* United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey *

(UACNJ)

COME LOOK THROUGH OUR TELESCOPES & SEE STARS OF YOUR BACKYARD – FREE!!

UACNJ has FREE Public Events EVERY SATURDAY from 8pm – 10pm.

These events are held EVERY Saturday from April 7^th - October 28^th, 2012.

The UACNJ Observatory is located just 6 miles off Rt. 80 at Exit 12. 

(Hope – Blairstown exit)

This is the same exit as Land of Make Believe.

Our address is 333 State Park Road, Hope, NJ.

Follow signs for Jenny Jump State Forest and the UACNJ Observatory.

Prior to each evening viewing session there is a free lecture that you may attend which starts at 8pm about various astronomical topics. (RAIN or SHINE)

Afterwards you are invited to look through our different size and designs of telescopes that are on site. (Weather permitting)

PLEASE NOTE: THE PICTURE ABOVE WAS TAKEN BY MEMBERS AT THE UACNJ OBSERVATORY.

Complete directions are available on our web-site: www.uacnj.org

If you have any questions, please contact Ken at 201-230-6291 or Chris at 610-628-0522.    

February 20, 2012 (Watchung, NJ) – The Watchung Arts Center announces the Semi-Finalists of the  2012 Vocal Competition – NJ IDOL for New Jersey residents ages 15 – 29 years of age. Judges did an amazing job in not only scoring each contestant but they also offered a professional critique of each performance serving as a very valuable opinion to further their careers. The Watchung Arts Center would like to thank everyone for participating and bringing their talent and enthusiasm to the Watchung Arts Center. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL NJ IDOL SEMI-FINALISTS SEMI-FINALISTS  FOR FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Frederick “Freddie “ Bourne, Union BeachNicole Celebre, Toms RiverHayley Doud, ClintonKatherine Grumka, WhippanyJessica Kundla, WarrenAlexa Pantaleo, FreeholdAlyssa Puccio, WarrenRuth Sariah, WatchungMike Schiavo, ColoniaAlice Tuberty-Vaughan, GilletteDestiny Tucker, Lopatcong 

SEMI-FINALISTS  FOR SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25, 2012

Sherry Cortese, WarrenCharisa Dowe, NewarkAndrew Guerra, WarrenSara E. Pike, MadisonJuliette Reilly, Berkeley HeightsPatty Romano, AvenelAnalisa Rotella, DenvilleCecilia Salvino , BranchburgJessie Villa, MendhamMaria Wood, Bridgewater

Ticket information for this event will be posted online or email WACenter@optonline.net and will be available for $15 for each night.  Semi-Finals will begin at 8:00 PM. This event is not associated or affiliated with American Idol, its sponsors, producers or participants. The Watchung Arts Center, a multi-disciplinary arts facility serving Watchung and the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area.  For more information visit our website at www.watchungarts.org or to place a reservation call 908-753-0190 or email at wacenter@optonline.net.  The Watchung Arts Center is located at 18 Stirling Road, Watchung, NJ  07069.

 The Watchung Arts Center presents a special Benefit Performance – Music du Jour featuring Beatrice Long & Guests on Sunday, February 26 beginning at 4 p.m.

The performance is to benefit  WAC and Protestant Community Center, Inc- a tutoring service for inner city kids- renowned concert pianist Beatrice Long, lyric tenor Chad Boudreaux, soprano Dawn Boudreaux take stage with talented local students in a charity concert; offers a delicious treat of master pieces for piano, violin and voice.

Beatrice Long, of Short Hills, NJ, is an internationally renowned concert pianist, recording artist and duo pianist, have received critical acclaim from Washington Post, American Record Guide, BBC, Nacion of Costa Rica: ‘Long plays with a maximum of insight and technical ability and can bring the mighty Steinway to its knees’. She has performed in three continents with major orchestras.   

Lyric tenor, Chad Boudreaux, of Watchung, NJ, has sang leading roles with New Orleans Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Memphis, Natchez Opera, Opera SouthWest, Ashville Lyric Opera, Light Opera Oklahoma, The Masterworks Festival Opera and Jacksonville Symphony Opera.  The Louisiana native made his stage debut as Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff.

Watchung residence, Soprano Dawn Wyble Boudreaux made her New York City debut with The New York Opera Forum as Zerlina in Don Giovanni.  She has sung lead roles with Ohio Light Opera, Opera Southwest, Jefferson Performing Arts Society, Ashville Lyric Opera, Natchez Opera Festival, Baton Rouge Opera, Light Opera Oklahoma, Acadiana Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony, Opera in the Ozarks, Choral Acadienne and New York’s prestigious National Chorale

Watchung residence,  Christine Ciuffreda, winner of Young Pianist Competition of New Jersey, Music Educators Association of New Jersey, International Concert Alliance; made her orchestral debut with the Giavane Sinfonietta Clodiense in Italy.

