful of Saturdays to safely pack meals in a masked, socially distant setting at Firkin Tavern in Ewing. The program, dubbed “ONE Firkin Meal at a Time,” will have netted over 10,000 meals by December. “It’s an event that we are really proud of,” said ONE Project chairwoman Stacey Kierman. “We were certainly disappointed to not be able to host the Hunger Project this year due to COVID, so we pivoted our thinking to continue to make an impact on the community during this difficult time.” Liegl said ONE Project was able to keep busy throughout the pandemic with other initiatives as lockdown
pressed on. Volunteers worked with the Sikh Sabha Neighborhood Langar in Lawrence and the Rolling Harvest Food Rescue in Titusville. They also helped pack meals and craft no-sew blankets with the Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton and Be Kind, the Joy of Giving. “After these wonderful experiences, we realized we could still tackle local food insecurity by hosting meal packaging events on a smaller scale,” said
ONE Project director of events Lauren Beaver. So ONE Firkin Meal at a Time was born. Around 80 volunteers got together for two hours on Saturday mornings to safely package 2,500 meals each session. Meals were donated to local nonprofit food suppliers, including Rise Food Pantry in Hightstown. “These events continually show us how people of a community can really accomplish a lot and make a difference when they come together as one,” said Rajnarind Kapur, the organization’s co-director of student involvement. To donate or to volunteer, visit oneprojectnj.org. *** Every year, Meals on Wheels of Mercer County partners with The Church of St. Ann in Lawrence and the Trenton Kiwanis Club to provide Thanksgiving day meals to seniors who are spending the holiday alone. That was true even in this year of COVID-19, although the coronavirus forced the organizations—and their volunteers—to adapt to the constraints of the pandemic. In ordinary times, volunteers from St. Ann’s and the Kiwanis gather at the church to make the food before it is delivered by Meals on Wheels to those in need. This year, Leonardo’s, the Lawrence restaurant, agreed to prepare the meals in their kitchen to limit volunteers’ exposure to the virus. More than a third of Meals on See NONPROFITS, Page 14
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In addition to its annual Hunger Project, ONE Project has helped pack meals and craft no-sew blankets with local organizations like the Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton. Pictured are board members Danielle Liegl, Lauren Beaver, Stacey Kierman, Rajnarind Kaur and Indy Samra. NONPROFITS continued from Page 13 Wheels of Mercer County’s 325 clients opted into this year’s Thanksgiving Day program. MOW volunteers picked up fully prepared meals on Thanksgiving morning and delivered them to 120 clients throughout the area. While Meals on Wheels volunteers won’t be going out on Christmas day to deliver meals, they will be providing the nonprofit organization’s homebound senior clients with traditional Christmas meals earlier in the week that they will be able to heat and eat on the holiday. This month they will also be distributing “Blizzard Bags” to their clients— care packages full of nonperishable items intended to help the clients get through any winter emergencies that might arise. Meals on Wheels continues to fulfill its mission of providing nutritious meals and easing social isolation for homebound individuals despite the challenges presented by the pandemic. Many volunteers who had regular delivery routes were themselves seniors, and Sasa Olessi Montaño, MOWMC’s chief executive officer, says that many have reluctantly stepped away out of concern for their own health. She estimates that she has lost 65 to 70 percent of her regular delivery team. “If somebody came and offered me either a million dollar check or a million volunteers, I would take the
volunteers, because the volunteers are like money for us,” she says. Montaño and her staff have been able to keep meal deliveries going out the standard five days a week — even if it means handling some routes themselves — but she says the Meals on Wheels mission encompasses more than just food. For some clients, the daily visit from their deliverers is the only human contact they will have all week. “The pandemic is upending all our lives—it’s making all of us homebound,” Montaño says. “But for the people we’re serving, being homebound is nothing different than what they are used to. Our model is to have regular deliverers with permanent routes, so they can develop relationships with the people they serve, week after week. That’s where the magic happens.” The sight of a familiar face can be really important in terms of helping clients feel safe. “They look forward to seeing the volunteers, they’re so grateful when they come. That three minutes of checking in, of conversation, can make all the difference. Adding to the challenge is that many Meals on Wheels clients have seen their already fragile social networks diminished further. “Maybe a neighbor or a friend or even family members that were helping, they’re now staying away to stay safe,” Montaño says. “That consistency of seeing
‘If someone offered me a million dollars or a million volunteers, I would take the volunteers.’ –Sasa Olessi Montaño, Meals on Wheels of Mercer County CEO
14Hamilton Post | December 2020
the same people—even at a safe distance—has become even more important now.” So while Meals on Wheels of Mercer County is always looking for new volunteers, the need is greater now than ever. Training is provided to all new volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, contact the volunteer coordinator at (609) 695-3483, or email questions to info@mealsonwheelsmercer.org. Meals on Wheels of Mercer County can be found on the web at mealsonwheelsmercer.org. *** Since 2010, Christine’s Hope For Kids has raised more than $1 million in its mission to help less fortunate children and to support local community agencies whose own missions are to help children in need. Longtime Hopewell Valley residents and Christine’s Hope founders Jean and John Gianacaci believe that every child deserves the chance to be a kid, regardless of their circumstances. One major focus of the organization through the years has been literacy. Christine’s Hope regularly holds book fairs around the area to help raise funds, and every year around Christmastime, Christine’s Hope volunteers often pack books in bags along with pajamas, blankets and other necessities to be donated to children at local shelters. This year, there will be a new book going into those bags: Always Better Together: A Story of Acceptance, Friendship and Love. It’s a children’s book commissioned by the organization and written by Christine’s Hope board member Linda Martin, a Ewing resident and the shopkeeper of the recently closed Flutter Boutique in Pennington. Always Better Together tells the story of Ella and Sara, who meet and become best friends after Sara moves to Ella’s neighborhood one summer. The friendship is tested once school starts because Sara’s friends don’t immediately accept Sara, who is a stutterer. Through the experience, Ella learns important lessons about accepting other people for their differences. “The books we buy (to put in the bags) are great, but I really wanted a book with a message of kindness and acceptance,” Jean Gianacaci says. “And to make it so that every child received the same book. Linda is an excellent writer, and she has done an amazing book for us.” The Gianacacis founded the nonprofit to honor their daughter, Christine, who died while on a humanitarian mission to Haiti in January 2010. Christine was one of 12 Lynn University students who were in Port-au-Prince when a massive earthquake struck, causing the hotel where the group was staying to collapse. Two professors and four students, including Christine, were killed in the disaster. Gianacaci says it has long been a dream of hers to have a book written in memory of Christine, who, like the character of Sara in the story, dealt with some challenges growing up. When she was 11, Christine was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome,
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609-586-2707 “Always Better Together,” a book by Linda Martin and illustrated by Anita Barghigiani, has been a dream of Christine’s Hope for Kids co-founder Jean Gianacaci for many years. and because of tics that she had that are associated with Tourette’s, she was sometimes bullied or excluded. “She felt the impact of sitting alone in the cafeteria, or not being invited to a party because of a tic,” Gianacaci says. “And throughout her challenges, she was always kind. She always sought out the kid who was being ignored. Her kindness and compassion for others always came through.” Martin says she wanted to write a story that kids would be able to see themselves in. “There were themes we wanted to come through in the story, like bullying,” Martin says. “People think of bullying as someone pushing someone against a locker, but there are other kinds of bullying: peer pressure, exclusion. I think it’s going to be a wonderful tool that can open up a dialog between a parent and a child, and also for teachers to open up that same dialog with students.” The 40-page hardcover book, written by Martin and illustrated by Anita Barghigiani, is on sale now for $24.95. Gianacaci says all proceeds from sales of the book will go toward the organization’s various initiatives. “It’s been a challenging year for everybody (because of the Covid-19 pandemic) but I think you just learn to go in different directions,” Gianacaci says. “We usually get a lot of toys donated to us (for distribution around the holidays). This year that hasn’t been possible, but we’re very fortunate that we can afford to purchase the toys we’ll be giving away this year. The kids are still there, no matter what we’re going through. The kids still need us.” For more information, to order copies of the book, or to donate to Christine’s Hope For Kids, go online to christineshope.org or call (609) 406-7681. The print version of this article has been abridged due to space limitations. To read about more organizations in our area, go online to communitynews.org.
Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranthes@communitynews.org, (609) 3961511, ext. 124, facebook.com/robanthes, twitter.com/robanthes.
