Miles for Matheny 2021

We want to give a huge thanks to all of the staff, volunteers, donors, and anyone else who made Miles for Matheny possible! It was incredibly fun to gather with our community and celebrate!

We strive to create these memorable events with the spectacular individuals in the Matheny family, and we’re eager to create even more.

We’re looking forward to next year – Miles for Matheny 2022 will be bigger and better!

March 30, 2021, Peapack, NJ —William (Bill) M. Kent, MHA, officially began working as President and CEO of Matheny School and Hospital on March 29, 2021.

Board President, William A. Krais, Esq., said, “The Board of Trustees conducted a national search for a candidate to replace our esteemed former president, Dr. Kendell Sprott.”  He added, “We are delighted to welcome Bill Kent to the Matheny family.  Bill is an accomplished leader whose depth and breadth of experience will serve the Matheny community well, and create an environment in which those we serve will thrive.”

Prior to joining Matheny, Bill Kent was President of the Lehigh Valley Hospital where, among many other responsibilities, he successfully led hospital management and operations for more than five years. His prestigious career experience includes more than 14 years as Senior Vice President at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and 13 years at the Johns Hopkins Health System.

He discussed his special connection to Matheny as a proud dad of two children – a daughter and his son, who has special needs.  When asked why he decided to apply for the position, Mr. Kent said, “Matheny was a personal calling for me given we are parents of a special needs son.  My wife and I have personally experienced the challenges of navigating and advocating for his needs throughout his life so he can achieve his full potential.  The mission of Matheny to support families with children and adults that have these unique challenges in their lives completely resonates with us.” Kent added, “The opportunity to join an organization that is uniquely providing excellent care to these wonderful people in need is something really compelling and exciting, especially at this point in my career.  To be able to make a difference in this community will be a wonderful capstone to my career. My colleagues at Matheny are uniquely special heroes – their commitment and their sense of passion to care for and support patients and families is extraordinary.”

Kent brings extensive strategic planning, operations, and facilities management experience to his new position. “Matheny is a very special place and a hidden gem.  My vision is to enable Matheny to become more widely known to this region and even throughout the country for the exceptional quality of its care and comprehensiveness of its services and programs. Part of what I will be working on is to develop a strategic plan that will help Matheny grow and reach its fullest potential as a leader in this part of the healthcare industry.”

At the start of his career, Kent says he served on the frontline in healthcare which shaped his philosophy of leadership. “I exist to serve the frontline. As President I want to make sure that my colleagues have what they need to provide the utmost high quality, safe, and compassionate care. It touches my heart to think about what my Matheny colleagues have accomplished throughout the years, but especially over this past year during the pandemic.”

Kent has published and presented on more than 35 topics ranging from patient satisfaction and quality improvement to organizational transformation and diversity. He has also served on numerous volunteer community boards including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lehigh Valley, the Greater Cincinnati Health Council, the Life Center Organ Donation Network and the March of Dimes.  As an Eagle Scout, he also served as district chairman for the Boy Scouts in Baltimore.

Please join us in welcoming William M. (Bill) Kent, Matheny’s new President & CEO! We are so excited to have him join us!

Before joining Matheny, Bill Kent was the President of the Lehigh Valley Hospital, based in Allentown, PA. Mr. Kent joined Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) in December 2015. In his role as President, he was responsible for overall hospital management and operations for LVHN’s Lehigh Valley-Cedar Crest Hospital, 17th Street Hospital, and Tilghman Orthopedics Hospital. His responsibilities also included oversight of the Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital, service lines including burn, neurosciences, orthopedics, trauma and perioperative services, support services and supply chain management.

Prior to joining LVHN, Mr. Kent served as Senior Vice President for Infrastructure and Operations over 14 years at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Additionally, Mr. Kent was employed for 13 years with the Johns Hopkins Health System. While at Johns Hopkins, he held several senior leadership positions including President of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, a subsidiary operating primary care practices throughout Maryland.