Christopher Chen, a junior at the Summit High School, is both an accomplished violinist and pianist.  He was a winner of National League of Performing Arts’ Young Artists Competition, Goldblatt Scholarship Award. He was chosen to perform with the members of New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Janet Wang, a Junior and an honor roll student at the Livingston High School, is a winner of American-Asian Young Pianist Competition,  performed in the US, Taiwan and China.

Ian Lee, a junior at the Millburn High School, is top-ranking piano student of Music Educators Association. 

Together, the seven performers of two generations join hands in offering our community a diverse music program to benefit the two worthy not-for-profit organizations: Watchung Arts Center and the PCCI.Tickets are $16 in advance, $20 ($18 for WAC members, $10 for students) at the door.  Tickets can be purchased online at WatchungArtrs.org.The “Classicals at the Circle” series directors are Claus Cardinal and Sophia Agranovich.  They continuously present an enchanting list of musicians which has included the talents of the Long Duo, Min Kwon, Stephen Fang, Afiara String Quartet and many more.  Don’t miss the passion of this astounding series.

Special Needs – Challenger Football & Cheerleading League
The Challenger League brings the Pop Warner Little Scholars experience to those who are in grades 2nd through 8th and have an IEP/Special Needs.  The Challenger program is non-competitive non-tackle and no score will be kept. Visit our website for more information and to obtain a registration form at littlebearsfootball.webs.com or contact Commissioner/Program Coordinator: Pam Biondo @ 908-421-4347 cheercomm08@yahoo.com  President: Ken DiGraziano @ 908 285-1418 KungfooKen@aol.com
Regards,
 
Pam Biondo
Challenger Program Commissioner
Mountain Valley Conference PopWarner
Mobile/Text 908-421-4347
cheercomm08@yahoo.com
littlebearsfootball.webs.com

ENROLLMENT BEGINS FOR\ OPEN STUDIO FOR LIFE PAINTING AND DRAWING
Long Pose Figure Sessions at WAC
 
February 13, 2012 (Watchung, NJ)  The Watchung Arts Center is now accepting enrollment for the new Open Studio for Life Painting and Drawing Long pose figure sessions with class facilitator, artist Maryann Ficker.
Classes will feature one model maintaining the same pose for all four sessions. This provides artists enough time to complete a figure painting or detailed drawing. Open to all artists and is non-instructional.
Tuesdays, 7 – 9:30 p.m. Class Dates: 2/28, 3/6, 3/13, & 3/20. FEE: $50 for 4 sessions. Class size is small (capped at 8 artists) and filled on a first-come first-served basis. Walk-ins welcome, space permitting, for $15 each session. Reservations required one day in advance.
 
Visit WatchungArts.org to download a registration form.

NJWorks@YourLibrary Open House

Hillsborough Library, March 1, 4:30 – 6:30 pm

Bridgewater, NJ.  February 14, 2012. – Visit the Hillsborough Library on Thursday, March 1 from 4:30 – 6:30 pm to find out how the library can help job seekers land a new job.  The NJWorks@YourLibrary Open House will also include community partners from local government, civic and non-profit groups.  These local organizations, among them the Somerset County Board of Social Services and the Somerville/Flemington One Stop, plus the Somerset County Library System (SCLS) are all geared towards helping job seekers in all facets of their lives as they move through the unemployment period.

SCLS is already a community asset for information needs for local residents.  Its services and programs that are geared towards job seekers are perhaps not as widely known.  Classes on basic computer use, business related databases, plus one on one help with resumes are among the services SCLS provides to local residents.

Community partners are equally positioned to help job seekers during unemployment.  The Open House is an opportunity to find out more about these organizations plus the services of SCLS.  Organizations scheduled to participate include: Jewish Family Services, Raritan Valley Community College, Somerset County Board of Social Services, and Somerville/Flemington One Stop.

Patrons with further questions can call SCLS at (908)526-4016 x 188 or enter the website at http://www.sclsnj.org.  The Somerset County Library System has branches in Bridgewater, Bound Brook, Hillsborough, at the Mary Jacobs Library in Rocky Hill, North Plainfield, Peapack & Gladstone, Somerville, Warren Township and Watchung.

Somerville, February 15, 2012 – VERVE in Somerville hosted an exceptional evening of Wine & Chocolate Tasting to benefit Women’s Health & Counseling Center, a community based nonprofit medical center, now in its 39^th year of helping women and their families in Somerset County and beyond.

“Learning how to taste wines is a straightforward adventure that enhances ones appreciation for wine – look, smell and taste are the basics that help us to enjoy these splendid fruits of the vine,” said Roger Kissling, CSW, the eloquent expert who guided guests through their sensory journey.

