NEWS

What's happening in Central Jersey: Dec. 21 and later

Bradley W. Wadlow
  • Center in Bridgewater offering new Mommy & Me program next year.
  • Hunterdon Helpline will be offering an eight-week Citizenship Preparation Course.
  • Union County Clerk's offices in Westfield and Elizabeth are offering free passport photographs.
  • "Christmas Carol Sing-a-long Around the Rotunda Christmas Tree" to be held on Wednesday.

BRIDGEWATER

New Mommy & Me program is offered

The JCC Blaustein Early Childhood Center (ECC) is offering a new Mommy & Me Program beginning in January.

The 45-minute class is offered to children ages 15 to 24 months with an adult. Mommy & Me will be led by JCC Blaustein Early Childhood Director Linda Weiss, and activities include music, crafts, story time, holiday celebrations, developmentally appropriate activities and opportunity to socialize and meet new friends.

Participants will be offered the opportunity to swim in the JCC's indoor pool. Free Mommy & Me trial classes will be offered on Mondays, January 5, 12, 19 and 26, and participants may take one or multiple classes at no cost; registration is required. The Winter Session will run from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Mondays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23, March, 2, 9. The registration fee is $100 for the Winter Session.

For additional information and to register for the free classes or the Winter Session, contact ECC Director Linda Weiss at 908-725-6994 ext. 208; or email LWeiss@ssbjcc.org.

The JCC Blaustein Early Childhood Center offers child care services for children ages 6 weeks through Kindergarten. Registration for the 2015-2016 school year begins late December, and there is open enrollment for the current school year.

The Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center is located at 775 Talamini Road in Bridgewater. For additional information, visit www.ssbjcc.org.

BRIDGEWATER

Arts association has library exhibit

Members of the Raritan Valley Arts Association are exhibiting works at the Somerset County Library in Bridgewater this month as the association commemorates its 75th anniversary.

Artists in the exhibit include Diana Patton, Alka Dalal, Rosemary Zangara, Susan Boyd, Donna Souren, Olga S. Phelps, Bill Gilbert, Bill Metz, and Eric (Zhicheng) Zhao. The show includes small original works in the library's display cases as well as larger works hung throughout the building on North Bridge Street.

Raritan Valley Arts Association (RVAA) was established in 1939, and is one of the oldest arts associations in New Jersey. Members have been showing their work at the library for the past 33 years.

Each year it has eight meetings with demonstrations by various artists in water color, oil, acrylic, mixed media collage, and pastel. Meetings are conducted in the Somerset County Library once a month, and all are welcome to watch.

Patton of Bridgewater has been curator of the library show since 1981, when the library first opened. Patton is an accomplished water color artist, author of children's books, and a teacher.

Alka Dalal, current president of RVAA, said that the association has started a gllary of donated painting for wounded warriors. For more information about this initiative, the show or the association, visit www.raritanvalleyarts.org.

All the paintings are for sale; a portion of the proceeds goes to the Friends of the Somerset Country Library.

FLEMINGTON

Women may be eligible for training

Women who have lost their primary source of income due to the death or disability of their spouse or after divorce or separation may be eligible for employment readiness training at no charge from NORWESCAP's Career & Life Transitions Center for Women.

Services the Career & Life Transitions Center offers focus on assisting women prepare for a return to the workforce and includes a 50-hour computer training program, career interest inventories, career counseling, job search skills, a job club, support groups, confidence-building workshop, and referrals to community resources.

The Career & Life Transitions Center also provides these services to women who have been in a long term relationship that has ended, women with spouses who have been actively deployed, as well as to women who must return to the workforce when their spouse has become unemployed.

To learn more about the services the Career & Life Transitions Center offers, register for their upcoming orientation scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday (Dec. 22) or Wednesday, Jan. 7, by calling 908-788-1453. The CLTC is located at 84 Park Ave., Suite E103.

NORWESCAP is a non-profit community action agency established in 1965 that creates opportunities for over 30,000 low-income people in northwest New Jersey by providing a large portfolio of self-sufficiency and emergency services.

HUNTERDON COUNTY

Helpline is offering eight-week course

Hunterdon Helpline will be offering an eight-week Citizenship Preparation Course after the first of the year to prepare adults for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Citizenship test.

Literacy New Jersey received a Literacy Innovations grant from the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development to provide training and funding to its affiliates so they may offer the course. Helpline's Literacy Services Division is one of the affiliates receiving funding to offer the course.

"This very detailed course, complete with books, USCIS forms, and other materials for the students and instructors, is very needed in our community. We have many literacy students whose goal is to become a citizen. While we have been able to help our students attain their citizenship prior to this, with the new 16-hour course, we will be even more successful in helping them achieve that goal," said Helpline Literacy Services Coordinator Mariden May in a prepared statement.

Both May and Helpline Executive Director Susan Lax took the Citizenship Preparation tutor training course as part of the grant's requirements and are now able to teach the course or train other tutors to teach the course. The pilot requires that 10 students be enrolled in the first effort.

