County of UnionDefault category for all normal press releases
Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi welcomes members of the Union County Municipal Clerks Association at the County Clerk’s annual appreciation luncheon in honor of Municipal Clerks Week. This year’s luncheon was held at Liberty Hall Museum in Union.
(Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
Become a 4-H volunteer and help create life-changing experiences for youth in your community. Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County is seeking adult volunteer leaders for their 4-H LEGO Robotics Club and Pet Club this fall.
“Volunteer leaders are a valued and essential part of 4-H youth development programs helping students to explore their interests and share them with the community in a supportive and collaborative environment,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “The Freeholder Board is proud to support 4-H and its guiding principles of thoughtfulness, community service and healthy living.”
Union County’s 4-H LEGO Robotics Club engages students in 5th and 6th grades in hands-on technology experiments that focus on science, mathematics and language concepts. Students explore LEGO robot building with typical LEGO bricks, sensors, a motor and a few other specialty pieces. The basics of programming, engineering, and constructing are all part of the process. Students are encouraged to use creativity, teamwork and problem solving.
Union County’s 4-H Pet Club provides 1st and 2nd grade students who love pets a fun opportunity to learn all about pet care while developing key life skills including teamwork and decision making. Students explore animal ownership responsibilities including, grooming, training and exercise, feeding, and safety.
Both Union County 4-H clubs will meet at the Collen Fraser Building in Westfield on Saturday morning starting in September. The Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4-H Program provides training for adult leaders and curriculum materials for each club. For more information or to apply for the Union County 4-H adult volunteer leader positions please contact Jim Nichnadowicz, Rutgers Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Agent at 908-654-9854 or email him at jnichnadowicz@ucnj.org.
Union County 4-H Clubs are run by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County, supported in part by the Freeholder Board. The clubs belong to a 100-year American tradition established by the U.S Department of Agriculture by an Act of Congress, originally meant to help rural communities connect with useful information about agriculture and family health.
Over the years, 4-H has kept pace with the shift to urban and suburban life, using popular activities to help youngsters to engage in civic affairs and develop related skills such as teamwork and public speaking.
In Union County, the current 4-H slate includes modern clubs like Anime, Lego Robotics, S.T.E.M. and Fashion Design. The program also offers traditional favorites such as horticulture, cooking and archery. Students can also join a Variety Club and explore topics of their own creation. For older students, 4-H offers membership in the Community Service Club, which plans and conducts community service programs throughout Union County.
For more information about Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County and the Union County 4-H clubs visit ucnj.org/rce or call 908-654-9854.
Union County, NJ – Registration is still open for the fourth annual Union County Women Mean Business Seminar, a half-day of workshops designed to help women business owners and managers succeed in today’s competitive economy.
“Starting a business is one of the most challenging and rewarding endeavors you can undertake, and this seminar will help provide you with new insights that can help make your efforts pay off,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen.
The workshops include Art of the Ask, Turning Your Passion Into Profits, Uncovering Your Female Genius and other topics of particular interest to women in the business community.
“Many of the effective skills that you can develop in business also cross over into the non-profit sector, so if you run a non-profit or work for one, I encourage you to attend the seminar and learn how your organization can benefit,” said Bergen.
At the seminar, women will have the opportunity to network with experts and thought leaders in both the business sector and the expanding non-profit sector. The keynote speaker is Debra Vizzi of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, an organization that has distributed approximately $1 billion worth of donated food since its founding in 1982.
The Union County Women Mean Business summit takes place on Wednesday May 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.
A modest registration fee of $40.00 per person includes the full program with lunch, a networking cocktail hour (cash bar), and prize opportunities including round trip air fare.
Pre-registration is required by visiting Union County Means Business online at ucnj.org/ucmb.
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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.
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This past weekend Freeholders Bette Jane Kowalski and Angel G. Estrada attended the 27th Annual Union County Spring Garden Fair at the Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
This event was a success with many gardeners look forward to this spring garden fair every year. Gardeners can get free, reliable tips from the Master Gardeners of Union County who are trained and certified volunteer by Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Union County with the support of the Freeholder Board.
Pictured from left to right are: Richard Leister (President of Union County Masters Gardens), Madeline DiNardo (County Agriculture Agent), Fred Taylor, Freeholder Bette Jane Kowalski, Freeholder Angel G. Estrada, Joanne Krueger (Chair of Spring Gardens Fair
Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen and Freeholders Alexander Mirabella and Vernell Wright present a resolution in honor of Police Week to Union County Police Captain Martin Mogensen, Union County Prosecutor’s Office Captain James Russo, Union County Sheriff’s Captain Dennis Burke and members of the Union County SWAT team after a special weapons and tactics demonstration at the SWAT Range in Springfield. They were joined by Acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park. Mayors, police chiefs and officials from municipalities throughout Union County attended the informative SWAT demonstration. National Police Week takes place from Sunday, May 15 through Saturday, May 21, 2016. (Photo by Jim Lowney/County of Union)
The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is looking for artisans and crafts people to demonstrate Early American work and craft skills and to sell their hand-crafted wares at Union County’s 35th Annual Harvest Festival. The event is a celebration of Early American life featuring music, children’s crafts, games, demonstrations and displays, a petting zoo and much more. The Harvest Festival will take place, rain or shine, at Trailside Nature and Science Center in Mountainside on Sunday, September 25, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
“The Watchung Reservation is the perfect venue for visitors of all ages to come and experience early American Culture and history,” said Union County Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “Each year this event has proven to be fascinating and fun-filled for all who attend”.