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Hamilton Township launches business registry New ordinance fines those not complying by Dec. 31 By Rob Anthes
All businesses and nonprofit corporations in Hamilton Township have until Dec. 31 to register with the municipal government, an effort the township administration says will streamline communications with the business community once complete. The township announced its new business registry program Oct. 21, saying the COVID-19 pandemic brought to light a disconnect between the municipal government and the Hamilton business community. Of particular interest was the fact that no one in the township government knew just how many businesses operated in town or how to contact them. The COVID-19 pandemic brought this into sharp focus when, in March, township staff wound up going doorto-door to tell people about the governor’s executive order closing down businesses. Hamilton Township community and economic development director Fred Dumont said the township will use the registry to communicate emergency information quickly to business owners, to share details about grants and
other assistance for businesses and to ensure law enforcement and fire officials have information they might need to best respond to a call at each business. The township said, in a press release, that the information would also be used to connect businesses with the Hamilton Township Economic Development Advisory Commission, Shop Hamilton and the Hamilton Partnership. Township officials have framed the registry in a positive light, saying its whole purpose is to help local businesses. But they aren’t taking the registration process lightly, with council approving an ordinance in April that would fine any business not registered by Jan. 1, 2021. All offenders will be fined $100, with any subsequent lack of action earning businesses a fine up to $300. There is no fee to register, however. The registry application—available online and in-person at the municipal building—requires a business name, address, tax ID number, business owner name, address and contact information, as well as a copy of the business’s Tax Registration Certificate, be filed with the township. The township studied models used in Toms River, Cinnaminson, Ocean Township, Pennsauken and municipalities outside of New Jersey before forming Hamilton’s plan. Cinnamin-
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son, for example, has an ordinance It’s just an extension, he said, of what requiring registration that is similar to his department has done to help resHamilton’s—but charges businesses a taurants during the pandemic, such as one-time fee to register and has non- working to remove restrictions on outdoor dining, providing grant money compliance fines of up to $500. Dumont said many large municipali- to any restaurant needing propane ties in New Jersey have similar regis- to heat their outdoor seating areas tries, and Toms River was particularly and occasionally giving them masks, helpful as a township close in popula- gloves and hand sanitizer. The registry could also be a potention to Hamilton. Hamilton and Toms River seem to tial solution to helping the township be alone, though, as a review of ordi- match grant funds to recipients. Hamnances from other similarly sized ilton received $90,000 in federal Comsuburbs—such as Edison Township munity Development Block Grant and Woodbridge Township—did not funds in August, Dumont said, but still reveal any requiring business regis- has $20,000 left unused. The township tration. Edison does have a form on government was able to give $5,000 to its website for business owners to pro- 14 businesses in Hamilton. Hamilton Township is now working vide contact information to its department of public safety. In Woodbridge to distribute $400,000 in CARES Act Township, the local Chamber of Com- coronavirus relief funds it received merce has an app where members from the State of New Jersey. Since can register to have their business the money must be committed by listed. Woodbridge’s Office of Emer- Dec. 1, the process has been intense, gency Management has a database of Dumont said. But the registry has any property within the township that made getting the word out easier. might have a “special circumstance,” Dumont’s office already had received like underground oil tanks or other about 70 applications by Nov. 12. Each hazards to first responders, town- grant is $5,000. The township also started to preship public information officer John pare in November to launch a proHagerty said. Despite Hamilton’s effort being gram to distribute $673,000 from the government mandated, Dumont said federal government for mortgage he has only heard negative feedback and rent relief. The funds would help from “a couple people.” Dumont said those late either on rent or mortgage he’d be glad to speak with any busi- payments, and are available for business owner who might have reserva- nesses, landlords and residents. It’s tions about registering to see if a reso- another instance, Dumont said, where the registry could come in handy. lution could be met. “Here’s the thing I want to avoid: “Good certainly outweighs any possible bad in my eyes,” Dumont said. We have a business that’s hurting out “Listen, there’s no fee to this. I don’t there, and we don’t have their inforwant anybody’s money. But I just need mation, and we go out and give out information. How would a business this whole $400,000, and they come a feel if they had propane and gasoline week later and say, ‘I’m getting ready in the back, and there was a fire, and to close my doors, I could use some our first responders went in there, and help.’ Because we didn’t have their there was an explosion, and somebody information, we’re not able to get them that application,” Dumont said. got killed or hurt? It’d be a problem.” Dumont also said the registry has “That’s the thing I want to avoid no opened dialogue between the town- matter what.” ship and its businesses. He pointed to recent conversations he has had Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranwith local restaurants about how to thes@communitynews.org, (609) 396best navigate the ever-changing rules 1511, ext. 124, facebook.com/robanYOUR AGENT YOUR HOMETOWN HOMETOWN AGENT guiding eateries amid the pandemic. thes, twitter.com/robanthes.
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The annual Winter Wonderland and Christmas tree lighting at Kuser Park have been canceled this year, due to COVID-19. Replacing it is a month-long event that the township says meets safety guidelines: Holiday in the Park. By Rebecca Briegs
Hamilton Township has announced the Holiday in the Park event, saying the replacement for Winter Wonderland is a safer way for residents to celebrate the holiday season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Holiday in the Park begins on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5 from 5-9 p.m. On those dates, people may walk through Kuser Park and follow a trail around the park that will be decorated with lights and booming with Christmas music. There also will be photo opportunities around the park. On Sunday, Dec. 6, foot traffic will no longer be allowed in Kuser Park. Instead, visitors will be allowed to drive through the park to experience the scenes in the safety of their cars. Drive-thru tours will continue from Dec. 6 to Jan. 1, 2021, every night from 5-9 p.m.
Admission is free for both the walkthrough and the drive-through events. Township officials said the event is firstcome, first-serve. They are not limiting who is admitted into the event, and there are no timed tickets. Event organizers said Santa Claus will be quarantining in preparation for Christmas, and will be unable to attend the township event this year. In fact, the majority of the traditional Winter Wonderland features— like the Holiday Express Train and the formal tree lighting—won’t be taking place this year, but Holiday in the Park exists to keep the tradition alive amid COVID-19 guidelines. Winter Wonderland will return as soon as it is safe for it to be held, township officials said. Until then, Holiday in the Park is a festive option to enjoy the holidays in Hamilton Township.
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Art contest focuses on feelings of thankfulness By Rebecca Briegs
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The Hamilton Cultural and Performing Arts Commission has created the Grateful Arts Challenge for those in Hamilton who wish to display their artistic talents. The Grateful Arts Challenge calls for different types of artists— drawers, sculptors and singers—to create a piece of artwork that displays their feelings of thankfulness during the holiday season and the start of 2021. Commission chairperson Ellen Renee said the theme is timely due to the holiday season, but was actually hatched because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Since we can’t do things with music and arts in person, we wanted to include the community of 90,000 strong in Hamilton and get them involved in doing a project where their artwork or their clip of singing or their sculpting can be seen through Hamilton Township,” she said.
To participate in this challenge, create a piece of artwork of your choice, and then take a picture or video of your artwork. Upon completion, share the image or video by emailing commission board secretary Patti Krzywulak at pkrzywulak@ hamiltonnj.com. All submissions are due before Jan. 18, 2021. Submissions will be posted to the commission’s website. All submissions, as well as the original flyer for the challenge, will be displayed there. The challenge serves as a way to reintroduce Hamilton residents to the commission. It was re-established last year after more than a decade of dormancy. The Cultural and Performing Arts Commission has conference calls, open to the public, every second Monday of every month. During these calls, the public is open to ask questions. For more information, go online to hamiltonnj.com/arts.
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Incumbents return to township council, Board of Ed By Rob Anthes
Incumbents mostly ruled Election Day 2020 in Hamilton Township, with only one new face winning election in municipal races. The Democrats will retain their control of municipal government after councilman Charles F. “Chuddy” Whalen won the final year of the unexpired council term he has been serving in since January. Whalen defeated challengers Republican David Maher and Edward “Ed the Barber” Stackhouse. Whalen received 54% of the vote with Maher taking 39% and Stackhouse receiving 6%. Whalen has served on council since January 2020, when he was appointed to a seat vacated by Mayor Jeff Martin. Last year, the Democrats took control of the mayor’s office and all five council seats for the first time since 2005. Whalen is a past member of the township planning and zoning board. He graduated from Steinert High School in 1977, as well as from the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 9 Apprenticeship Program. He is currently the assistant business manager at Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 9, chairman of the Local 9 health and welfare fund, treasurer of the Mercer/ Burlington Building Trades Council, treasurer of the New Jersey State Pipe Trades Council, Treasurer of the Mechanical Allied Crafts Coun-
Whalen
Gonzales
cil of New Jersey and vice president of the Mercer County Central Labor Council. Meanwhile, two incumbents and one newcomer won election to the Hamilton Board of Education. Liam Z. Gonzales and Susan Lombardo will return to the board, while Christina Vassiliou Harvey will fill the seat vacated when Al Gayzik chose not to run for re-election. Gonzales has served since July— after being appointed to Cameron Cardinale’s vacated seat. Gonzales is a special education teacher and lacrosse coach in the Ewing school district. He earned bachelor’s degrees in history and secondary education from The College of New Jersey. He said he wants to use his new term to ensure the district continually evolves with the times. “Hamilton should not settle,” Gonzales said in a statement. “We need to
Harvey
Lombardo
continue to strive for excellence. Even if we have the perfect plans for schools today, if we fail to continually adjust, we will be severely lacking come this time next year. That may require multiple alterations along the way. Just because you make a modification does not mean the previous plan was ‘bad,’ it simply signifies that, as the world around us changes, we evolve with it.” Vassiliou Harvey is a Girl Scout Troop leader, a member of the Langtree PTA, a member of the Daughters of Penelope, a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and American Bar Association and a founding board member of Community Justice Center, a non-profit organization. She has a bachelor’s degree from Douglass College, Rutgers University, and a juris doctorate from Rutgers School of Law–Newark. She said her immediate concern is improving education amid the pan-
demic, particularly the remote learning experience. “I am thankful to the voters of Hamilton for electing me to the school board,” Vassiliou Harvey said. “I am looking forward to beginning my term to work on improving the remote learning experience for the children, their families, and the teachers. I would like to improve the communications with the families given the remote learning setup. I look forward to hearing from the community for their thoughts for the benefit of our children’s education.” Lombardo, the current board president, has served since May 2014. She works as an administrative analyst for the State Department of Human Services’ Medicaid Division. Lombardo did not respond to a request for comment. At the county level, incumbent Jack Kemler defeated Brian “Bucky” Boccanfuso, 70% to 30%, in the race for sheriff. All other Mercer County races were uncontested, with clerk Paula Sollami Covello and county freeholders John Cimino and Lucylle Walter winning re-election. Rep. Chris Smith won a 21st term in the United States Congress, defeating Stephanie Schmid.
Contact editor ROB ANTHES: ranthes@communitynews.org, (609) 3961511, ext. 124, facebook.com/robanthes, twitter.com/robanthes.
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SPORTS
Extra attention doesn’t bother Notre Dame’s Bensch By Rich Fisher
As a well-known returning scorer this season, Danny Bensch was bound to get extra defensive attention and a few extra illegal shots that went unseen by officials. But as a member of the Notre Dame High Latin Club, might Bensch be able to offer some unflattering complaints to the refs in Latin so as not to get red carded? “Potentially, yes,” the Mercerville resident said with a laugh. Actually, Bensch has been pretty level-headed when it comes right down to it, and has easily dealt with whatever comes his way. “Sometimes it does get a little hectic getting double marked,” he said. “I just work my game. If it’s not working for me, my team has the ability. I try my best to get open, get the ball and work it forward. Being double marked it’s hard but I work through and just keep going and play my game.” Irish coach P.J. Barrett has been impressed with his junior forward’s composure. “Of course everybody gets frustrated at times, but he’s done a very good job,” Barrett said. “He’s a mature player. We’re happy with what he’s done.”
After a year on the Irish JV team, Bensch exploded last season with a team-leading 16 goals and one assist. Heading into this year’s state tournament, he led ND in both goals (13) and assists (6) during a 7-1 regular season. His output has come despite opponents game planning to slow down Bensch. “That’s one of the things we talked about this year coming in,” Barrett said. “Everybody knows who he is, he’s not gonna surprise anyone, so he knew he had to work harder. He put in the time during the off-season.” That off-season work ethic carries directly onto the field during games. “He works very hard and doesn’t stop,” Barrett said. “He’s tenacious, relentless, and does what he has to do to put the ball in the net. He creates good opportunities for himself and finishes his opportunities.” Bensch said his philosophy this season was to keep it simple. Don’t try to do too much, let things come to him, and capitalize when chances arose. “I knew after last season there was definitely gonna be some marking,” he said. “I just stuck to the game I know, worked the ball with my team and started scoring some goals. We work well together. Our midfield has
Notre Dame boys’ soccer player Danny Bensch led the Irish in goals and assists during the regular season. (Photo by Rich Fisher.)
come up big.” Bensch has been a forward all his life, since starting in the Hamilton rec league and moving on to club soccer.
