Semple Named Winner of Business Excellence Award
Theresa Semple, president of Semple Solutions LLC, Sayreville, N.J., was named a winner of the Business Award of Excellence by Odyssey International Productions, a 501(c)(3) organization that recognizes the efforts and accomplishments small-business owners, individuals, and organizations who have contributed significantly to the development of their communities.
The 19th annual award ceremony will take place November 16, 2018, at 6:00 p.m., in the Robert Treat Hotel, 50 Park Place, Newark, N.J.
Semple has received awards for being an industry leader, and for her community involvement and volunteer efforts, including starting Families Helping in Sayreville, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and serving as chairwoman for Sayreville Day for five years. She is passionate about sponsoring charities that stress the need to find a cure for pancreatic cancer and breast cancer.
Semple Solutions offers clients, ranging from two to 300 employees, benefits packages and education about their benefits. In 1995, Semple worked as a customer service associate at Oxford Health Plans and then worked in the Enrollment and Auditing Department. In 2012, Semple established Semple Benefits. In 2014, she launched Semple Solutions as an independent broker, specializing in Health Care Reform.
Semple is a graduate of Sayreville War Memorial High School. She attended Monmouth University, Long Branch, and Kean University, Union, N.J. Semple is a member of NJ Association of Health Underwriters, National Association of Health Underwriters, NJ Monmouth Ocean Association of Health Underwriters, NJBIA (NJ Business and Industry Association), the Hillside Chamber of Commerce, BNI (Business Networking International) and CRA (Corporate Resource Alliance).
For more information, contact Theresa Semple, Semple Solutions LLC, at 732-238-6734 or email tsemple@semplesolutionsllc.com.
About Odyssey International Productions: Odyssey International Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Melissa Persia Oliver, has been recognizing the efforts and accomplishments of phenomenal individuals and organizations for their outstanding business and community service contributions for 19 years. Among other ideals, the mission of Odyssey is to provide recipients with a sense of appreciation and provide a platform for small businesses to network with corporations to gain additional exposure.
Senate President Steve Sweeney to Speak at Ocean ELC Meeting Tuesday, October 23
Senate President Steve Sweeney, the featured speaker at the Ocean County ELC (Employer Legislative Committee) meeting and breakfast Tuesday, October 23, 2018, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. at the at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, 815 Route 37 West, Toms River, N.J., will be updating attendees about business-related topics in the Trenton.
The registration fee, including a buffet breakfast, is $20.00. R.S.V.P. to mpangelini@ preferredbehavioral.org or call 908-309-5395. Pay at the door or mail checks, payable to Ocean ELC, to Mary Pat Angelini, P.O. Box 517, Oakhurst, N.J. 07755.
The Ocean County ELC is sponsored by Holman Frenia Allison, PC; New Jersey Natural Gas, and NorthStar Strategies in partnership with the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce.
About ELC: Employer Legislative Committees: The ELCs, established by NJBIA in 1959, are independent, local organizations representing all 21 counties. At each meeting, legislators, cabinet members or local officials will discuss important issues pertinent to business. Attendees also receive a briefing from one of NJBIA’s government affairs experts on legislative and regulatory issues affecting employers. About NJBIA: The New Jersey Business & Industry Association, Trenton, N.J., provides information, services and advocacy to its member companies in order to build a more prosperous New Jersey. NJBIA is the nation’s largest statewide employer association. Its members, as a group, employ more than one million people and represents every industry in the state, including contractors, manufacturers, retail and wholesale businesses, and service providers of every kind. Visit www.njbia.org for more information.
About Steve Sweeney (from Website): Senator Sweeney decided to enter public life after his daughter Lauren was born with Down’s Syndrome. As a Freeholder Director, he helped build schools and established parks that catered to children with disabilities. And as Senator, he sponsored laws that removed references to “retardation” in state statutes and created a statewide registry of offenders who abused individuals with developmental disabilities.
A union ironworker by trade, Senator Sweeney has sponsored and supported measures to protect the rights of workers and support organized labor. Seeing firsthand the challenge of caring for a loved one without losing your job, Steve sponsored the state’s Paid Family Medical Leave Act. A fighter for hard-working New Jerseyans, Senator Sweeney led the effort to raise New Jersey’s minimum wage and continues to champion fair and equitable wages.
