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ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is proud to present artworks by participants in the “Art for Adults with Disabilities Project” of the Occupational Center of Union County in an exhibit at the Freeholders Gallery. The gallery is located on the 6th floor of the Union County Administration Building, Elizabethtown Plaza at Rahway Avenue, in Elizabeth. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and the exhibit will be on display until April 11.

This art program is made possible by a HEART Grant (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders. HEART grants serve as a way to strengthen Union County’s non-profit organizations, artists and scholars, so they can provide innovative projects related to the arts, humanities, and history.

The Occupational Center of Union County, a not-for-profit organization, provides an environment where individuals with disabilities can develop and become productive and employable. Making works of art provides a therapeutic and creative outlet for the participants. The artists share their inner talents using a wide range of media, such as acrylic, watercolor, crayon, pastel, pen, and pencil. The center started this art program in 2003 and continues to achieve great success.

The Union County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, part of the Department of Parks and Recreation, coordinates the exhibits displayed at the Freeholders Gallery. For further information about this and other programs and services related to the arts and history in Union County, please contact the Office at 633 Pearl Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202; telephone: 908-558-2550; NJ relay users dial 711; or E-mail:culturalinfo@ucnj.org.

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(From left) Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak and Freeholders Vernell Wright and Sergio Granados met with Donna Lowe Alexander, Clifton Alexander and Ella S. Teal of the Urban League of Union County during an Affordable Care Act Information and Enrollment Assistance Fair at Kean University in Union.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – The Union County Rape Crisis Center is seeking volunteers to serve as advocates for victims of sexual assault. All new volunteers are trained and mentored by Rape Crisis Center staff and experienced volunteers. The next training session will start on April 22.

The Rape Crisis Center is part of the Union County Department of Human Services. Its volunteer advocates have served thousands of Union County residents with confidential and supportive guidance since 1984.

“If you are exploring ways to volunteer in Union County, I encourage you to contact the Rape Crisis Center and find out about our training program,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “We are very proud of the dignity and respect with which our volunteers approach this invaluable service to our community.”

Rape Crisis Center volunteers respond by phone to requests for guidance by victims of sexual violence. If needed, they may also accompany victims to medical or legal procedures.

Hudak noted that many victims have no family member or friend available to help guide them through the medical and legal aftermath of sexual violence.

“Our volunteers provide a strong shoulder to lean on,” said Hudak.  “No one should have to be alone at this critical point in their lives.”

Prospective volunteers start with an informal interview at the Rape Crisis Center, located at the Union County Colleen Fraser Building, 300 North Avenue East, in Westfield.

If the visit results in a commitment to serve, volunteers attend a series of twice-weekly training sessions at the Colleen Fraser Building. The next training series starts on April 22. Sessions are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. There are 18 sessions in all.

Volunteers must be Union County residents at least 18 years of age, hold a valid driver’s license, and have their own vehicle.

To schedule an interview call the Union County Rape Crisis Center at 908-233-7273.

For more information about the Rape Crisis Center visit ucnj.org. Testimonials by volunteers are also available at the Rape Crisis Center blog, unioncountyrapecrisiscenter.blogspot.com.

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Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter attwitter.com/countyofunionnj.

Expert and amateur scientists and naturalists are needed as volunteer members of “Bio-Blitz” teams during Union County’s 10thannual outdoor biodiversity event. Nature lovers of all ages will have the opportunity to get up-close and personal with wildlife in their own “backyard” during Bio-Blitz 2014, beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 13, and continuing to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, at Oak Ridge Park and the Ash Brook Reservation in Clark and Scotch Plains, New Jersey.

To register as a volunteer, go to the Union County website: www.ucnj.org/bio-blitz or send an e-mail to bkelly@ucnj.orgrequesting more information. Please specify your level of experience and team preference. Plant, fungi, insect, fish, bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile experts, and water monitors, along with amateur naturalists will collect and identify species from the two parks over a 24-hour period. Teams will return to Bio-Blitz Central, a tented field lab and exhibit space in Oak Ridge Park, to sort and count what they find.

“The Bio-Blitz is a great opportunity for the community and visiting scientists to learn more about the natural places that make Union County a special place to live,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “Although these parks are surrounded by suburban development, they are perfect examples of how green spaces can provide a haven for people and wildlife.”

Bio-Blitz 2014 is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, and numerous local partner organizations. For more information, visitwww.ucnj.org/bio-blitz.

Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak reads to children at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Springfield on March 8 during the Union County Education Association’s annual Read Across America event. He is holding his daughter Catherine. Read Across America is a reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading in honor of the birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss.  (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

(From left) Union County Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak and Freeholders Sergio Granados and Angel G. Estrada joined the 2014 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade General Chairwoman Kathryn Noonan, Grand Marshal Robert E. Jeans Sr. and Adjutant Bernadette Sullivan for the raising of the Irish flag at the Union County Courthouse in Elizabeth in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and Irish Culture and Heritage. The annual event was hosted by the Elizabeth Divisions of the Ladies of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (LAOH) and the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH). LAOH President Jennifer Goodman and AOH President Jimmy O’Neil welcomed the elected and parade officials. The Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 15 on Morris Avenue in Union. For more information visitwww.unioncountystpatricksdayparade.com. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)

Union County, NJ – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders reminds home owners who are seniors age sixty and older, or persons with disabilities, that they may qualify for a federal grant of up to $5,000 under the new Home Repair and Advocacy program. The funds are intended to repair damage to homes from Superstorm Sandy. The home must be the owner’s primary residence.

The grant applications for Union County home owners will be processed by Development Directions LLC of Rahway.

“Development Directions has a solid track record of administering grants and making sure that community assistance funds go where they’re needed, in a timely manner,” said Freeholder Chairman Christopher Hudak. “If you think you may be eligible for this program, I encourage you to connect with Development Directions as soon as possible.”

A wide variety of storm-related repairs may be covered under this program, including damage to furnaces, hot water heaters, and other major appliances as well as electrical systems, roof and window repairs, and tree removal.

Other repairs may include water damage and mold remediation.

The source of the funding is an $8.2 million federal Social Services Block Grant awarded to the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

From that state agency, the funds are distributed in blocks to county-based offices, including the Union County Division on Aging. The Division on Aging selected Development Directions through a public bidding process to administer Union County’s share of the funds.

This “block grant” process is a long-established strategy for ensuring that federal funds are channeled to the appropriate recipients by reliable, local community development professionals.

For more information, contact Development Directions by calling 732-382-8100 or by emailingCitaliano1@verizon.net, or writing to Development Directions, 2 City Hall Plaza, 2nd Floor, Rahway NJ, 07065. Proof of home ownership must be provided.  Downloadable application forms are available here.

For information about all Union County programs and resources for seniors and individuals with disabilities call the Union County Division on Aging and Disability Resource Connection toll free, 888-280-8226 or visit online at ucnj.org.

Please join the County of Union online at ucnj.org, on Facebook at ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter attwitter.com/countyofunionnj.

ELIZABETH, NJ – The Union County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee invites the public to hear a special lecture by Sandra W. Moss, M.D., Program Chair and Past-President of the Medical History Society of New Jersey, on Wednesday, March 19, at 2:00 p.m.

The lecture by Dr. Moss, entitled “Women Healers in the Civil War,” will be presented at the First Presbyterian Church (“Old First”) located at 42 Broad Street in historic midtown Elizabeth, at 2:00 p.m. The program is free of charge and the public is invited. After the lecture, please visit the special exhibit on Civil War nursing and medicine at the Union County Courthouse, 2 Broad Street, next door to the church. To reserve a seat for the lecture, please call 908-527-4999. Parking is available nearby in the J. Christian Bollwage municipal garage on Caldwell Place at Elizabethtown Plaza.

“Union County is honored to have Dr. Sandra Moss speak here about the important role of women as healers during the Civil War as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 1861-65 conflict,” said Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi, chairman of the committee. “We welcome visitors to the Old First church and the Courthouse to learn more about the importance of nurses to members of the U.S. armed forces and about the experiences of Union County residents during the Civil War.”

Sandra Moss, M.D., M.A. (history) is a clinician historian who focuses on 19th century New Jersey medicine. She is past president and current program chair of the Medical History Society of New Jersey and recently completed a term as president of the American Osler Society, an international organization for clinician historians. Dr. Moss has taught courses in the history of medicine and she speaks frequently before local, state, and national audiences on a variety of historical topics, including the history of military medicine. Her latest book, “Edgar Holden, M.D., of Newark: Provincial Physician on a National Stage,” will be published later this year.

The Civil War Exhibit is on display until 2015 in the rotunda of the Union County Courthouse. The exhibit may be viewed weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The displays will change from time to time. Anyone wishing to loan historical artifacts from the Civil War era for the exhibit can contact committee member Katherine Craig at 908-282-7617. All objects will be secured, locked and acknowledged.