It was the only place he ever wanted to play. “When I was young I just wanted to score goals,” he said. “That’s the name of the game, put the ball in the back of the net. Ever since I was little there was just the drive to score goals.” It’s that kind of attitude every coach wants to see in their strikers. “I just love the feeling of putting the ball in the back of the net; nothing compares to it,” Bensch said. “If I can get up there and put some balls in, or even if I can get an assist; just having anything to do with putting the ball in the net is a great feeling.” After a stint with the Hibernian Huskies, Bensch played for the GAK Havoc and the Mercer FC before coming to his current PDA club. He feels the opportunity to play for different programs has helped in his overall performance. “It just adds to it,” Bensch said. “You take skills from every coach. Every coach has a different philosophy, obviously. I just take what they give me, kind of combine it into one along with my game and that’s where my game’s at today.” After making varsity as a sophomore, Bensch got off to a slow start with just one goal in Notre Dame’s
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first eight games. That wasn’t too much of a shock since the Irish were loaded with senior talent, but Bensch would not be denied much longer. He scored two goals against Hightstown and four against Ewing, starting him on a binge of 11 goals in a six-game span. “Last year was an adjustment,” Barrett said. “When kids make that jump from JV to varsity, it’s the speed of play that’s tough. He acclimated to that quickly; continued to work hard and positive things happened.” Bensch admitted as much, saying, “Coming in as a sophomore is definitely intimidating. I just stuck to my game. Last year, we had a very strong team. I started getting used to the boys, getting used to the play. Once it went from there I started getting my goals. “I knew what my ability was and I definitely brought it last year. I tried to do it this year, bring that intensity, bring that ability to find the back of the net. I’m trying to create what I did last year.” He certainly did that in averaging nearly two goals and one assist through the regular season. Bensch started with a hat trick against Ewing
and also had a five-goal outburst at Nottingham. He scored in all but two games and had a hand in 19 of Notre Dame’s 23 goals “He’s been a large part of our success offensively,” Barrett said. “We have a lot of players around him that have helped out like Aiden Hoenisch, James Watson, James Ferraro. He was aware nothing was going to come easy this year, he wasn’t going to surprise anyone.” And yet, Bensch still has the skills to shake himself free for a shot. “He changes directions very well,” Barrett said. “He has a very powerful strike. His placement is pretty good as well but overall I think it’s his work and determination that puts him in a spot to get goals.” Bensch is also a member of ND’s Catholic Athletes for Christ club and runs hurdles for the winter track & field team as he tries to build his resume for college. He has been in touch with some colleges and calls it “an interesting process going through recruiting.” But for now, his focus is firmly on fighting through double teams and continuing to score for the Irish. And just so refs know, he was only kidding about that Latin thing.
‘I just love the feeling of putting the ball in the back of the net.’ –Danny Bensch
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December 2020 | Hamilton Post21
Chance encounter helps West’s Clayton find a calling By Rich Fisher
@TheRechCenter
@the_rech_center
Alyssa Clayton is truly unique. Unlike most high school varsity athletes, Clayton never played an organized sport before suiting up for the Hamilton West field hockey team in ninth grade. And while many Hamilton Township players admit they never played the sport before trying it in high school, Clayton takes it a step further. “I didn’t even know it existed, to be completely honest,” the senior said. “My freshman year I went to the orientation for sports. I walked in, saw the poster on the table for it and was like, ‘What is this?’ I knew about lacrosse, I knew about track. But field hockey came out of left field.” Actually, left field would be softball. But come now, there had to be even the remotest knowledge of field hockey. Hadn’t there? “My extent of knowing,” she said, “was absolutely nothing. “So I looked at it, and said ‘Ah, this is a sport? I kind of like it. It’s interesting. That’s something I want to do. Sign me up.” Clayton also got a nudge from former head coach Judy Goldstein, who was entering her final year before turning the reins over to Kerryn Campbell. “The old coach was really persistent in getting players,” Clayton said. “She
re-enforced it was a family bonding experience and how close all the girls were. I knew I wanted that friendship and wanted to bond with team members, so of course I went with field hockey.” It turned out to be a pretty good move for all involved. After playing on the JV for Campbell as a freshman, Clayton followed her coach to varsity the following year. Unlike girls who had played sports before trying field hockey, the constant whistles just seemed routine. “There was nothing else to compare it to,” she said. “So I was like, ‘Oh, so this is how it works.’ I picked up the skills pretty fast. Because I was so eager to learn and so excited to be immersed in a sport I just immediately fell in love with playing it.” Campbell recalls being impressed with Clayton when she first started on JV, particularly her speed and tenaciousness. “I knew she was gonna be on varsity the next year,” the coach said. “I knew I could just fine tune the little things that she wasn’t quite doing right. All I had to do was show her something once and it was fixed right away. She’s very coachable.” After her debut season, Clayton felt confident in her abilities and realized she had a future in the sport. As a sophomore, she won a starting job and although she only had one assist,
Hamilton High West field hockey senior Alyssa Clayton had never played an organized sport before joining the Hornets as a freshman. (Photo by Rich Fisher.)
Campbell saw her fierce hunger to try and score. She broke through last year with a goal and three assists and, although they weren’t blistering scor-
ing totals, her hunger grew even more after experiencing scoring a goal. “Now that she has that feeling of scoring, she knows how to execute it,” Campbell said. “She’s very powerful and she knows where her opportunities are to shoot.” After being held scoreless in an opening-day loss to Princeton this season, Clayton had a point in each of the next four games before the Hornets season abruptly ended due to a COVID-19 shutdown. The forward had two goals and three assists in the five games, scoring goals against Hopewell Valley and Steinert and picking up two assists in a win over Nottingham. Campbell feels Clayton’s quick stick and solid lift on the ball made her a more dangerous threat. “This is what I expected from her,” the coach said. “She’s also on our defensive corners. She’s our flier, she’s the first one out on the ball because of her speed and agility. She stops it a lot of the time because of how quick and fearless she is.” Clayton felt the chemistry she developed with her teammates, both on and off the field, over the years helped her fine tune her ability. “That’s beneficial on the field,” she said. “You’ve got that camaraderie that you need to play well.” Clayton also gives herself a deserved pat on the back.
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“I think I’ve 100% improved this year and scoring is one of the skill sets I improved,” Clayton said. “And (Campbell) is right about my scoring. As a player I sometimes doubt myself, and I have to remind myself I’m meant to be there, I’m a good player. The moment I scored I realized I’m capable of scoring. That became my main goal: get the ball in the net.” Despite her love of the sport, Clayton never took it so serious where she went to camps or clinics in the off-season. She just found it a fun thing to do during her autumns in high school. And it’s not like she needs a sport to keep busy or have a successful future. Clayton happens to be the West valedictorian with a weighted grade point average of 4.904. When she’s not getting A’s, she’s taking part in one project or another as a member of the West Math Club, News Club, Key Club, Unified, National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and Math Honor Society. She even volunteers for things she’s not a part of. “I volunteered to help the Spanish
Club, but I’m not in it,” she said. “I need to find things to do with myself.” Clayton has applied to every Ivy League school and is hoping to be accepted into Princeton or Yale. She plans on majoring in biochemistry or biology and hopes to get her doctorate and work in some field of pediatrics. While her future looks bright, Clayton will always look back on her field hockey experience as something special. “It’s been an amazIntroducing VINTAGE AT HAMILTON, a spectacular community of 122 luxury duplexes ing four years, I in Hamilton Twp., Mercer County…exclusively for active adults wouldn’t take it back and townhomes Introducing VINTAGE AT HAMILTON, a 55+. for anything,” she said. This is where you’ll savor life to the fullest. All in an area known for its wealth spectacular community of 122 luxury duplexes “I think I gained so of cultural offerings, recreational opportunities, dining and shopping. At Vintage much from it. It’s so and townhomes in Hamilton Twp., Mercer much fun. It’s a good at Hamilton, you’re centrally located—just 0.7 miles to I-195, 7 miles to the New Jersey and 5.3 miles to the Hamiltonfor Train Station, adults with service on the Northeast sport. We should get Turnpike, County…exclusively active 55+. it out there more. I’m Corridor line to both New York City and Philadelphia. sure a lot of the girls miss your chance ownto a fine ThisDon’t is where you’ll savorto life the Vintage! fullest. All in don’t know what it is.” That, of course, • First floor owner’s suite with walk-in closet Introducing VINTAGE HAMILTON, a spectacular community of 122 luxu an areaAT known for its wealth of cultural offerings, never stopped Clay• 3 bedrooms, 2½ baths ton from being part and townhomes inrecreational Hamilton Twp., Mercercommunity adul dining and At luxury Introducing VINTAGE HAMILTON, aspectacular spectacular community offor 122 luxury duple Introducing VINTAGE AT AT HAMILTON, aCounty…exclusively community ofactive 122 Introducing VINTAGE AT HAMILTON, a opportunities, spectacular 122shopping. luxury duplexes • Optional finished basementof of it and enjoying that Vintage Hamilton, you’re centrally located— VINTAGE ATatHAMILTON, aCounty…exclusively spectacular community of 122 luxury bondingIntroducing • 1-2 car garage and townhomes in Hamilton Twp., Mercer County…exclusively for for active adults 55+. and townhomes Mercer County…exclusively for active adults 55+. andinexperience townhomes in Hamilton Twp., Mercer active adult This isHamilton where Twp., you’ll savor life to the fullest. All in an area known for she sought. • Clubhouse with pool just 0.7 miles to I-195, 7fullest. milesAlltointhe New Jersey and townhomes in Hamilton Twp., Mercer County…exclusively for active adult “I love my teammates,” sheThis said.is where you’ll savor life to the an area known for its we ofThis cultural offerings, recreational opportunities, dining anditsknown shopping. “I’ve been to maintain so Thisable is where you’ll savor life to savor the and fullest. All infullest. anthe area known for wealthfor A isofmany where you’ll life to the All in an area i Turnpike, 5.3 miles to Hamilton Train Pre-Construction Pricing culturalyou’ll offerings, recreational opportunities, dining andarea shopping. Atfor Vinti friendships and get new friends from This is where savor life to the fullest. All in an known at you’re centrally 0.7and miles to I-195, 7 shopping. miles to the N ofHamilton, cultural offerings, recreational opportunities, dining cultural offerings, recreational dining shopping. At Vintage from the Upper $300’s field of hockey. I couldn’t imagine my Station, withlocated—just service on the Corridor at Hamilton, you’reopportunities, centrally located—just 0.7Northeast miles to I-195, 7and miles to the New At Jer of cultural offerings, recreational opportunities, dining and shopping. A high school career without it.” Turnpike, andyou’re 5.3 miles to the Hamilton Train Station, with service on the at Hamilton, you’re centrally located—just 0.7 miles to I-195, 7 miles to the New Jersey at Hamilton, centrally located—just 0.7 miles to I-195, 7 miles to the N line to both New York City and Philadelphia. Turnpike, and 5.3 miles to the Hamilton Train Station, with service on the North All she had to do was discover it.