Helpline has a variety of programs and services focused on immigration needs in the community. Helpline's Ask the Attorney Night, offered once a month, has an immigration attorney who meets with clients and helps them navigate the process. Clients are from many countries, with a concentration of Hispanics, Asians, and Egyptians.

As part of the Hunterdon-Somerset Consortium, May said, Literacy Services also receives a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grant from the DOL which requires the students in that program to make advances in education and employment. Citizenship is another goal. Literacy Services' general program is funded by the United Way of Hunterdon County and corporate and individual donations. All programs are free for the students.

The purpose of Literacy Services is to provide adult students whether English is their language or not, the necessary skills to be successful in the community. "Language proficiency is necessary to accomplish that," May said. "To pass the Citizenship test is more than just knowing American history. One must be able to comprehend English during the interview process." She added that Helpline's First Assist "helpline" provides additional assistance to immigrants through Helpline's programs and services and the organizations and agencies it collaborates with to provide a holistic approach to clients' challenges.

While Rivera said she expects the pilot program to fill quickly, given the waiting list Helpline has every year for Literacy Services, she will be taking applicants for subsequent courses as well. In the meantime, she added, signing up for the regular Literacy Services one-on-one training will also enable students to accomplish this training. She said the programs will be advertised locally, in Helpline's LaVoz English/Spanish newspaper and online. Volunteer tutors are also needed.

For more information, call 908-782-4357, email literacy@helplinehc.org or visit www.helplinehc.org.

NEW BRUNSWICK

'Blue' Christmas Mass to be held for lonely

Holy Family Parish, a parish of the Diocese of Metuchen, will offer a "Blue" Christmas Mass at its Sacred Heart worship site, at 56 Throop Ave., on Christmas Day at 5 p.m. for persons who are feeling grief-stricken, depressed or joyless this holiday season.

Rev. Msgr. Joseph J. Kerrigan, pastor of Holy Family Parish, will be the principal celebrant and Danielle Sulit, pastoral assistant, will provide music for the Mass.

The "Blue" Christmas Mass, reflecting the sadness of the Christmas song popularized by Elvis Presley, will offer small crowds, quiet readings and solemn guitar music to reach those who feel little comfort or joy during this traditionally celebratory season.

For more information about the Mass or to learn how the Diocese of Metuchen provides support and encouragement to those experiencing pain or grief, visit www.diometuchen.org/family-life.

UNION COUNTY

Free passport photos are offered

For a limited time only, the Union County Clerk's offices in Westfield and Elizabeth are offering free passport photographs as a special incentive for residents to apply for a passport or a passport renewal.

From Dec. 29, through Jan. 3, the normal $10 cost of each photograph will be waived when a resident applies for a new passport or a passport renewal. Both offices will be closed on New Year's Day, Jan. 1.

"With winter vacations rapidly approaching, now is the time to make sure your passport is up-to-date," said Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi in a prepared statement. "My offices are helping travelers save on their vacation expenses by providing free photographs for those who apply for a passport while still providing a full range of passport services with no need for an appointment."

"Some countries require passports to be valid for an additional three to six months after your visit," Rajoppi said in the statement. "If your passport is due to expire within six months of your international travel, you should renew your passport to ensure a smoother journey."

U.S. citizens must present a valid passport book when entering or re-entering the United States by air. U.S. citizens entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean islands and Bermuda at land borders and sea ports of entry must present a passport book, passport card, or other travel documents approved by the U.S. government.

The Elizabeth office opens at 7:30 a.m. and it has English and Spanish-speaking certified passport agents. The Westfield office, which opens at 8 a.m. weekdays, has evening and Saturday hours and also is fully staffed.

Information about the cost and how to apply for a passport book and/or passport card is available at http://travel.state.gov. U.S. citizens may also obtain passport information by phone, in English and Spanish, by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at 1-877-487-2778.

Passport application forms may be obtained at the County Clerk's main office in the Union County Courthouse at 2 Broad St. in Elizabeth or at the Colleen Fraser Building at 300 North Ave. East in Westfield. Applications for passports and related information also can be found at www.ucnj.org/Passports.

The Westfield office is open from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday; from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Call 908-654-9859.

The Elizabeth office is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 908-527-4966. Clients are asked to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to closing time to allow for staff assistance with the passport process.

For more information about obtaining a U.S. passport, call 908-527-4966.

UNION COUNTY

Sing-a-long will be held on Wednesday

The Union County Board of Freeholders and the County Manager invite you to the 59th annual "Christmas Carol Sing-a-long Around the rotunda Christmas Tree" on Wednesday (Dec. 24).

The event will be held at 10:30 a.m. in the rotunda of the Union County Courthouse building, 2 Broad St. in Elizabeth.

County Manager Alfred J. Faella is the master of ceremonies. The event includes caroling, musical entertainment from Glen Merritt of the County's Facilities Management Division, and a visit from Santa.