The Union County Harvest Festival is a popular event that attracts over 3,500 visitors each year. By participating, demonstrators and vendors of hand-crafted goods will receive excellent exposure and have the opportunity to educate others about their craft or work skill and the Early American period in general. Examples of the handicrafts and work skills being sought are: blacksmithing, candle making, broom making, shoe making, hat making, jewelry making, and quilting and other colonial or Native American crafts or skills.
For details about how to participate, please call the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation at (908) 527- 4106.
For more information on Trailside Nature and Science Center please visit www.ucnj.org/trailside.
Union County, NJ – What’s in your backyard? Aside from ordinary denizens like deer, rabbits and raccoons, Union County is home to hundreds of fascinating plant and animal species. Union County residents and visitors are invited to encounter some of these unique and unusual neighbors at Bio-Blitz 2016, the 12th annual ‘round-the-clock, 24-hour snapshot survey of flora and fauna in County parks.
Bio-Blitz 2016 will begin Friday June 10 at 5:00 p.m. and continue through the night and the following day for 24 hours, concluding at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 11.
“Bio-Blitz is packed with activities for all ages, and it provides you with a chance to meet the naturalists and science professionals who work to catalog and conserve our natural environment,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “I encourage you to come and visit Bio-Blitz 2016, especially if there is an aspiring scientist in your family.”
For Bio-Blitz 2016, survey teams of professional scientists and naturalists will spread out among three County parks: Kawameeh Park in Union Township, Black Brook Park in Kenilworth, and the Galloping Hill Golf Course in Kenilworth.
The public is invited to watch the survey teams in action and participate in many other activities and programs. Kawameeh Park in Union Township will serve as the “Bio-Blitz Central” headquarters. Members of the public can visit Bio-Blitz Central for walk-in activities, exhibits and ongoing programs any time starting at 5:00 p.m. on Friday June 10.
Among the ongoing activities for all ages at Bio-Blitz Central are live exhibits, an “insect lab,” hands-on displays, and many opportunities to interact with survey teams as they examine and catalog their samples.
Visitors to Bio-Blitz Central can also sign up for scheduled nature tours and activities. All of the activities are free and no other pre-registration is required. Free shuttles are also available for most of the activities taking place at Black Brook Park and Galloping Hill.
Bird walks, mammal surveys, foraging for wild edibles, a geocaching demonstration, nature photography, night-time insect trapping and the popular “Frog Slog” are among the many scheduled activities.
Bio-Blitz is sponsored by the Freeholder Board with the generous support of many partners and sponsors.
For complete information about Bio-Blitz 2016 including a schedule of programs and activities visit ucnj.org/bio-blitz.
Professional scientists and other knowledgeable experts who are interested in joining a survey team can join online at ucnj.org/bio-blitz until June 1. For more information about joining a team or volunteering in another capacity, please contact Betty Ann Kelly, Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, at bkelly@ucnj.org.
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Photo credit: Hadel Go.
Union County, NJ – Union County residents who are interested in becoming certified Home Health Aides can enroll in a training program offered through the Union County Department of Human Services this summer. Upon completing the program, students will have the knowledge and skills required for certification by the New Jersey State Board of Nursing.
“This program was developed to provide home care professionals in Union County with reliable, accurate guidance,” said Freeholder Chairman Bruce H. Bergen. “By training and supporting our workforce, we can help ensure that our elderly and disabled residents live independently at home and stay connected with their communities.”
Union County established the training program in 1986 to address the growing need for in-home care.
To be considered for acceptance into the program, applicants must be 18 years of age, U.S. citizens or qualified aliens, and have the ability to read, write and speak English proficiently.
They must also be physically capable of participating in class work such as lifting, getting patients out of bed, giving bed baths, aiding transfers for those with limited mobility, and other related patient care.
The $75.00 registration fee includes the cost of the textbook and workbook. There also is an $80.00 application fee payable to the New Jersey State Board of Nursing. A passport size photo is required to be attached to the application.
Persons interested in registering must first arrange for a pre-program interview by calling Donna Farrell, Union County Division on Aging, at 908-527-4858.
Space in the class is limited and applicants are advised to call now for an interview appointment. Interviews will be conducted in June.
The program will begin on July 11 and continue to August 4, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from Monday through Thursday each week. All sessions will be held at Jewish Family Services, 655 Westfield Avenue in Elizabeth.
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For all Union County programs and services visit ucnj.org, call the Public Info Line, 877-424-1234, email info@ucnj.org or use the online Contact Form.
Connect with Union County on social media.