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December 2020 | Hamilton Post23
Steinert soccer’s Kotch continues frantic scoring pace “And Matt has broken through with a the year he had, that reputation precouple of goals, which is nice.” cedes you. Even with all the knowlKotch was also quick to praise Even when he played closer to his edge other teams have about him and Falvo, saying “he has definitely picked own goal, Dylan Kotch had a hanker- the pressure that goes with living up it up and helped us out.” to his honors, he’s producing. I think ing to be up by the opposition’s net. Much of the credit still belongs “When I was younger and played he’s having a better season than last to Kotch, who has slowly but surely outside back I always tried to get for- year in a lot of ways.” learned the nuances of playing forAnother factor that makes this seaward and get involved in the offense,” ward as opposed to midfield. That was the Steinert senior said. “As a mid- son so impressive is that Kotch has his main position playing club soccer fielder, I always wanted to score goals. thrived without his 2019 running for the Hibernians, GAK, Millstone I was always hungry for the net no mate, midfielder Justin Brunow. As a and currently Match Fit. senior, Brunow had 10 goals and sixMemory matter where I was playing. Now that Assisted Clinical “We kind of projected last year that I’m a forward I can actually score a lot assists and the chemistry between Living Capabilities he was gonna be one of our centerhimself and Kotch was undeniable.Care more.” mids and we thought Brunow was Even when teams started to recogThat’s an understatement. gonnaatbe one of our forwards,” Tesnize Kotch as aprovides threat, they After a sophomore season in which This program a also had toHarmony Villas & Commons, CareOne Hamilton sein said. “It kind of became clear that worry about he tallied a modest three goals and perfect our two specially designed blendBrunow. of service provides clinical services in we had itenvironment. backwards. Even still, it took “Justin would take who a lot of pres-secure neighborhoods offer one assist, Kotch exploded last year and attention for those a home-like Dylan a little while to understand that sure off of Dylan,” Tessein said. “Los-different levels of care and after being moved from midfield to need assistance but wish We offer 24-hour licensed you gotta hang up a little high, you forward. He collected 20 goals and ing Justin was tough. He was a greatprogramming based on remain nursing key can’tcoverage, drop backaso far. Even when your player butasI independent think the guys that have eight assists, earning first-team All- to possible. component in the level gut is telling you that you’ve gotta now steppedResidents in have just kind of sim-the individual needs of our Colonial Valley Conference honors as residents with Alzheimer’s, receive aid with daily living of care provide dropwe back, you our can stay up.” plified stuff. and receiving All-State recognition. Kotch noted that he played forward “Last year therein were a lot ofdementia and other memory This season, with the entire CVC tasks while residing residents. a bit as a youngster, but it still took a to feed with where you’reimpairments. Special looking to defend him, Kotch had 12 amouths beautifully appointed while to understand the position in gonna distribute the ball. For (senioremphasis is placed on goals and four assists through the community with spacious high school. midfielders) Romario Azer or Mike Spartans 7-1-1 regular season. Steinert High School senior Dylan Kotch creating a safe, comforting suites and fine amenities. “I basically played everywhere as “What’s amazing about this year is Garofalo, there’d be some pressureandhad 12 goals and four assists through engaging environment. he’s on everybody’s radar,” Steinert to make sure Justin and Dylan both the Spartans’ 7-1-1 regular season. a kid but it was definitely a challenge coach Anthony Tessein said. “Last got the ball. Some of that pressure He received All-State honors last year. because I had to learn the position,” he said. “Now I adapted to it and I year he had a great year, and the first has been kind of lifted. It’s been a lit- (Photo by Rich Fisher.) HamiltonWe’re offers the highest standards of excellence in assistedknow livinghow services to play a little better than tle moreat simplified. gonna find half of the year he was flying underCareOne last year. I just had to learn to make Dylan.” to exceed the expectations of our residents and family members. everybody’s radar. He was out ofdesigned The was quick to point out through nowhere. Then people started to pickSome of coach the clinical services we provide are: nine games after scoring the right runs and work together with my midfielders.” that senior forward Dante Falvo, three last year. up on him. That cohesiveness comes from “When teams shut down Dylan, “This year, we’ll go into every game who is up front with Kotch and junior and they’ll know about Dylan. After Matt Vernon, produced seven goals Dante is able to step in,” Tessein said. proper positioning. By Rich Fisher
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he wants the ball and he wants to be the guy, but at the same time he’s very humble,” Tessein said. “At the end of the day he just wants to win and does whatever we have to. If we thought our best chance to win was putting him in goal, he’d go into goal even if he never played it.” That helping-hand attitude is prevalent off the field as well. During his sophomore and junior years, Kotch was part of an organization called Campfire. The group would perform volunteer hours around the county with soup kitchens and senior homes. He has been forced to hold back this year due to COVID-19, but has a good feeling about his contributions. “I always love giving back to the community,” he said. “It’s always a good feeling helping out people who are less fortunate.” Speaking of misfortune, Kotch has the bad timing to be a senior during the pandemic, meaning his college future is murky as of now. With programs shutting down this fall, this year’s new players will still be freshmen in eligibility next year, while seniors are allowed to return. That makes for slim pickings when it comes to recruiting, but his classroom work will help him immensely as Koch has all A’s except for three B’s. “He’s in limbo like a lot of seniors,” Tessein said. “He’s talking to some D-I’s and a few D-III’s. Scholarship money has run dry and even spots on rosters have been thin. But he’s gonna play, he’s motivated to play and there’s colleges that are gonna want him.” And when they get him, he is going to be hungry to score. As always.
“You always have to be in the right spot,” Kotch said. “It depends on what formation we’re playing. This year I have to hold up so it gives our midfield room. If you’re positioning and your runs are good and you’re fast then you should be fine.” Tessein feels a change in the formation has helped Kotch maintain his production. Steinert went from a 3-5-2 with two forwards to a 4-3-3 this year, which has put Kotch in more positions to go 1 v 1 with an opponent. “That’s allowed him the freedom to create his own shot and be a creative force,” Tessein said. “He’s got a heck of a shot. Some of what we’re doing is catered toward what Dylan is good at and what’s good for our team.” Kotch feels the new alignment has helped take pressure off him. “We all had to adapt to a new formation,” he said. “At first I was playing center-forward and then I would be man marked and went out wide. So basically I’ve been moving around during the game. “I think the formation is better for our team. Last year we had a lot of guys who wanted to play wingback, this year we had a whole new defense so we thought it would be safe to go four in the back this year and it’s working.” What impresses Tessein greatly about his star is that he doesn’t act like one. He possesses that hunger necessary to score up front and knows it’s his job to take shots and score goals, but he’s happy to pass off to a teammate when need be. “He’s able to have that striker’s mentality that he’s gonna score, and
‘He’s got a heck of a shot.’ –Steinert boys’ soccer coach Anthony Tessein on senior Dylan Kotch
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Girman signs with Rutgers
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26Hamilton Post | December 2020
Hamilton resident Bella Pesce, a senior at Notre Dame High School, signs her letter of intent to attend St. Francis University (Pa.) next fall and play women’s soccer for the Red Flash.
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The Landing donates 50 pies
The Landing of Hamilton, a new assisted living and memory care community in the township, recently donated 50 pies to the Hamilton Senior Center for Thanksgiving. The Landing of Hamilton is located at 1750 Yardville Hamilton Square Road in Hamilton.
December 2020 | Hamilton Post27
CROSSWORD
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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
RIDER UNIVERSITY, CAPITAL HEALTH AND ROTHMAN ORTHOPAEDICS Partner to Support Health, Well-Being of Rider Students and Employees
An innovative partnership between Rider University, Capital Health and Rothman Orthopaedics will provide health care services for students and staff on the school’s campus in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. As the official health care partner of Rider University, Capital Health will oversee the University’s student health center and provide primary care health services. Rothman Orthopaedics, in its role as official sports medicine provider for Rider Athletics, will provide orthopaedic and sports medicine and support athletic training services. To help students and staff manage their care and ensure they have access to the appropriate services and health education resources, Capital Health and Rothman Orthopaedics will provide a health and wellness navigator who will act as a liaison between Rider University and its new clinical partners. “I am very pleased that through this new partnership, our students and employees will collectively benefit from the quality services, expert staff and advanced technology of Capital Health and Rothman Orthopaedics now and into the future,” said Rider’s president, Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D. “In today’s pandemic environment, protecting the health and safety of our campus community is more important than ever.” “We’re very happy to join Rothman Orthopaedics in providing important medical services to the students and staff at Rider University,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health. “In light of current events, finding health care that is safe and convenient is more important than ever, and our network of primary care providers are known throughout the region for delivering the highest quality care. In addition to making those services easily accessible on campus, our new partnership will also give our neighbors at Rider access to Capital Health emergency services and the growing number of specialty practices in our Capital Health Medical Group when they need us most.” “This partnership will be great for all parties involved, and we are thrilled to partner with Capital Health on providing high-quality
orthopaedic care to Rider University student-athletes,” said Alexander R. Vaccaro, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A, President of Rothman Orthopaedics, Richard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics, and Professor of Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals. “Additionally, we look forward to educating the athletes on the latest evidence-based recommendations, prevention and treatment options which are essential for keeping all athletes safe.” “Health care and education institutions are important pillars for any community, which makes this agreement particularly exciting,” said Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr., chairman of Capital Healthcare, Inc. Board of Trustees. “We’ve enjoyed a successful relationship with Rothman for several years now, and we couldn’t be happier to be joined with a partner like Rider University. These highly respected organizations align perfectly with Capital Health’s values of integrity, excellence, and compassion and reaffirm our mission of improving the health and well-being of the communities we serve.” Rothman Orthopaedics will work with Rider’s sports medicine staff to provide orthopaedic evaluations and surgical services (as needed), training room services, and game coverage to address sports medicine and orthopaedic issues at all home wrestling matches, all home men’s and women’s basketball games, and all home hosted championships. Rothman Orthopaedics will also provide a certified athletic trainer (ATC) to better serve Rider student athletes, and supplement the already strong training staff that Rider employs, in addition to providing education programs for Rider Sports Medicine staff. Capital Health will support the Rothman Orthopaedics Sports Medicine program at Rider by providing preseason medical evaluations, primary care and care at Capital Health’s Emergency Room when necessary. Capital Health and Rothman Orthopaedics will also coordinate wellness and preventative health sessions for club and intramural students to discuss concussion management and other topics of interest. To learn more, visit capitalhealth.org.