The warm ambiance of the setting provided a perfect backdrop for an evening of luxury which began with a sumptuous assortment of passed hors d’oeuvres. Customized mouth-watering milk, white, and dark chocolate parings delivered a delight for the palate of the most discerning guest.  During the evening guests sampled a variety of six enchanting estate wines selected from vineyards located in Australia, California and Germany. 

Wine for the evening was supplied by Gallo Wine Sales of New Jersey.  Featured chocolate pairings were created by Enjou Chocolat of Morristown, New Jersey.  Door prizes were made possible through the generous donation of dance sessions at Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Greenbrook; passes to the Stress Factory Comedy Club, New Brunswick; and, tickets to Godspell from Davenport Theatrical Enterprises, Inc. New York City.

About Women’s Health and Counseling Center

Women’s Health & Counseling Center is a community-based, nonprofit provider of personalized healthcare for women, particularly those who may not be able to obtain such services from traditional providers due to monetary, cultural, language or other barriers.  The organization’s goal is to provide compassionate, high quality healthcare, prevention and education for teens, and sexual assault support services. For more information, visit www.womenandhealth.org.

 Roger Kissling, CSW, pointed out that look, smell, and taste are the basics to enjoying wine at a Wine & Chocolate Tasting event to benefit Women’s Health & Counseling Center of Somerville.

KEEPING BABIES SAFE DONATES 210 SAFE, NEW, FEDERALLY-COMPLIANT CRIBS TO THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, AND LIFE CHOICES RESOURCE CENTER TO BE DISTRUBUTED THROUGHOUT NEW JERSEY HELPING FAMILIES IN NEED

DONATIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE BY A $25,000 GRANT AWARDED TO KEEPING BABIES SAFE BY THE TOYS“R”US CHILDREN’S FUND
Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund Grant is Part of $1 Million New Jersey Initiative to Benefit Nonprofit Organizations
Supporting Children in the State

Warren, NJ (February 14, 2012) – Keeping Babies Safe has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund through its 2011 New Jersey grant initiative. With the monies, Keeping Babies Safe has donated 210, safe, new cribs to The New Jersey Department of Children and Families and Life Choices Resource Center that will reach all of New Jersey’s 21 counties. “We wanted to reach as many families in New Jersey needing safe, federally-compliant cribs,” says Joyce Davis, President of Keeping Babies Safe.  “That’s why we donated 210 cribs directly to the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and Life Choices because collectively they reach every county in the State to ensure that parents in need have a safe crib for their baby in early 2012.”  Grants were given by the Fund to alleviate economic challenges and sustain organizations that favorably impact children across New Jersey. Keeping Babies Safe was one of 54 organizations selected from 500 charities statewide requesting funding.

Keeping Babies Safe, has a long history of donating more that 3000 cribs throughout New Jersey through affiliations and distribution channels like the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and Life Choices, and made possible by generous grants like Toys“R”Us.  In addition to giving safe cribs, Keeping Babies Safe educates these organizations’ social services professionals on safe sleep and crib practices so they in turn can pass this critical crib safety information onto the communities they serve. Our combined efforts of Keeping Babies Safe’s education, and crib donations campaigns has made an essential difference in providing safe sleep environments to babies throughout the State that otherwise would be sleeping in dangerous conditions.

“The New Jersey Department of Children and Families is extremely grateful for the work of Keeping Babies Safe,” said DCF Commissioner Allison Blake. “Through this partnership, our prevention programs are able to provide brand new, safe cribs for newborns of participating families that lack the necessary financial resources to make this essential purchase.”  The cribs are provided; along with training in crib safety and safe sleep practices, to new mothers and parents in all 21 counties of the state through their participation in the Department of Children and Families’ (DCF) home visiting programs, parenting programs and Family Success Centers.

“As a pregnancy help center located in Metuchen in central New Jersey, Life Choices Resource Center primarily serves clients from Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties, however, we accommodate anyone in New Jersey who contacts us,” says Carolyn Glodek, Director of Client Services. “While we offer emotional support to women who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy, our efforts would be hollow if we could not assist them materially, as well. Our connection with Keeping Babies Safe allows us to, not only provide a new crib when it is needed, but one that we know will be safe. Keeping Babies Safe also provides us with their educational ‘Safe Sleep (Environments) for Babies’ materials, outlining sleep safety tips for newborns. Keeping Babies Safe fills a huge gap in the lives of many babies, and we are so grateful for their continued support.”

“As a company dedicated to children and families, Toys“R”Us shares in the commitment of Keeping Babies Safe to helping parents and caregivers keep children out of harm’s way, and we are proud that our support has enabled the organization to provide safer sleeping environments for hundreds of babies in New Jersey,” said Kathleen Waugh, Chairman, Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund.  “Of the many proposals the Children’s Fund received, Keeping Babies Safe demonstrated a distinctive commitment to supporting children in New Jersey through its safety-focused outreach efforts that positively impact the lives of countless children in the state.”