Mr. Kent graduated from Wittenberg University with a biology major and earned a master’s degree in health administration from the Washington University School of Medicine. Upon earning his master’s degree, Mr. Kent completed a two-year administrative fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Mr. Kent has served on numerous community boards including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lehigh Valley, the Greater Cincinnati Health Council, the Life Center Organ Donation Network and the March of Dimes. Mr. Kent is an Eagle Scout and served as district chairman for the Boy Scouts in Baltimore. While at Cincinnati Children’s, he developed a health careers exploring program for high school students. Additionally, he participated on the Cincinnati Mayor’s task force (including the United Way) to develop a plan for increasing economic inclusion and supplier diversity in the greater Cincinnati region. Mr. Kent is married and has two children.

When we wrote our “Best of 2019” post around this time last year, we had no idea what we were in for in the coming months. Needless to say, this year at Matheny has been very different from years past – plans changed, events were adapted or cancelled, social distancing and other safety precautions became our new normal.

However, thanks to our stellar community of patients, residents, staff, families, and supporters, Matheny still accomplished a lot in 2020. Some of the highlights are below.

Thank you for facing this unusual year with us. If we can achieve so much under these unique circumstances, we cannot wait to see what awaits us in 2021! The challenges of the pandemic may continue for some time, but we are prepared. No matter what happens, the safety, care, and happiness of our patients and residents will always come first.

All of us at Matheny wish you and your loved ones a new year filled with good health, peace and joy.

1. The year started off strong with our receipt of the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval^®for Hospital Accreditation in January. Matheny is proud of our focus on patient safety and careful compliance with performance standards.
2. In February, we were thrilled to receive a generous grant from the Delta Dental Foundation, which will help ensure that our Dental Clinic continues to have the equipment, resources, and expertise to provide comprehensive, high-quality dental care to individuals with complex developmental disabilities. We are committed to providing each patient with a comfortable and enjoyable experience!
3. Later in February, before the COVID-19 restrictions began, our Arts Access program was proud to participate in the Access-ABILITY Exhibit at Morris Museum for the third time. Work from 15 talented Matheny artists was shown alongside work from Center for Enhancing Abilities in a pop-up exhibit at the museum. This ended up being the only in-person event for the Arts Access program in 2020, making it all the more meaningful.
4. At the beginning of March, our Adults Services program got a visit from the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities. We were honored to receive a proclamation from the Governor in honor of Developmental Disabilities Awareness month!
5. Throughout the most difficult months of spring and summer, we learned just how supportive and enthusiastic our community members can be. Led by the Friends of Matheny, our local community (including neighborhood police and firefighters) organized multiple “hero salutes” where they would circle Matheny’s driveway in their cars, honking horns and waving homemade signs with encouraging and uplifting messages. These were true moments of unity and happiness during a difficult time for our staff.
6. When we needed them most, our community of supporters was there for us! We were gifted numerous donations of food and personal protective equipment (PPE) from individuals, families, and business in the wider community. We can’t thank them enough!
7. We are always blown away by the talent of our Arts Access artists, and they didn’t let quarantine or social distancing disrupt their creativity! During late spring, Arts Access was able to adapt the facilitation process in order to continue serving artists from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
8. We successfully launched a Virtual Miles for Matheny! While staff and participants did a Wheelchair Walk and posed for photos on the Peapack campus, supporters participated and raised money from a distance, riding their bikes or running near their homes and at their own convenience. While we missed seeing one another in person, we proved that nothing can stop us from celebrating the abilities of Matheny’s students and residents!
9. Arts Access participated in the highly-anticipated Annual NJMS Collaborative ARTS Exhibit – the 10^th anniversary of this special collaboration. With hard work, imagination, and flexibility, the Arts Access program found ways to adapt the exhibition for a virtual space. Over the summer, they showcased the redesigned virtual exhibit and held a virtual artists reception over Zoom. Our talented artists were thrilled to show off their creativity!
10. August 2020 marked the start of an exciting new collaboration between Matheny and Children’s Specialized Hospital! This strategic partnership will allow two organizations with shared missions and values to expand their expertise, experience, and resources in order to provide the highest possible quality clinical care and education for individuals with disabilities throughout the state.
11. On Tuesday, August 11^th, Matheny was visited by the wonderful folks at Cut Red Tape 4 Heroes, who distributed 6,500 pieces of free personal protective equipment to Matheny’s hardworking employees. CRT4H distributes essential equipment directly to NYC organizations, communities, and individuals most in need – hospital, homeless shelter and nursing home workers, veterans, and public housing residents. At that point, Matheny was the second hospital in NJ to benefit from their generosity.
12. In early October, we were able to host our annual Golf Outing for the Matheny School! Our golfers adapted to additional safety measures, including masks and distancing, and generously contributed over $25,000 to benefit our wonderful students!
13. After several months of closure, our Adult Day Program in Hillsborough reopened in October – and the event was made all the better by a visit from John Elliot of CBS 2 NY! John interviewed several Matheny patients and staff, all of whom were thrilled to be back. What a great way to return!
14. We have spent the last several months in awe of the compassion, determination of professionalism of our frontline healthcare heroes. Matheny’s doctors, nurses, therapists, personal care and community resident assistants, and all other clinical staff are simply the best. We’re so lucky to have them on our team and cannot thank them enough.