Health Headlines by Capital Health | Hamilton Post29
Capital Health Surgeon Receives International Recognition for
EXCELLENCE IN ROBOTIC SURGERY
DR. CATALDO DORIA, medical director of the Capital Health Cancer Center and physician director of Capital Health’s Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery, was designated as a Surgeon of Excellence in Robotic Surgery (SOERS) by Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the safety, efficacy, and efficiency of surgical care worldwide. The SOERS program recognizes surgeons who demonstrate an unparalleled commitment and ability to consistently deliver safe, effective, evidence-based care. With this designation, Dr. Doria joins a distinguished network of surgeons and hospitals worldwide performing robotic-assisted surgeries. In addition to serving as medical director of the Capital Health Cancer Center, he is a hepato-pancreato-biliary surgeon specializing in the treatment of benign conditions and cancers related to the liver, pancreas, and bile duct. “Since joining us in 2018, Dr. Doria has worked tirelessly to advance Capital Health’s robotic-assisted surgery program,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Heath. “In 2019, he began offering robotic-assisted Whipple procedures to treat pancreatic cancer at Capital Health, giving us the distinction of being the only hospital in central New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia region to offer this innovative treatment. This was another major step forward in delivering innovative health care to the community, and Dr. Doria and our other surgeons who offer robotic-assisted surgery continue to build upon these advances.” Robotic-assisted surgery allows surgeons to use miniaturized instruments and a 3-D camera for high-resolution images of
the surgical site. The platform seamlessly translates the surgeon’s hand movements into precise micromovements. The system cannot be programmed, nor can it make decisions on its own — it requires that every surgical maneuver be performed with direct input from a surgeon. Throughout his career, Dr. Doria has pioneered new techniques for conditions that were once considered untreatable. He has helped develop and introduce a number of innovative procedures to treat patients that were not previously available, including bloodless liver surgery, liver auto-transplantation and robotic-assisted minimally invasive hepatobiliary surgery. The volume of robotic-assisted surgeries is expanding as new surgical techniques and procedures are introduced and refined. Considered minimally invasive surgery, it offers patients many benefits, including smaller incisions, lower risk of infection, less pain, and a faster recovery. Capital Health remains unwavering in its commitment to provide patients cutting-edge health care and advanced cancer treatment. It was among one of the first hospital systems to adopt robotic technology with the purchase of the da Vinci® Xi surgical system. Dr. Doria was also recently named a winner in the Innovation Hero – Individual category of the NJBIZ 2020 Healthcare Heroes Awards Program. To learn more Capital Health’s Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery or the da Vinci® surgical platform, visit capitalhealth.org/davinci or call 609.537.6000.
CAPITAL HEALTH EARNS INTERNATIONAL HONOR FOR LACTATION SERVICES Capital Health recently earned recognition from the International on how to successfully initiate breastfeeding. They continue that Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) and International assistance after the baby is born by helping families overcome Lactation Consultant Association® (ILCA®) for excellence in lactation breastfeeding challenges, providing accurate information, and care. Lactation Services at Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell continuing to support them as their baby grows. Capital Health received the IBCLC Care Award in recognition of its work to protect, IBCLCs are available seven days a week for inpatient care, phone promote, and support breastfeeding through staff education and support after discharge, and outpatient visits. training, and for staffing professionals who hold the prestigious Capital Health’s Lactation Center is part of Maternity Services at International Board Certified Lactation Consultant® (IBCLC®) Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell, the most comprehensive certification. As a twice-designated Baby-Friendly Hospital, Capital maternity program in the area. In addition, the Regional Perinatal Health continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing the Center at Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell provides highest level of breastfeeding care. neonatal care, including Mercer County's only Level III Neonatal “Supporting our new families as they learn how to feed their babies is Intensive Care Unit for at-risk births. To learn more, visit a unique privilege,” said Melanie Miller, Lactation Services coordinator capitalhealth.org/maternity. at Capital Health and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. “Our goal at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ Designates Capital Health is to provide compassionate and Capital Health a 2020 Blue Distinction Center + Program comprehensive support and education to all The Maternity Services Department at Capital Health Medical Center of our families. This international recognition – Hopewell was recently designated as a 2020 Blue Distinction demonstrates that our staff meets the highest Center + program for Maternity Care by Horizon Blue Cross Blue standards in lactation and clinical breastfeeding Shield of New Jersey. This designation is awarded by the Blue care. From the prenatal period through their Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) to providers that meet hospital stay and beyond, our families can feel quality-focused criteria that emphasize patient safety and outcomes. confident we are prepared to support them in meeting their individual goals.” The BCBSA considers quality, cost, and access when awarding this designation in order The IBCLCs at Capital Health focus on to provide consumers with meaningful measures of expertise and value when selecting preventive care, so they are available during specialty care. By earning the Blue Distinction Center + designation, Capital Health pregnancy to assess and provide information demonstrates that it meets nationally established quality standards in maternity care.
30Hamilton Post | Health Headlines by Capital Health
STATE-OF-THE-ART LUNG CENTER OPENS AT CAPITAL HEALTH As part of its commitment to providing leading-edge care, Capital Health has announced the launch of its comprehensive, state-of-the-art Lung Center located at Capital Health Medical Center — Hopewell. The program is designed to address the need for integrated, comprehensive lung services in the region. “The launch of the Lung Center is an another example of Capital Health’s commitment to providing the highest level of specialized care,” said Al Maghazehe, president and CEO of Capital Health. “We are delivering
extraordinary, patient-centered care for a broader range of patients and lung conditions — from asthma to COPD, emphysema, pulmonary hypertension, tumors and lung cancers. The Lung Center also gives patients access to a range of specialists who have significant experience and extensive training with the most advanced medical diagnostic tools and technology.” As co-leads in the development of Lung Center, DR. DIANA KOLMAN, director of Interventional Pulmonology, and DR. AFRICA WALLACE, director of Thoracic Surgery, share a common goal — to identify and treat potentially life-threatening lung conditions early, when they are most treatable. “We know that getting a fast and accurate diagnosis of a particular condition and receiving timely treatment can be critical, especially when it comes to cancer,” said Dr. Wallace. Comprehensive care at the Lung Center includes a multidisciplinary team of experts focused on each patient and their specific condition. The team includes physicians from
surgery, pulmonology, radiation oncology, and medical oncology as well as nurse practitioners, clinical researchers, and support staff. “Our goal is to provide the most effective treatment pathway with a holistic, integrated approach in order to achieve the best possible outcome,” said Dr. Kolman. The Lung Center offers a full range of lung disease care, including lung cancer screenings, a lung nodule clinic, thoracic surgery, interventional pulmonology, pulmonary rehabilitation, and smoking cessation. To learn more about Capital Health’s Lung Center, visit capitalhealth.org/lung. To schedule an appointment or for more information on the Lung Cancer CT Screening, lung nodule clinic, pulmonary rehabilitation, or smoking cessation, call 1.844.303.5864. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kolman, call 609.815.7390. For an appointment with Dr. Wallace, call 609.537.6000.
From left, Dr. Africa Wallace, director of Thoracic Surgery; Gina Petrone Mumolie, senior vice president, Hospital Administration; Dr. Diane Kolman, director of Interventional Pulmonology; and Rona Remstein, director, Oncology Services, officially open the new Capital Health Lung Center.
Capital Health Awarded National Honors for Breast Care Center for Comprehensive Breast Care earns third consecutive accreditation for high-quality care Capital Health’s Center for Comprehensive Breast Care has been granted accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons. This is the third consecutive NAPBC accreditation awarded to the Center. The NAPBC is a consortium of national, professional organizations focused on breast health and dedicated to the improvement of quality outcomes of patients with diseases of the breast through evidence-based standards and patient and professional education. NAPBC accreditation is granted only to those centers that are voluntarily committed to providing the best possible care to patients with diseases of the breast. To achieve NAPBC accreditation, a breast center must meet the highest levels of breast care, quality standards, and proficiency in center leadership, clinical services, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement. “Because of this accreditation, patients can have confidence in our comprehensive, integrated program and ability to diagnose and treat a wide range of breast conditions,” said DR.LISA ALLEN, a fellowship trained breast surgeon and medical director of Capital Health’s Center for Comprehensive Breast Care. “Capital Health was the first hospital in New Jersey to offer molecular breast
imaging (MBI), an advanced imaging technology for the screening and diagnosis of breast cancer. We continue to make investments in advanced technologies and clinicians treating benign and cancerous conditions.” The Center for Comprehensive Breast Care offers the full scope of breast care, from cancer to cysts, abscesses, lesions, breast pain and other breast-related disorders, and although the discovery of a breast abnormality can be shocking, Capital Health is focused on treating the whole patient, not just the disease. Highly trained and experienced physicians provide specialized, care such as nipple sparing surgery, hidden scar surgery, reverse lymphatic mapping to spare unnecessary removal of lymph nodes, and targeted treatment for the diverse types of breast cancer. Breast cancer patients are cared for by a multidisciplinary team that collaborates closely to ensure they develop a personalized treatment plan that achieves the best possible outcome. A patient’s health care team may include a breast surgeon, radiologist, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, plastic surgeon, genetics counselor, nutritionist, social worker, rehabilitation services, and more. Each cancer patient has a personal, certified breast nurse navigator, from the initial diagnosis through every phase of treatment. For patients, the NAPBC accreditation provides an extra level of confidence as they navigate the process of choosing a treatment provider. For more information, visit capitalbreast.org.
Health Headlines by Capital Health | Hamilton Post31
Capital Health Regional Medical Center Earns NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR EXCELLENCE IN STROKE CARE Capital Health Regional Medical Center (RMC) has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award. This award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines and the latest scientific evidence. According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of adult disability. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and more than 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Capital Health Regional Medical Center earned the Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke
treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidencebased guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions Additionally, RMC received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. If you or a loved one is experiencing signs and symptoms of a stroke, call 911 immediately. To learn more about Capital Health’s commitment to providing advanced care for stroke patients and those with other complex disorders of the brain and spine, visit capitalneuro.org.