Grants will support a wide array of unique programs and services aligned with the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund mission of keeping children safe and helping them in times of need. Funding was awarded to nonprofit organizations that demonstrated an immediate and specific need and directly impacted children in the state. Kids in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties will benefit from the impact of the grant initiative through community-based and statewide charities. To view the complete list of recipients, please visit: Toysrusinc.com/charitable-giving/2011NJGrants 

Toys“R”Us, Inc. has a long history of giving back to the communities it serves by keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need. The company and the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund together have given hundreds of thousands of dollars in product donations and monetary grants annually to a wide range of nonprofit organizations in New Jersey. For 38 years, Toys“R”Us, Inc. has been based in New Jersey with more than 4,500 employees across more than 45 stores, regional offices, the corporate headquarters and the company’s largest retail distribution center in the country.

About Keeping Babies Safe

Keeping Babies Safe www.keepingbabiessafe.org is a 501 (c)(3) foundation that provides education, assistance and leadership in keeping babies safe from preventable injuries associated with unsafe cribs and unsafe sleep environments. Keeping Babies Safe offers safe cribs, sleep safety information, safety tips, and product recall information to empower parents with information so they can remain vigilant about keeping their babies safe.   Keeping Babies Safe, in connection with the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, created “Safe Sleep (Environments) for Babies” educational videos and helpful tips that we are making available to as many parents as possible.

 
About the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund

The Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund is a public charity affiliated with Toys“R”Us, Inc., a company that unabashedly declares “We love kids!” The core mission of the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund is to keep children safe and help them in times of need. Since it was founded in 1992, the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund has contributed millions of dollars to qualified organizations that support that mission, including those providing disaster relief to children and families who are victims of large-scale crises. The Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund also provides grants to leading organizations that support children with special needs.  Primary fundraising activities include the annual Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund Gala, a private, invitation-only event that showcases the work of the Fund and raises money to support its many beneficiaries. This annual benefit has raised more than $95 million since its inception in 1985 and is one of the largest single-night fundraising events held in New York City. For more information about Toys“R”Us, Inc. charitable giving and the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund, please visit Toysrusinc.com/charitable-giving.

About Department of Children and Families

New Jersey’s state child welfare agency, was created in July 2006 as the state’s first Cabinet agency devoted exclusively to serving and safeguarding the most vulnerable children and families in New Jersey. DCF includes the Division of Youth and Family Services, Division of Prevention and Community Partnerships and Division of Child Behavioral Health Services, and is focused on strengthening families and achieving safety, well-being and permanency for New Jersey’s children. www.dcf.state.nj.us

About Life Choices

Life Choices Resource Center opened its doors in 1985 and has served the physical, spiritual and emotional needs of thousands of women and families since that time. We are a non-profit organization, funded by free-will donations from private individuals, organizations and businesses. We present a loving, faith-filled and joyful hope to our clients and provide a non-judgmental hand of friendship to women facing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy.  We also promote positive, healthy lifestyles and offer healing along with restoration to those hurt by abortion. www.lifechoicesonline.org

Raritan Valley Community College’s (RVCC) Continuing Education (CE) division is offering courses this winter and spring for those interested in learning to design web pages. The programs will serve as an introduction to the technical skills needed for designing a well-planned web page or website. The following classes will be held at RVCC@Bridgewater, located at 14 Vogt Drive.

HTML & CSS for Web Pages: Participants will learn the fundamentals of using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), eXtensible Hypertext Markup Language (XHTML), and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Beginner programmers will learn how these technologies are critical to designing a well-designed web page. Classes will be held on Tuesdays, February 28-March 13, from 6-9 p.m. The cost per participant is $256.

Dreamweaver: Participants will learn to how to use Dreamweaver to format and design web pages and how to work with graphics within web pages. Participants will learn how Dreamweaver helps one easily manage and manipulate websites. Classes will be held on Tuesdays, March 20-April 3, from 6-9 p.m. The cost per participant is $256.

Flash for Web Pages: Participants will learn how to enhance websites and web pages with the use of Flash. The animation software enables one to use graphic, text and images to create sophisticated websites. Participants will learn how to import movies, work with drawing tools, and add playback controls. Classes will be held on Tuesdays, April 10-May 1, from 6-9 p.m. The cost per participant is $295.

To register or for additional information, contact Continuing Education at 908-218-8871 or visit www.raritanval.edu/ce.

RVCC’s main campus is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. Serving Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for over 40 years, the College offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates. RVCC @ Bridgewater, located at 14 Vogt Drive, offers technical, trade, credit and non-credit courses.

The College is committed to offering a quality and affordable education through effective teaching, liaisons with the community’s businesses and state-of-the-art technology. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.