And finally, we ask everyone to take a moment to remember the precious lives we lost this year.  Matheny’s residents, students, and employees who are now resting in peace – their memories will remain alive in our hearts and minds forever.

In the end, we learned to cherish and appreciate family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors more. We are grateful for the experiences had and the lessons learned. We look forward to a happier and healthier 2021.

Spring is a usually a busy and wonderful season at Matheny. The weather is warm and welcoming. Our campus is green and full of flowers. Fun activities take place outside.

We all know that this spring has been different – and difficult. Although we are confident that there will be light at the end of this tunnel, a great deal of work still needs to be done before that time, and the health and safety of our patients and staff remain our top priorities. With this in mind, we will not be holding an in-person gathering for Miles for Matheny 2020. We’re very disappointed – this annual gathering with families, friends, and neighbors is one of the highlights of our year. We will sorely miss seeing you in person, but hope you will join us for a  new and special Virtual Miles for Matheny 2020!

The fundamentals of the event have not changed. We will still come together as a community to celebrate the incredible work done at Matheny. You can still run or cycle (while social distancing!) for us, if you wish. And, as usual, every dollar raised will go directly to our programs and services – medical care, education, physical therapy, music therapy, adult day care, recreational therapy, fine arts, and much more. You can learn more at our Miles for Matheny website, and look out for further updates by email and social media!

Even in these past few challenging weeks, we have seen plenty of things that are worth celebrating. Each and every day, our frontline staff – our healthcare heroes – give us reason for immense hope and gratitude, even amid our fear and anxiety. Matheny would not be Matheny without them. And we hope you’ll join us in celebrating them, even if it has to be from afar.

      To our devoted frontline employees and precious patients we lost – this Miles is for you.

A message from Matheny’s leaders…

Happy New Year! 2019 was a very good year—with way more than 10 memorable events and achievements. It was a tough choice, but these Top 10 picks are high on the list of Matheny’s most notable happenings. (Numbering does not signify importance.)

1. Matheny’s exceptionally safe, high-quality care for all patients was officially recognized when its specialized hospital passed The Joint Commission Accreditation Survey with flying colors. The compassion, respect, and empathy shown by employees were noted by the survey team.

2. February 9th marked the opening of a professionally curated Sotheby’s exhibit of 56 works by 5 prolific Matheny artists, all long-time participants in Matheny’s Arts Access Program. The Manhattan exhibit garnered widespread media coverage, and 17 exhibited works of art were purchased.

3. Matheny School teacher Darlene Tammara was recognized as Educator of the Year by ASAH, the association of private special education schools and agencies in NJ. A teacher at the Matheny School since 1990, she has introduced innovative skills-teaching activities for Matheny’s Transition classes. 

4. Music lovers rejoiced when New Jersey Symphony Orchestra members presented a series of performances on Matheny’s campus and in the adult day center in Hillsborough for residents, students, families, and friends in April, May and June, underwritten by Delta Dental of New Jersey.

5. For the third year in a row, Matheny welcomed Rutgers Biomedical Engineering student-interns—the largest class yet, numbering 23—to its Peapack campus to learn about, and help solve, daily challenges faced by Matheny’s residents.

6. A powerful video entitled, “Matheny Arts Access: 25 Years of Art Without Boundaries,” won 2 first place awards and Best in Show at the 51^st Annual Jersey Awards, sponsored by the NJ Ad Club.