RADIATION ONCOLOGIST WITH EXPERTISE IN ADVANCED TREATMENT JOINS CAPITAL HEALTH CANCER CENTER DR. KHANH NGUYEN, a board certified radiation oncologist with nearly 20 years of experience providing state-ofthe art treatments for patients with prostate, lung, breast, and central nervous system tumors and other adult malignancies, has joined Capital Health Cancer Center, located at Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell. Dr. Nguyen joins a highly trained team of experienced radiation oncologists at Capital Health that includes Dr. Timothy H. Chen, medical director of Stereotactic Radiosurgery, and Dr. Shirnett K. Williamson, medical director of Radiation Oncology Services. “Our mission to bring expert physicians, advanced medical technology, and worldclass patient care close to home is driving tremendous growth at our Cancer Center,” said Dr. Cataldo Doria, medical director of Capital Health Cancer Center. “This expansion allows us to provide care for a broader range of patients, which is why we’re so excited to have Dr. Nguyen join our team. He brings significant experience and training in radiation oncology from some of the most respected institutions in the country right here to our community.
Now, our patients who require his services can receive the best possible care without having to travel across the country or to a large city like New York or Philadelphia.” “Capital Health is well known in the region for its commitment to advancing patient care, but as an organization it recognizes that having the latest technology is just one part of the equation,” said Dr. Nguyen. “I’m thrilled to be part of a team that doesn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach but instead blends technological expertise with compassion to provide care that is tailored to the specific needs of each person.” Dr. Nguyen is an expert in advanced radiation oncology treatment modalities, including accelerated partial breast irradiation, stereotactic radiosurgery/ stereotactic body radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy/image guided radiation therapy, magnetic resonance imaging/magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and positron emission tomography/ computed tomography. After completing undergraduate and graduate studies in physics at Harvard University, Dr. Nguyen received his medical degree at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine (UCSD), where he completed a thesis with one of the pioneers in tumor immunology. His internship in internal medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia
32Hamilton Post | Health Headlines by Capital Health
was followed by a residency in radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where he trained with world leaders whose clinical research set the standards of care in breast and prostate cancer management. Before joining Capital Health, Dr. Nguyen was a radiation oncologist at Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, Delaware, where he implemented programs in high dose rate brachytherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery/ stereotactic body radiation therapy, as well as a multidisciplinary neuro-oncology clinic. In academic settings, Dr. Nguyen served as an assistant professor in the Division of Radiation Oncology at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California. He also worked with Dr. David Townsend, inventor of the PET-CT scan, in the Cancer Imaging & Tracer Development Program at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dr. Nguyen has published research in peer-reviewed journals and presented lectures at national and international medical conferences. He is a member of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), the American Radium Society, and the American Brachytherapy Society. Capital Health Cancer Center, located at Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell, is the area’s most advanced provider of cancer treatment. To learn more, visit capitalhealth.org/cancer.
thanks or to support our Emergency Response Fund,
Medical weight loss and other healthy ways to slim down Ask The Doctor visit rwjbh.org/heroes
And please, for them, stay home and safe.
coordination with a behavior specialist; sicians and counselors help you idencoordination with a dietitian for cus- tify and establish the lifestyle changes tomized diet and menu planning; and they need to make your weight an exercise program designed specifi- loss surgery a continuing success. cally for Weight Loss participants. RWJUH Hamilton also offers ongoing theyads meet SeeIfour in the medical and psycho- support group resources and nutrilogicalsection criteria, some patients choose tional counseling, exercise specialists SIX09 weight and support staff to provide pgs 5 andloss 7 surgery, or bariatric surgery. This is a a full continuum of services By Dr. Ragui W. Sadek highly effective weight loss and counseling. Losing weight is not easy, How does being overweight option that involves reducWork Here_4.313x11.25_HAM.indd 1 1:21 PM ing the size of the4/17/20 stomach. but the team at the Center for affectRWJ-104 ourHeroes health? Weight Loss at RWJUH HamMore than 40 percent of American A patient will feel full sooner, ilton will help you succeed. adults are obese, according to the eat less, and with the help At every step in your journey, National Health and Nutrition Exam- of other lifestyle changes, you will feel supported and ination Survey. People with a body reduce their weight. Some in control. Start your weight mass index (BMI)—a weight-height of the surgical procedures loss journey today. Call our ratio—over 40 live 10 fewer years than we provide include Sleeve Bariatric Program Coordinathose who have a lower BMI. Obesity Gastrectomy and Gastric Dr. Sadek tor at (609) 249-7510 or visit can lead to sleep problems, heart dis- Bypass are two of the potenrwjbh.org/weightloss. ease, diabetes and uterine, esopha- tial options. How do patients maintain their geal and colorectal cancers. Being overweight also increases the risk of weight-loss success? Coming up this month at Whether or not to have weight-loss dying from COVID-19 and makes it more difficult to recover from respira- surgery is an important life decision. RWJUH-Hamilton To help you decide if bariatric surtory infections like pneumonia. What medical weight loss gery is the right choice for you, Rob- Wednesday, December 2 options are available to help ert Wood Johnson University Hospital Diabetes Awareness. (609) 584-5900. Take patients live healthier, longer (RWJUH) Hamilton offers individualcontrol of your diabetes now by making small life style modifications today with ized guidance from our Bariatric Prolives? tips from your Board Certified Diabetes The Medical Weight Loss Program gram Coordinator, support group Educator, Shesha Desai, Pharm D. Rph-BCis a supportive and comprehensive meetings, dietary/nutritional classes ADM. Virtual and in-person class formats program for patients seeking a non- and educational seminars to help you available. Call to register. 2 p.m. surgical approach to weight loss or gather the information you need to who do not meet the requirements for make the best decision for you. Thursday, December 3 After surgery or along your non- Resilience During Adversity. (609) 584surgery. This strategy may include: FDA-approved weight loss medication; surgical weight loss journey, our phy-
5900. How do we persevere during trying times? Understand what resilience is, and how you can build it for yourself and others. In collaboration with NAMI Mercer. Dr. Aubrey Daniels, LPC. Virtual and in-person class formats available. 6:30 p.m.
Monday, December 7
Fit Families: Holiday Edition. Also Dec. 15. (609) 584-5900. Focus on staying moderate in the madness of the holiday rush: recipe makeovers, overcoming pitfalls, and incorporating fitness during the stress of the season. Registration required. Michelle Summerson, M.Ed., RD. Virtual class format. 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, December 8
Fireside Chat. (609) 584-5900. Dinner with orthopedic spine physician Dr. Marc Levine. Ask your questions in a small private, safe environment. In-person. Call to register. 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, December 15
Brain Conditions and Procedures. (609) 584-5900. Join one of the most experienced cerebrovascular neurosurgeons in the country as he describes the latest ground-breaking procedures for aneurysms, brain tumors, strokes and intracranial vascular disorders (to name a few). Erol Veznedaroglu, MD, FACS, FAANS, FAHA. Virtual class format. 6 p.m. Beating the Holiday Blues. (609) 584-5900. Do the holidays invoke feeling of stress and sorrow, rather than comfort and joy? Learn practical tips to help you cope. Patti McDougall, RN, BSN, Integrative RN. Virtual class format. 1:30 p.m.
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December 2020 | Hamilton Post33
Generator catches fire at vacant home BOB SHERMAN, JR. FIRELINE
Hamilton Township Duty Chiefs responded to 129 incidents in October. Included were five building fires, five cooking fires, two passenger vehicle fires, one overpressure with no fire, one medical assist, two EMS calls, two motor vehicle accidents with injuries, five motor vehicle accidents with no injuries, one extrication of victim from machinery, five extrications from motor vehicle accidents, one flammable liquid spill, 15 gas leaks, one combustible liquid spill, eight hazardous conditions with no fire, five service calls, one animal rescue, 14 good intent calls and 55 false alarm or false calls. As of the end of October, Hamilton Duty Chiefs have responded to 1,158 incidents. Hamilton Township Fire District No. 2–Mercer ville Fire Company responded to 108 incidents in October. Included in the calls were five building fires, two cooking fires, 14 Emergency Medical Service incidents, three motor vehicle accidents with injuries, one fatal motor vehicle/pedestrian accident, three motor vehicle accidents with no injuries, three extrications of victims from motor vehicle accidents, one flammable liquid spill,
THE BEST DEALS
Both Day & Night
four gas leaks, seven hazardous conditions with no fire, one animal rescue, one assist to police, two service calls, 30 good intent calls and 31 fire alarms or false calls. As of the end of October, Station 12 has responded to 1,088 incidents. On Oct. 7 at 12:04 p.m., Squad 12, Engine 18, Engine 16, Truck 17 and the HFD Duty Chief Richard Kraemer were dispatched to Armour Avenue for a generator fire near a home. Squad 12 under the direction of Capt. Kevin McElroy arrived on scene at a single family dwelling with smoke showing. An “All Hands” alert was transmitted. HPD on scene reported generator was on fire, and they used a dry chemical extinguisher on it in an attempt to keep it from spreading to home. Capt. McElroy reported extension to the home. Squad 12’s crew stretched a 1 3/4” handline and worked with T17 to contain the fire. E18 crew checked for extension to second floor. Primary searches were negative. Fire was placed under control and Hamilton Inspections requested. Fire Marshal Scott McCormick arrived on scene. The property was a vacant home being worked on by contractor. Mercerville Fire Police responded. No injuries reported. On Oct. 27 at 10:55 p.m., Hamilton units Squad 12, Engine 16, Truck 14
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34Hamilton Post | December 2020
c o m m u nity new s . o r g
and Duty Chief Richard Kraemer, along with units from Lawrence and Ewing Township were dispatched to Lawrence Township for a reported house fire on Fountain Road. Squad 12 under the direction of Capt. Jason Ryan arrived first, along with several Lawrence Police units, to find smoke coming from a 2.5 story wood frame structure. Ryan called for the first alarm assignment and the “All Hands” while the crew stretched 200 feet of hose to the side where the main door was located. Police units reported all occupants were evacuated and that there were hoarding conditions in the attached unit. Upon opening the front door, the crew was met with fire rolling out of the doorway. Squad 12 captain used a rotary saw to open the garage door which was located on side A of the home. Fire was located at the rear of the garage. After the garage door was opened, Ryan conducted a primary search on first floor and relayed information to Lawrence Deputy 23. Fire was contained to initial fire building. One firefighter from Squad 12 was injured and transported to trauma center for treatment. Hamilton companies were on location until 11:48 p.m. Fire was investigated by Lawrence Fire Marshal. On Oct. 31 at 6:26 p.m., Station 12 and Mercerville/Hamilton Fire Police were dispatched to Nottingham Way and Sterling Avenue to assist Hamilton Police with a motor vehiclepedestrian accident investigation. Fire Police were on location until 8:34 p.m. Mercerville’s Annual Fund Drive is underway. The volunteers thank you for your continued support. Two new volunteers have joined as probationary members: firefighter Jonathan Claudio and fire police officer Liam Havlicek. Hamilton Township Fire District No. 3–Rusling Hose Company responded to 136 incidents in October. Included in the calls were three cooking fires, one passenger vehicle fire, two medical assist to EMS crews, eight COVID-19 calls, 44 Emergency Medical Service incidents, 10 motor vehicle accidents with injuries, three motor vehicle accidents with no injuries, four extrications of victims from motor vehicle accidents, one extrication of victim from machinery one rescue assignment, eight gas leaks, five hazardous conditions with no fire, fiv service calls, 10 good intent calls and 30 false alarm or false calls. As of the end of October, Station 13 has responded to 1,039 incidents. On Oct. 5 at 2:46 p.m., Truck 13, Engine 15, Engine 19 and Duty Chief John Retalis dispatched to intersection at South Broad Street and Cedar Lane for a reported MVA rescue assignment. T13 under the direction of Lt. Mike Kiernan arrived to find an SUV that had rolled and was upright on its