Sweeney was born in Camden in 1959. He currently serves as General Vice President of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union. Senator Sweeney and his wife, Patti, were married in 1986 and have two children, Stephen and Lauren.
PTA Sponsors Halloween Dance for Special Needs Students
The P.T.A. of the Harbor School, Eatontown, is holding a Halloween Dance, open to all Harbor, Alpha and Gateway students, staff, and their families on Saturday, October 20 from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m. in the Harbor School Gym, 240 Broad Street, Eatontown, N.J. 07724. The Harbor School is one of three private special education schools approved by the N.J. Department of Education for students with special needs and disabilities.
As is the tradition, students will be decorating the gym with assistance from their teachers. The Halloween Dance will feature DJ Elite Entertainment, Tinton Falls, for music and dancing, and light refreshments. Halloween costumes are optional.
Besides the Halloween Dance, the PTA has donated gym equipment, sold flowers for Mother’s Day, held a Field Day, and provided 8th grade and high school graduation gifts, among other projects that benefit the students and the schools.
Tickets cost $10 per person and $30 per family. The majority of the PTA’s fundraising efforts will fund bussing this year for CBI (Community Based Instruction) that give students real-life experiences, such as how to order food, how to create a shopping list and follow it, and how take the bus, among other skills.
Make checks payable to Harbor School PTA. For more information, contact Erika Casablanca at 732-541-4400 or ErikaC@thegatewayschool.com.
RKS Associates Schools: Gateway School: 60 High Street Carteret, NJ 07008 (732.541.4400) https://thegatewayschool.com/; Alpha School: 2210 West County Line Road, Suite #1, Jackson, NJ 08527 (732.370.1150) https://alphaschool.com/ ; Harbor School: 240 Broad Street, Eatontown, NJ 07724 (732.544.9394) https://harborschool.com/
Don’t Miss 3 Egg Creams, The Urban Love Story for the Ages at the Strand Theater on November 30
Take a front row seat at the Strand Center for the Arts, 400 Clifton Avenue, Lakewood, on November 30 at either 4:00 or 7:30 p.m. for 3 Egg Creams, The Urban Love Story for the Ages. This is a unique, heart-warming, and moving play, starring Vince Bandille as Vin Morrone, a lonely man. While sipping one of his beloved egg creams, Vin take us back to the Bronx, recreating vivid memories of his first and only true love. Will he ever get a chance for another?
For 3 Egg Creams, written and directed by award-winning playwright George Cameron Grant with Script Advisor Debbie Saccomanno, and inspired by and featuring the timeless music of the legendary Lou Christie, the audience will be seated on stage of the historic Strand Theater with Vince Bandille, who takes the audience on his journey through a lifetime of love, loss and eternal devotion.
Theatre critic Angela Hatch wrote, “3 EGG CREAMS is an imaginative and deeply moving love story that immediately grabs the audience, from the kookiness of teenage love, to the deep connection of love everlasting. It finds urban love too strong a love to break, but too delicate to hold on to – until it isn’t. Occasionally, a story comes along that reminds us to love each other. 3 EGG CREAMS is one of those stories.”
3 Egg Creams opened four months ago to sold-out audiences in Manhattan at the Manhattan Repertory Theater, and has continued with sold out shows in Ocean Grove and in Hammonton at the Jersey Fringe. This September, the Strand board of directors enjoyed a private showcase of the play and unanimously decided to host two performances.
A Q&A session with Vince Bandille and George Cameron Grant will follow each performance. Regular admission is $45 per ticket; tickets for senior citizens are $35 each. A cash bar after the performance will feature Egg creams. For tickets, visit www.strand.org. For more information visit www.3EggCreams.com or http://vincebandille.com.
LRRC Holds Open House to Showcase Its Expansion
State and local officials, friends and staff gathered on October 4 to mark the expansion of The Lakewood Resource and Referral Center (LRRC), 212 Second Street, Suite 204, Lakewood, and to honor Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders Deputy Director John Bartlett and Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles who have made significant contributions to the growth and development of the LRRC.