7. Five members of the Matheny choir, led by Matheny’s Music Therapy Department, performed at the induction of Tim McCloone, restaurateur, musician, and long-time Matheny friend and volunteer, into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in October.

8. The Friends of Matheny, a dedicated group of volunteers, once again raised more than $100,000 through their Second Chance Thrift Shop in Gladstone. These super-fundraisers have donated more than $3 million to support programs and activities at Matheny.

9. Miles for Matheny, which moved in June 2019 to the Far Hills Fairgrounds, drew a large crowd of participants and topped last year’s high with donations exceeding $130,000.

10. Matheny emphasizes activities that help integrate clients back into the community by working on skills to maximize independence. In 2019, the Recreation Therapy Department averaged 40 trips each month, which is almost unheard of in similar programs.

We look back at 2019 with heartfelt gratitude for all of our blessings. Your love and support is the fuel that will keep us going after 74 years of serving the special needs community. Thank you!

In 2020, we look forward to creating new memories!

Matheny is looking for great people like you! If you are looking for a rewarding career with great pay and benefits, Matheny is the place to be. Join us on Saturday, November 16, 2019 for our Open Interview Day.  If you are interested, please send your resume with subject line, “Open Interview Day” to: jobs@matheny.org.

10 Things To Know Before You Go…

1. Online Registration closes at midnight Friday, June 7th … but you can also register on Sunday at the Fairgrounds starting at 11:30 am
2. Activities begin at noon but be sure to give yourself plenty of time for arrival and parking.
3. Parking is available onsite. Just follow the signs and parking attendants will direct you to the parking
4. Cyclists, please remember to wear your helmets!
5. Download your ride here: Hills of Attrition        50 Mile Ride        35 Mile Ride         25 Mile Ride        12.5 Mile Ride 
6. You can also pick up your cue sheet at registration check-in. Be safe!
7. Miles will take place rain or shine but the weather forecast looks great! See for yourself: Weather.com     Accuweather.com
8. The 5K starts at 1:00 pm. Click here to see the beautiful route we have planned for you!
9. Directions to the Far Hills Fairgrounds can be found here
10. Here is the schedule of events for the day 2019 Schedule of events

We can’t wait to see you on Sunday at Miles for Matheny!

Matheny will be exhibiting at the New Jersey Convention Center this coming weekend!  Come and join us there! Say hello and receive a special discount coupon for  “Miles for Matheny”

Free Registration

Abilities.com

Our exhibit will be displayed at 539 and you can look on the map here

2019 Miles for Matheny registration is now open!

We are excited to bring back the Miles for Matheny 5K this year among other highlights. The event has moved to the Malcolm Belcher fairgrounds in Far Hills and all parking will be on site! No shuttles! We have 5 cycling rides with updated starting points, a 5K with USATF sanction pending, wheelchair walk, kids fun run all on premisis. Entertainment, food, fun!

Register here

Peapack, NJ- National Endowment for the Arts Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $27 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s first major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019.  Included in this announcement is a Challenge America grant of $10,000 to the Arts Access Program at Matheny for their Full Circle 2019 event. Challenge America grants support projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

“The arts enhance our communities and our lives, and we look forward to seeing these projects take place throughout the country, giving Americans opportunities to learn, to create, to heal, and to celebrate,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Eileen Murray, Director of the Arts Access Program at Matheny, said “We are deeply appreciative to the National Endowment for the Arts for this generous award. This funding enables us to present Full Circle 2019, Arts Access’ signature arts event, showcasing and celebrating the remarkable visual, literary, and performing art created by our artists with disabilities. The artists take their rightful place in the spotlight, receiving recognition and applause for their tremendous accomplishments. We thank the NEA for supporting this unique event, Arts Access’ mission, and the limitless creativity that resides within our talented artists.”

Full Circle 2019, takes place on November 2^nd, 2019 in the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center on the Matheny campus in Peapack. It consists of professional performers, designers, and curators who work alongside Arts Access artists to help bring their visions to life. The gallery show is accompanied by a culinary tasting provided by local gourmet restaurants. For additional event information including ticketing and sponsorship opportunities, go to: artsaccessprogram.org. For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

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