wheels. There were two occupants. The driver was sitting upright in the road, and there was a baby who was being held by a bystander and was restrained in a car seat in the rear seat of the vehicle. The driver had a compound fracture of her lower left leg, which was bleeding profusely. A tourniquet was applied along with trauma dressings, and the bleeding was controlled. The baby was being tended to by another firefighter, and it was determined that he had minor injuries consisting of a few small scratches on his forehead. Basis Life Support unit 110-2 arrived, and patient care was transferred. Scene was released to Hamilton Police. Hamilton Township Fire District No. 4–Hamilton and Enterprise Fire Companies responded to 87 incidents in October. Included were two building fires, two cooking fires, one passenger vehicle fire, six fire assists to EMS crews, one COVID-19 call, 24 Emergency Medical Service incidents, three motor vehicle accidents with injuries, one extrication of victim from motor vehicle accident, four gas leaks, nine hazardous conditions with no fire, three service calls, nine good intent calls and 22 false calls or false alarms. As of the end of October, Station 14 has responded to 761 incidents. Hamilton Township Fire District No. 5–DeCou Hose Company members responded to 61 incidents in October. Included were one building fire, two cooking fires, one passenger vehicle fire, one other type fire, two assists to EMS crews, 16 Emergency Medical Service incidents, three motor vehicle accidents with injuries, four motor vehicle accidents with no injuries, one extrication of victim from machinery, two extrications of victims from motor vehicle accidents, four gas leaks, four hazardous conditions with no fire, one mutual aid cover assignment, one assist to police, four good intent calls, 14 false alarms or false calls. As of the end of October, Station 15 has responded to 459 incidents. On Oct. 15 at 7:34 a.m., Engine 15, Truck 13, Duty Chief Steven Kraemer were dispatched for a vehicle fire on the right shoulder on Interstate 195. T13 under the direction of Lt. Pushman arrived to report fire in the engine compartment. E15’s crew pulled 100 feet of hose and extinguished the car fire with the assistance of T13 crew. Scene was wet down and checked for hot spots before being released to New Jersey State Police. Hamilton Township Fire District No. 6–White Horse Fire Company responded to 119 incidents in October. Included were three building fires, eleven assists to EMS crews, 26 Emergency Medical Service incidents, six motor vehicle accidents with injuries, two motor vehicle/pedestrian accidents, one motor vehicle accident with no injuries, three extrications of victim
from motor vehicle accidents, eight gas leaks, five hazardous conditions with no fire, nine service calls, one mutual aid cover assignment, 10 good intent calls and 33 false alarms or false calls. As of the end of October, Station 16 has responded to 1,101 incidents. On Oct. 19 at 10:35 p.m., Engine 16, Engine 15, Engine 18, Truck 13 and Duty Chief Steven Kraemer were dispatched to South Broad Street for a commercial alarm activation. E16 under the direction of Capt. Chris Mull arrived on location to find an odor of something burning on the first floor. T13 was directed by command to check the basement and encountered a light smoke condition and an odor of plastic burning. Further investigation revealed a overheated boiler that had begun to ignite materials in front of the unit. T13 secured the gas, electric and water to the unit. T13 then ventilated the basement using a gas Postive Pressue Ventalation fan. Hamilton Township Fire District No. 7–Nottingham Fire Company responded to 145 incidents during October. Included were four building fires, one cooking fire, one overpressure with no fire, two assists to EMS crews, one COVID-19 incident, 36 Emergency Medical Service calls, three motor vehicle accidents with injuries, one motor vehicle accident with no injuries, one lock-in, seven gas leaks, eight hazardous conditions with no fire, 13 service calls, 33 good intent calls and 34 false alarm or false calls. As of the end of October, Station 17 has responded to 1,165 incidents. Hamilton Township Fire District No. 8–Colonial Fire Company responded to 76 incidents in October. Included were one building fire, three cooking fires, one assist to EMS crew, 20 Emergency Medical Service incidents, one lock-in, seven gas leaks, three hazardous conditions with no fire, two service calls, one mutual aid cover assignment, eight good intent calls and 29 false alarm or false calls.
Duke (center) poses with Squad 12 firefighters William Kohut and Eric Pullen. (Photo by Bob Sherman, Jr.)
As of the end of October, Station 18 has responded to 726 incidents Hamilton Township Fire District No. 9–Groveville Fire Company responded to 120 incidents in October. Included were three building fires, one mulch fire, one overpressure with no fire, ten assists to EMS crews, one COVID-19 call, 34 Emergency Medical Service incidents, four motor vehicle accidents with injuries, one pedestrian/motor vehicle accident, two motor vehicle accidents with no injuries, one extrication of victim from machinery, four extrications of victims from motor vehicle accidents, five hazardous conditions with no fire, three service calls, 28 good intent calls and 22 false alarm or false calls. As of the end of October, Station 19 has responded to 966 incidents On Oct. 1 at 9:06 p.m., Chief 19 Aaron Heller was traveling west on I-195 when he saw a multiple vehicle accident on the eastbound side of the highway had just occurred. C19 called Mercer County Communication Center and requested a full rescue box be
cut away sections of material on the truck which was blocking access. E19 provided manpower and assisted with EMS care until the patients were loaded in the respective ambulances and transported to Capital Health Regional. E19’s crew cleared debris from the roadway at the request of the New Jersey State Police. E16 remained on location until the arrival of state Department of Transportation crews. At that time E16 and C19 returned to quarters without incident. Mercer County Fire Marshal’s Office investigated one fire incident in October. Oct. 6–Station 42–Wickham Lane– East Windsor. Fire in a 2-story wood frame single family dwelling. Fire originated in 2nd floor bedroom. Point of origin traced to power cord serving 110 volt pedestal fan. Insulation on fan power cord was burned away near the plug end. Copper wire conductors showed evidence of overheating due to partial shortcircuiting, most likely the result of damage to or aging of the plastic insulation. Fire damage was confined to the room of origin with smoke damage throughout the 2nd floor. The cause is listed as accidental due to an electrical malfunction of the pedestal fan’s power cord. Investigated by Fire Marshal James Greschak, FM 900.
dispatched to the location of Exit 3A. Upon arrival C19 established command and noted a 3 -vehicle crash with one person entrapped in a bucket truck and two people on the side of the road. Dispatched were Engine 16, Engine 19, Truck 13. Chief 19 had command and requested three Basic Life Support and three Advance Life Support ambulances to the scene. Upon their arrival, E16’s crew began patient care of the victims on the side of the roadway and began stabilizing Bob Sherman, Jr. is a life member of the bucket truck. When T13 arrived, Mercerville Volunteer Fire Company they performed a door removal and and a Hamilton resident.
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11 questions with Larry Chestnut THOMAS KELLY FIGHT IN THE MUSEUM
Larry Chestnut is the real deal. He is an oil painter who paints what he sees, with a tremendous eye and immediacy. He does not paint from photos because he knows that can steal proper perspective. His keen eye and hand are incredible and make it look effortless. He is proficient at portraits, still life, landscapes and narrative scenes. His compositions are well thought out and solid. He is a painter’s painter. We are lucky to have him in this area. You paint landscapes, portraits and still life. Which is more rewarding and which is most challenging? They all have their challenges. For the most part, I paint from life (alla prima) and that is much more difficult than working from a photo or flat image. You do have the problem of working outdoors when doing a plein air piece with the weather, sun, shade, etc. What is your process? Landscapes: I’m always looking for uniqueness, composition, color. I prefer plein air painting but I always carry a camera in case. Something can be there one day and gone the next. I often alter what I see while maintaining the essence of the landscape.
Hamilton-based artist Larry Chestnut paints portraits, still life and landscapes, like this one of Bulls Island and the Delaware River.
Portraits: Probably the most challenging of all. There’s so much to deal with and it involves someone willing to pose for you. I work quickly, usually 3-5 hours to complete a piece. This helps to maintain spontaneity. Still life: I look for a focal point around which to build a composi-
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tion. Once I gather related elements, I arrange objects until I find a balanced composition. Often it takes longer to do the composition than it does to do the actual painting. Who were you influenced by? Artists of the Gilded Age (18651900) like Beaux, Sargent, Chase, Theo Robinson and Homer only to mention a few. More recently, Liz Ruggles, Bob Sakson and Peter Hunt, local artists who’ve had an impact on what I do. Having been a docent at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for a few years made me appreciate other artists and the history of what I do. Are many sketches made in preparation for painting? I seldom make preliminary sketches preferring to work directly and spontaneously once I’ve thought my composition through. I arrange things till I feel comfortable with what I see. Do you feel being a member of an art group is important? Every artist should be associated with like-minded people. Old Lyme, Cos Cobb, the New Hope impression-
ists, the Ashcan School are just a few examples where artists understood the importance of sharing creative ideas and visions. What fight/struggle do you have regarding your art? Painting itself is a struggle, it’s an analytical endeavor that requires extensive thought and creativity. Studio space is always a problem because it’s usually small and expensive. Selling your work is good but the wrong reason to be an artist, it’s a passion, a life line. What attribute should all artists have? Every artist should have humility to go with creativity. Do you paint portraits from life, not from photos? I prefer to do portraits from a live model. People will, from time to time, ask me to do a portrait from a photo and I have to decline. People too often end up comparing the painting to the photo. Working from a flat or static image has a tendency to result in too much detail or tightness. What is your dream project? I’ve always wanted to do history/ narrative painting that incorporated figures from life in costume much like Benjamin West or large canvases like N.C. Wyeth that tell a story . Is this area supportive of the arts? I don’t think this area is really supportive of the arts unless you’re talking about New Hope or Lambertville or places where art group organizations exist. I live in Mercerville in a middle class neighborhood. Generally, upscale neighborhoods are the ones that support the arts-creating organizations and programs for the arts. What is on the horizon? I take pleasure in finding new subjects to paint whether they be in the studio or outside while driving down the highway. For more information, go online to chestnutart.com.