The LRRC, a federally designated 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, provides free comprehensive social services, information, referrals, counseling, community education, and assistance in navigating government and private sector programs in such areas as housing purchasing, rental counseling, health care insurance plans, nutritional supplementation programs, and home utilities payment assistance programs to Ocean County residents.
The LRRC opened its doors in 2005. The new addition of 1,400 square feet and a reorganization of existing space will better accommodate clients, with four new offices, a larger waiting area, and a more private area where case managers can address questions and concerns.
In one month, 11 LRRC employees answer more than 1500 phone inquiries, conduct an average of 270 counseling sessions, assist more than 700 walk-ins, and teach classes for first-time home buyers, among other community, health care, and educational services and assistance.
Sarah Sternbach, executive director of the LRRC, said, “Ocean County is growing by leaps and bounds, and we are proud to be growing along with it. We worked very hard to build according to the needs of the community, helping to create a pleasant environment and an enjoyable experience for anyone who needs our help.” x
About the Lakewood Resource and Referral Center (LRRC): Specialty LRRC services include affordable and fair housing; American Recovery & Reinvestment Act; budgeting; CDC immunization compliance; credit counseling; credit repair; disability insurance; employment counseling; health care plans; lead abatement/poisoning prevention; nutrition; supplementation programs; SNAP (food stamps) application, Parts 1 & 2; presumptive eligibility screening; utilities bill and equipment assistance.
LRRC Case Managers help our clients identify the assistance programs for which they may qualify. They help clients complete the paperwork as needed. To schedule an appointment with a case manager, call 732-942-9292. For more information, visit www.lrrcenter.org for more information.
Preferred Home Health Care Nurse Named Finalist for March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award
The March of Dimes has announced that Pam Miller, RN, Chatsworth, N.J., is a finalist for the 2018 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award in the Non-hospital and Home Health Care category. Miller, the director of nursing at the Mount Laurel, N.J., branch of Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services (PHHC), with headquarters in Eatontown, transitions medically fragile children from hospitals to homes and trains other nurses to provide all phases of support to ensure quality home health care for those children.
The 13th annual state-wide Nurse of the Year event recognizes extraordinary nurses, including all nominees, finalists, and recipients. More than 250 nurses were nominated for the 2018 Nurse of the Year Award, which recognizes and honors those who make a significant difference in the lives of many people. Sixty-nine nurses became finalists in 12 categories. One award recipient from each category will be announced at the Nurse of the Year Gala on November 14.
Although it was her dream to become a nurse, Miller deferred her dream to support her military spouse and raise her children. In 2006, however, Miller fulfilled her goal and joined PHHC, Mount Laurel, as a director of nursing. She is now responsible for overseeing 180 skilled/unskilled clients.
Miller is known as a natural caregiver and innate humanitarian. In 2009, she volunteered in Haiti as a member of a medical team where she performed assessments on adults and children in orphanages and remote villages. In 2012, Miller founded “Penny Miller’s Sewing Academy” to help young Haitian women learn skills as seamstresses. That academy still operates today.
Miller’s other charitable endeavors include working with the Appalachian Service Project to make homes sturdier and safer; Coastal Volunteers In Medicine, which provides free medical assistance; the Philabundance Food Bank; Seaman’s Church Institute, a faith-based ministry that offers warm accessories to those working on commerce ships; and support for disaster clean-up crews in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Jersey.
Miller said, “Being recognized as a Finalist by the March of Dimes is the epitome of home care nursing; the reward is priceless.”
The award ceremony includes a cocktail hour, dinner, and reception on November 14, 2018, beginning at 6:00 p.m., at the Grand Marquis, 1550 U.S. 9, Old Bridge Township, New Jersey. For more information, contact Lisa Gallicchio, director of community relations, at 732-547-9886 or lisa@preferredcares.com.
About Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services: Since 1993, Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services (PHHC), 45 Main Street, Eatontown, N.J., has provided a wide range of medical and non-medical home health care services from pediatric to geriatric care throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. PHHC is accredited by CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Partner), an accrediting organization for the home health care industry.
