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Vol. LXII, No. 52
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Wednesday, December 24, 2008
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Vol. LXII, No. 52
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Wednesday, December 24, 2008
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Donald Cox
Chair, RSVP Advisory Council
Eleanor Letcher
Executive Director, CONTACT of Mercer County,
RSVP sponsor agency
Hugh J. Adams
RSVP Director
Jeremy Steele
Princeton Avenue
MARY FUREY GERARD
Talbot Lane
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Richard Ryan
Ivy Inn
JOAN BARTL
INGRID REED
Board members of Womanspace
To the Editor:
Please join us in wishing a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, Happy New Year and all the best in 2009 to the hundreds of RSVP Volunteers in Mercer County. RSVP is short for the Federally-funded Senior Corps initiative, Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. Through RSVP more than 400 hundred Mercer County residents 55 or older refuse to sit out their golden years and instead work tirelessly at 30 to 40 sites throughout the County giving back to our community in so many ways. Recording services, including specialized closed circuit radio broadcasts for the blind and visually impaired. Reading programs and book gifts for children. Crisis Intervention Hotlines and Preventative Reassurance calls. Nutrition services at senior service sites or on the road through Meals on Wheels. Hospice care and comfort services at senior day or residential centers including the County Geriatric Center. Transportation and companionship services. Traditional Volunteer services at local hospitals. Cultural and educational programs and soon, mentoring services.
By the last annual count, our senior Volunteers gave back in excess of 45,000 hours in a year, an enormous gift to our community. What next might our super seniors do? Only our — or their — imaginations can limit their contribution!
So we ask you — and all Mercer County as well — to help us say Thank You! and Best of the Season! to these committed warriors who turn their gray ever green, day in and day out, for our community.
Best to our senior Volunteers in 2009 and beyond!
Thank you !
Donald Cox
Chair, RSVP Advisory Council
Eleanor Letcher
Executive Director, CONTACT of Mercer County,
RSVP sponsor agency
Hugh J. Adams
RSVP Director
To the Editor:
Why are leashed, well behaved dogs prohibited in Princeton Borough parks?
I recently made the mistake of reporting that my dog (leashed) had been bitten by another dog (unleashed) while I was walking with him through Spruce Circle Park.
I was issued a ticket for having a dog in the park. When I asked if I could send a check as restitution (as one might for a traffic ticket), I was told that since there is no set fine for this offense a court appearance would be required. I had to take a day off from work (I commute to New York) and spent most of an afternoon in court, which culminated in my being fined $120. The owner of the other dog was fined $360. While I was there I witnessed a woman pleading guilty to a D.U.I. Her fine was $300.
Am I crazy, or is something not quite right here?
Jeremy Steele
Princeton Avenue
To the Editor:
The fifth grade students of St. Paul’s School have raised $500 for Cystic Fibrosis research this month through the sale of bears, wristbands, and holiday cards.
The students used their Christmas Bazaar to sell gifts to benefit the children afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis, the number one fatal genetic disease. The students learned about genetic disease, and used their savings to contribute to the research effort. The money will make a difference in the longevity of the lives of children suffering with Cystic Fibrosis.
In these challenging economic times, the fifth grade students at St. Paul’s School have put the needs of children who have to work to take each breath above their own holiday gift lists. They have given their talents and their love to provide hope for children who reach the middle of their lives at age 15.
With this kind of commitment from students, we are confident that we will be able to write a letter someday announcing an effective treatment or cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
We are a fortunate community to have such fine future leaders.
MARY FUREY GERARD
Talbot Lane
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
To the Editor:
Recently the Ivy Inn, in association with members of the United States Marine Corps, held its second annual Toys for Tots drive. Toys for Tots is a national campaign that collects toys for families of children less fortunate than ours. This year we were able to collect approximately $2,500 worth of toys for these children. In addition to the toys, we were able to raise about $800 in cash to go toward even more toys. These are impressive figures alone, not to mention the current economic climate affecting most everyone. I wanted to take a moment to thank our loyal customers who took their time and gave of themselves to make a difference in the Christmases of our less fortunate youth. I especially want to thank one customer in particular who went above and beyond — Jason G. In the memory of his grandparents, Norman and Etta Barr, he showed us graciously what giving is all about. So, on behalf of the Ivy Inn and those members of the U.S. Marine Corps involved, a resounding Thank You and Merry Christmas.
Richard Ryan
Ivy Inn
To the Editor:
On Sunday, December 14 at dusk, the center of our community was alive with light in support of Womanspace’s Communities of Light, which benefits victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
This year for the first time the luminaries — candles in paper bags — lined the length of Witherspoon Street connecting our community from Nassau Street in the Borough to Valley Road in Township.
Many people deserve warm thanks for the beauty of the lights and the support for Womanspace. They include volunteers from the Library, the Arts Council, the Hospital, First Baptist Church, and the staff of Princeton Township and other friends of Womanspace. And thank you to the two women with the shopping bags full of foods, stopping to light some of the candles when they saw what we were doing. They showed so much understanding and support through that little gesture. It’s what we are all about.
We also thank our corporate sponsors, Verizon, Bristol-Myers Squibb, PNC Bank, the Jon S. Corzine Foundation, Compass Healthcare, J. Knipper & Co, The Times, East Windsor Sign-A-Rama, McCaffrey’s, Janssen, Lynn McDougall, Esq., and Mason, Griffin & Pierson; plus our local sponsors, Princeton Township PBA, J. Robert Hillier FAIA, First Baptist Church, Corner House, Holsome Teas, Gloria Nielsen Realtors, Ferry House, Town Topics, Decked, Princeton Mattress, Green Design, A Little Taste of Cuba, Lisa Jones, Village Silver, Godfrey Fitzgerald, House of Cupcakes, Shop The World, Small World, J. McLaughlin, Mandalay, The Place To Bead, La Mezzaluna, Community Liquors, Chez Alice, Zorba’s, Walking Company, Lululemon Athletica, and lona’s Rosticceria.
On behalf of Womanspace and the many individuals it serves, we want to express sincere appreciation to everyone who made December 14 a beautiful evening whose glow reminds us at this season of the year that Peace Begins at Home. To see photos and to learn more about Womanspace, please visit our website, www.Womanspace.org.
JOAN BARTL
INGRID REED
Board members of Womanspace