Thomas Kelly is a Hamilton-based artist and member of the Hamilton Arts Council. His work can be found at thomaskellyart.com.
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A nice try (sigh) at being the Pie Guy PETER DABBENE COMPLEX SIMPLICITY
I’ve never been much of a baker, preferring to spend time cooking, or even more preferably, eating. But a stray turn down the baking aisle, along with a sighting of pre-made pie crusts, inspired me to give pie-making a go. I knew pre-made pie crusts existed, but on the rare occasions when my wife makes a pie, she takes pride in doing it the hard way—mixing dough, or crushing graham crackers with a rolling pin. Luckily, I’m not so beholden to doing things the way of the Amish, the old country, or the Food Network. Similarly, canned pie fillings exist, and I felt no need to pick my own apples, peel them, and slice them in order to make an apple pie. A quick calculation convinced me that these shortcuts would get me 90% of the benefits of pie with only 10% of the effort, a golden ratio that’s rarely encountered, but one I would gladly apply to other aspects of my life, if possible. As for a top cover-crust, a scan of “simple” pie recipes failed to turn up anything that qualified, to my mind, as simple enough. Sensing a potentially dramatic shift in the 90/10 ratio, I decided that a top was showy, superfluous, and just too much work. Once home, I unwrapped the pie crust, then opened a can of blueberry filling and unceremoniously dumped it in. The whole foil-plated mess went into a 400 degree oven, but with no eggs or other ingredients that needed to be cooked, even this seemed a frivolous and unnecessary formality. The final result wasn’t much for presentation, but it tasted good, and—yes, I know you saw this coming—making it was as easy as pie. There’s a reason the saying isn’t “easy as cake”—a “piece of cake” implies the consumption of an already-baked, sliced cake, a process both unchallenging and delicious; one doesn’t bake a piece of cake. But baking a cake, even with a boxed mix, involves complicated stuff like cracking eggs, measuring fractions, and stirring. What
am I, a food Einstein? No thanks. If, however, one intends to walk, or dance, while holding a dessert, cake might work best—see the term “cake walk,” meaning “done with ease”... as in, “Making that pie was a real cake walk.” In the days that followed, I breezed through similar, can-opener friendly recipes of my own making. Lidless apple, cherry and blueberry pies, and my favorite, banana cream pie. The latter involved no whipping of cream or beating of egg yolks—nothing so violent, and nothing that would violate the 90/10 rule. My recipe used two packages of Jell-O Instant Banana Cream Pudding, a pre-made pie crust, and two sliced up bananas for appearance (and a token attempt at nutrition). I’m sure my family saw danger signs; when I get excited—one might say pie-eyed— about a type of food, I tend to serve it ad nauseum—that is, until they are literally sick of it. But this time, they kept their pie holes shut, since they were getting a steady stream of desserts out of the deal. I wondered if destiny had a hand in my newfound piemaking abilities; I’d shown proficiency with mud pies at an early age, and I share a pi day (3.14) birthday with Albert Einstein, not to mention other well-known people like Steph Curry and Billy Crystal. They might have fame and fortune, but no matter how you sliced it, I was the pie guy. No longer were pies solely the currency of experienced bakers and grandmoms at county fair contests. The only limit was my imagination—and the range of flavors of canned pie filling. While seeking out new pie ideas, I was reminded that all kinds of things can be baked into pies. Four and twenty blackbirds, for instance, as in the nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence.” Yes, the emergence of living things from pies was quite the source of entertainment back in the
day—be they blackbirds, frogs, squirrels, or dwarfs reciting poetry. For a different kind of 420 reference, voters who supported the legalization of marijuana in New Jersey might wish to partake of a pot pie—not necessarily the classic chicken-and-vegetables menu item, but rather any pie that’s been infused with cannabis. Getting high from your pie might sound good, but methinks marijuana munchies might be responsible for certain strange—one might say half-baked—pie ideas, such as the Dorito and Onion pie, Pickle and Peanut Butter pie, and Hot Dog pie. If you’re short on turkey or chicken but long on blackbirds, you can visit cajuncookingrecipes.com and attempt a real (cooked) blackbird pie, but please note that the recipe calls for 25 blackbirds, not 24. It’s the extra blackbird that makes the difference, I hear. In contrast to bird pies, pie birds are small, hollow, ceramic birds used to vent steam from your pie during baking; they are also objects that some people spend ridiculous amounts of time and money collecting. Shifting from birds to insects, one might make a grasshopper pie, with real grasshoppers (once popular in the Philippines) or without (the crème de menthe version, a more popular option here in America). Or a southern-style tomato pie, with ingredients that would never be found in the Trenton version, like cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Pies are where C-list berries find purpose: marionberries, gooseberries, loganberries, and boysenberries, to name a few. There’s Elvis Pie, properly
The only limit was my imagination and the range of canned pie filling flavors.
decadent (chocolate, peanut butter, and banana), and vinegar pie—properly desperate, but a step up from water pie, that being a meager combination of water, flour, sugar, and butter. Perhaps the most bizarre pie (and that’s saying something) is the Stargazy pie, which sounds quite pleasant and romantic, but gets its name from the fish heads protruding from the pie crust, staring up at the sky, and you. And when eating pies has lost its thrill, there’s the comedic tradition of piethrowing. According to Sir Toony Van Dukes, a “well-known member” of the Clown Forum community (clown-forum. com), most throwing pies are inedible, filled with shaving cream rather than whipped cream or some other filling, for purposes of cost containment and easier cleanup. Not to show a lack of “piety” toward clown nobility, but when it comes to thrown pies, I think I’d much rather see someone walloped with a nice gooey cherry or lemon meringue. Well, one can dream. But back in reality, my pie-in-the-sky dreams were beginning to crumble like a dry, overworked crust. Over the next few days, I noticed the uneaten remains of pies accumulating on the kitchen counter, or in the refrigerator. I tried refrigerated and frozen crusts; I tried a different source for my pie fillings; I even did a modicum of work, mixing up a no-bake key lime pie. They weren’t horrible, but each new pie fell a bit short of expectations, and my enthusiasm waned. The 90/10 ratio still applied, but it seems that extra effort, like an extra blackbird, is crucial to creating toplevel foodstuffs. The final pie I tasted was that bitter one we all eat from time to time: humble pie.
Peter Dabbene is a Hamilton-based writer. His website is peterdabbene. com. His books can be purchased at amazon.com.
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consult and see how !! making structural changes as well. Call us today for a FREE 15 minute
AllCure has multiple modalities to assist in not only decreasing pain levels but We have X-ray in our office to get an accurate assessment on our patient’s posture.
Call f a FRE 15 min Call for cons
regardless of posture, may also increase the risk for eyestrain and headache. also be referred from the neck up into the head. Excessive amounts of time looking at screens, Headache. Muscles at the base of the neck could go into spasm and become painful, or pain could tightness and reduced mobility, which can lead to pain and discomfort. Reduced mobility. The neck, upper back, low back and shoulders may all experience some shoulders. deconditioning can make it difficult to maintain good posture with the ears directly over the become deconditioned and imbalanced due to prolonged forward head posture. This Forward head posture and rounded shoulders. Muscles in the neck, chest, and upper back can the lower back. Although less common, patients can feel pain into their extremities as well. a broader region, such as spanning from the bottom of the neck and into the shoulder(s) down to specific spot and feel intense or stabbing, or it may be a general achiness and soreness that covers Pain in the neck, upper back, low back and/or shoulder. This pain may be located in one
a FREE 15 minute consult
Common Symptoms Associated with Forward Head Posture
Common Symptoms Associated with Forward Head Posture PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
• Pain in the neck, upper back, low back and/or shoulder. This pain may be located in one specific spot and is a condition affects millions Americans, resulting in pain, numbness, and other painful symptoms the hands, feel intense that or stabbing, or itofmay be a commonly general achiness and tingling, soreness that covers a broader region,insuch as legs and fee changes your life and affects how you work, how you play and how you live. Some symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are similar to symptoms assoc spanning from theAtbottom of the neck and intobetween the shoulder(s) to the lower Although common, low back conditions. AllCure, we will help differentiate the two and down treat either chronic lowback. back conditions or less peripheral neuropathy accord patients can feel pain into their extremities as well. PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
posture and rounded shoulders. Muscles in the chest, and in upper back become is•aForward condition thathead affects millions of Americans, commonly resulting in pain, tingling, numbness, andneck, other painful symptoms the hands, legscan and feet. This pain changes your life and affects how you work, how you play and how you live. Some symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are similar to symptoms associated withcult chronic deconditioned and imbalanced due to prolonged forward head posture. This deconditioning can make it diffi lowPeripheral back conditions. At AllCure, we will help differentiate between the two and treat either chronic low back conditions or peripheral neuropathy accordingly. neuropathy is the consequence of damage to your peripheral nerves. There are over 100 different kinds of peripheral nerve disorders or ne
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE NERVE DAMAGE?
to maintain good posture with the ears directly over the shoulders. are the result of a disease like diabetes, while others can be triggered by a viral infection. Still others are the result of an injury or compression on the n •where Reduced mobility. The neck, upper back, loware back andas shoulders may all experience some tightness and suffer with p the problems begin, it is imperative nerveHAVE disorders resolved soon as possible to prevent permanent damage. Many People HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU NERVE DAMAGE? reduced mobility, which can lead and Neuropathy. discomfort. realizingneuropathy that theirissymptoms may be duetoto pain Peripheral Symptoms then get worse, including numbness, burning or tingling Peripheral the consequence of damage to your peripheral nerves. There are overstart 100 gradually, different kinds of peripheral nerve disorders or neuropathies - some sharp, electrical-like a pain. Treatment options have been limited to a small assortment of pain medications, which can lead to further issues. Ignoring are the result of a disease like diabetes, others be neck triggered by a viral Still others are the result of an injury or compression on the also nerves.be No matter • Headache. Muscles at thewhile base ofcan the could goinfection. into spasm and become painful, or pain could masking the symptoms has never been a viable solution. If you suffer from any of the aforementioned symptoms, we can help. where the problems begin, it is imperative nerve disorders are resolved as soon as possible to prevent permanent damage. Many People suffer with pain for years, not referred from the neck up into the head. Excessive amounts of time looking at screens, regardless of posture, realizing that their symptoms may be due to Peripheral Neuropathy. Symptoms start gradually, then get worse, including numbness, burning or tingling sensations and mayelectrical-like also increase the riskoptions for eyestrain and toheadache. sharp, a pain. Treatment have been limited a small assortment of pain medications, which can lead to further issues. Ignoring the problem or
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