Preferred works collaboratively with physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, and facilities to ensure a smooth transition to one’s home. In-house services include skilled nursing care for infants, children, adults, and seniors; personal care services, including bathing, grooming, dressing, feeding, etc.; private duty nursing services; and at-home physical therapy, among others. All of the care can be provided in-house and is coordinated by registered nurses, with clinical supervision available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
New Jersey locations include corporate headquarters, Main Street, Eatontown; South Orange; Robbinsville; Toms River; Galloway; Elmwood Park; North Brunswick; Wyckoff Road, Eatontown; and Mount Laurel. Pennsylvania locations include Bala Cynwyd, Allentown, and Bensalem. Visit Preferred at PreferredCares.com for more information.
Halloween Fun Festival and Parade in Lakewood, Oct. 31
The Lakewood Township Committee in conjunction with the Lakewood Police Department, the Lakewood Fire Department, the Lakewood EMTs, and the Lakewood Recreation Department are inviting Lakewood residents only, ages 1 to 12, to enjoy Halloween with them on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, at the Lakewood Town Square, Clifton Avenue and Third Street, Lakewood, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Festivities include candy and treats, face and pumpkin painting, music, and a costume parade. Everything is free.
A costume parade for children age 12 years and under begins at 5:00 p.m. As kids walk across the stage, parents and friends can take pictures. All children will receive a Trick or Treat bag with candy donated by members of the Lakewood Police Department, the Lakewood Fire Department, and the Lakewood EMS.
According to Jeff Shapiro, supervisor of recreation for Lakewood Township, said, “The Lakewood Halloween event is a safe place for children so they do not have to go door to door or walk dark streets.”
The rain site is the Lakewood Municipal Building, 231 Third Street, Lakewood, N.J. For more information, call Lakewood Recreation at 732-905-3405.
Alpha School, Jackson, Hires Supervisor of Instruction
John Gonzalez, East Brunswick, has been hired as the Supervisor of Instruction for the Alpha School, Jackson, one of three RKS Association private special education schools, approved by the N.J. Department of Education for students with special needs and disabilities.
Gonzalez, who replaced recently retired Anne Marie Hall, will oversee classroom operations at Alpha School and work with the instructional staff on IEP planning and implementation, and behavioral intervention. Besides serving as the certified School Safety Specialist at the Alpha School, Gonzalez will also continue to work part-time at the Gateway School, Carteret, as the Supervisor of Instruction.
Before joining the staff at Alpha School, Gonzalez was a special education teacher and administrator in the Jersey City and Newark Public School systems for 14 years, working with students with mild to severe learning and behavioral disabilities. He also served as Summer Credit Recovery Coordinator and coached multiple sports there, including baseball, football, and soccer.
Born and raised in Jersey City, N.J., Gonzalez graduated from Marist High School, Bayonne. In 2000, he earned a B.S. from Rutgers University in Management and an M.A. in Special Education in 2006 from New Jersey City University. He also holds a Certificate of Eligibility as a School Business Administrator.
Gonzalez serves as a board member for two youth sports organizations in East Brunswick – St. Burt’s Buffalo’s Football and Cheer, and the East Brunswick Baseball League.
Gonzalez, an advocate and supporter of programs for children with disabilities, is also the parent of a child with an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Gonzalez said, “At least one time a year and generally more, I am sitting on the other side of that table in an IEP meeting discussing, evaluating, and planning my child’s educational program.”
For more information, contact Erika Casablanca at 732-541-4400 or ErikaC@thegatewayschool.com. ### Publicize or Perish! ™
RKS Associates Schools: Gateway School: 60 High Street Carteret, NJ 07008 (732.541.4400) https://thegatewayschool.com/; Alpha School: 2210 West County Line Road, Suite #1, Jackson, NJ 08527 (732.370.1150) https://alphaschool.com/ ; Harbor School: 240 Broad Street, Eatontown, NJ 07724 (732.544.9394) https://harborschool.com/
Preferred Home Health Care Presents Elderfest Expo November 1
Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, with headquarters in Eatontown, is presenting Elderfest, a free expo sponsored by New Jersey Natural Gas, that highlights more than 40 vendors, food samplings, and free health and wellness screenings; a Pet Contest* with a grand prize of $500 sponsored by Rose Garden Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Toms River; free BINGO with prizes; a $100 gift card giveaway every 30 minutes; and more on Thursday, November 1, 2018, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Clarion Hotel, 815 Route 37, Toms River, N.J.
