Central Jersey Daily Rundown, Saturday, Feb. 8 – MyCentralJersey.com

Super Bowl Soup-A-Thon a success

The Rotary Club of Branchburg, under the direction of Rotarian Diane Bonanno, exceeded their goal of 1,000 cans of soup to help feed the needy. Their first ever “Super Bowl Soup-A-Thon” collected 4,364 cans of soup. The donations of the customers of the Branchburg ShopRite, the families of the Kangaroo Kids Child Care and Learning Center and friends of the Rotary helped make the goal a reality. In addition, $850 in monetary donations will be used to support the purchase of soup for the Children’s Backpack program. Rotarians, members of the Rutgers Men’s Crew, Scouts from Pack 315 and members of the Rotoract of Raritan Valley Community College stood outside the ShopRite 12 hours each day. Their efforts were rewarded with an avalanche of cans worth more than $10,000. For more information about the Rotary Club of Branchburg, call 908-685-8080 or “like” Rotary Club of Branchburg Facebook page at http://bit.ly/30s7kJv or join them at Stoney Brook Grille any Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. 

SCLSNJ receives $1,000 grant

The Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ) has been selected to receive a grant to participate in Libraries Lead with Digital Skills, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) and the Public Library Association (PLA), sponsored by Grow with Google. The $1,000 grant will be used to support funding for programs that will assist job seekers in Somerset County find or prepare for work. According to recent data from nj.gov, the unemployment rate in Somerset County is 2.5 percent. This program series aims to connect library customers to the evolving economy through technology-based courses that focus on Google tools. The programs, which are slated to begin in March, will include livestream classes with Google employees; interactive workshops that will introduce G Suite and Google search capabilities; and more. Visit sclsnj.org.

Bill passes committee  

With nearly one in five U.S. adults living with mental illness, including more than 933,000 in New Jersey alone, Assembly Democrats Britnee N. Timberlake (D-Essex, Passaic), Shanique Speight (D-Essex) and Anthony Verrelli (D-Mercer, Hunterdon) have sponsored legislation to establish a Mental Illness Resource Hotline and improve the services of other hotlines throughout the state. The bill (A-1847) recently passed the Assembly Human Services Committee. The hotline would be staffed 24 hours a day by counselors, psychologists and other mental health professionals. The legislation was created alongside Ian Miller, a member of the Essex County Mental Health Advisory Board, to eliminate the stigmas that exist when considering the management of one’s mental health. The bill will now go to the Speaker for further consideration. Visit www.assemblydems.com.

Norgard receives award

Greater Somerset County YMCA has announced staff member Eddie Norgard is a recipient of this year’s 30 under 30 award. Norgard is the director of Membership and Programs at Somerville YMCA, a branch of Greater Somerset County YMCA. The award is given by YMCA of the USA’s Emerging Leaders Resource Network to Y staff members under age 30 who’ve made a difference in their community and have potential to lead Y associations in the future. Norgard was one of 220 nominations, and one of 30 to have received the honor. He is the only national recipient from New Jersey this year. One of Norgard’s achievements includes establishing Employee Resource Networks (ERN) at Greater Somerset County YMCA’s branches, which work to foster diversity and inclusion among staff members. Because of his work with the Y’s LGBTQ+ ERN, parents in the community have chosen to bring their children to Y camp where they feel safe and included. For more information about Greater Somerset County YMCA, visit www.gscymca.org.

Free tax preparation available

Need help preparing your taxes? Somerset County Freeholder Brian D. Levine has announced that Tax-Aide has returned. The county Office of Volunteer Services and AARP have teamed up again this year to provide free tax-counseling assistance for residents who need help preparing their federal and New Jersey income tax returns. Appointments are required through Wednesday, April 15. Tax-Aide is a volunteer program designed to help residents prepare their tax returns. The program is specifically open to seniors, residents with disabilities, and lower-income residents but is available to everybody. These volunteers have many years of experience and receive annual training on the latest federal and state tax regulations including guidelines for deductions and credits, so that all tax returns are prepared accurately. All tax-preparation volunteers are tested at the advanced level and certified by the IRS. At your scheduled appointment, bring  your W-2 forms, bank, broker and social security statements, medical and other expenses, a copy of your last year’s returns,  and any other relevant information. The tax counselor will review your tax documents, prepare this year’s federal and New Jersey income tax returns, and file them electronically. If you are interested in making an appointment to consult with a tax counselor, call the Somerset County Office of Volunteer Services at 908-541-5710. The program runs through Wednesday, April 15, and is by appointment only. Visit www.co.somerset.nj.us.

Warren Township police blotter 

At 7:47 a.m. Feb. 3 police responded to a report of a erratic driver traveling with a flat tire on Mount Bethel Road. Following an investigation, Maximilian Hoffman, 19, of Warren was arrested in connection with driving while intoxicated and issued summonses for driving while intoxicated, careless driving, refusing to submit to breath test and failing to wear a seatbelt. His car was towed from the scene.  At 9:45 p.m. Feb. 3 following a motor vehicle stop on Hillcrest Road, Jalen Brewster-Andrews, 26, of North Plainfield was arrested in connection with possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana. A juvenile was taken into protective custody and later released to a relative.

Collaborative receives challenge 

The New Brunswick Healthy Housing Collaborative announced has been selected to receive the BUILD Health Challenge Award. The integrated partnership between New Brunswick Tomorrow, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Saint Peter’s University Hospital and the Middlesex County Office of Health Services has been selected as one of 18 communities across the nation to receive funding from BUILD for the 2019-2021 term. The Collaborative will use lessons learned from the established Healthy Housing project in New Brunswick. Current home assessments and community outreach conducted by Community Health Ambassadors have sparked momentum with residents to address healthy housing challenges. The project will receive $250,000 in funding and additional resources to support the ongoing work to develop and drive policy changes that ensure healthier homes. The Collaborative will work with the City of New Brunswick to improve housing-related city ordinances to enable stable and healthy housing. The BUILD Health Challenge is a national program focusing on bold, upstream, integrated, local and data-driven projects. This award strengthens partnerships between local nonprofit organizations, hospitals and health systems, and local health departments to drive sustainable improvements in community health. You can learn more about the Build Health Challenge by visiting www.buildhealthchallenge.org. You can learn more about the New Brunswick Healthy Housing Collaborative’s project by visiting http://bit.ly/2H1ewDE.

READ: Central Jersey Daily Rundown, Friday, Feb. 7 

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