The public will have a chance to meet syndicated WOBM-AM radio hosts Joel Markel, the president and CEO of Preferred, and Marianne Levy. The featured guest is Linda Shields, The Jersey Shore Medium®, who will offer medium readings.
Any type of pet—bird, cat, dog, ferret, snake, etc.—is eligible to enter The Pet Contest. The pet can be cute, pretty or even silly, according to the judges’ choice. A Pet Contest entry card can be picked up any day between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the front desk of Rose Garden Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 1579 Old Freehold Road, Toms River, 08753. Winners will be announced at 3:00 p.m. at Elderfest and must be present.
For more information about Elderfest or Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, contact Lisa Gallicchio, director of community relations, at lisa@preferredcares.com or call 732-547-9886 or visit PreferredCares.com.
*Pet Contest Rules: Contestants must be 18 years old to participate; use the designated entry card; submit only one entry card per pet. A pet can only be entered one time (Multiple entries of the same pet will be disqualified.) Entrants cannot submit multiple pictures of the same pet.
About Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services: Since 1993, Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services (PHHC), 45 Main Street, Eatontown, N.J., has provided a wide range of medical and non-medical home health care services from pediatric to geriatric care throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. PHHC is accredited by CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Program), an accrediting organization for the home health care industry.
Preferred works collaboratively with physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, and facilities to ensure a smooth transition to one’s home. In-house services include skilled nursing care for infants, children, adults, and seniors; personal care services, including bathing, grooming, dressing, feeding, etc.; private duty nursing services; and at-home physical therapy, among others. All of the care can be provided in-house and is coordinated by registered nurses, with clinical supervision available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
New Jersey locations include corporate headquarters, Main Street, Eatontown; South Orange; Robbinsville; Toms River; Galloway; Elmwood Park; North Brunswick; Wyckoff Road, Eatontown; and Mt. Laurel. Pennsylvania locations include Bala Cynwyd, Allentown, and Bensalem. Visit Preferred at PreferredCares.com for more information.
Don’t Miss This Amazing Performance at the Strand, October 28!
One Lakewood High School graduate who has become world-renowned is William Goldstein a composer and pianist. To help raise money for the Lakewood Historical Museum, Goldstein is coming from Hollywood to the Strand Theater on Sunday, October 28 at 2:00 p.m. to perform for an audience of all ages.
What a fabulous opportunity for everyone, including students, parents, and budding and professional musicians to experience the musical talent and on-the-spot creativity of someone who is particularly interested in students!
One exceptional gift Goldstein is known for is “Instant Composition.” As someone reads a poem or a passage from a book, he instantly creates a musical composition!
Goldstein, a recording artist for Motown and CBS Masterworks, has scored more than 50 movie and television projects, including Fame, The Miracle Worker, Twilight Zone, and Shocker.
He is a pioneer in the use of computers and electronic music instruments, and runs music camps.
Student tickets with an I.D. are only $26. Tickets cost $50. All admissions include a Meet and Greet after Goldstein’s performance. Purchase tickets at Strand.org/events or visit the Strand box office at 2:00 p.m. on Fridays. Also, contact Robin Taylor-Wellet at 732-330-5384 for tickets or more information. For information about Goldstein, visit www.williamgoldstein.com.
About the Lakewood Historical Museum: The Lakewood Historical Museum, Pine Park, Lakewood, N.J., is housed in Kuser Hall, a two-story, 16,000 square-foot former classroom building. It is the last remaining building of five that made up the Newman School, an exclusive preparatory boarding school for boys, which closed in 1942 as young men left for the war. The building, which the township acquired in 1964 through Green Acres Funding, was the math and science center of the school. Through the volunteer efforts of members in the Historical Society and the Heritage Commission, the first floor of Kuser Hall has been transformed into a showcase, featuring six completed galleries of Lakewood memorabilia and artifacts. Funds are needed to restore the second floor of Kuser Hall, and to acquire and build an elevator.