Matheny residents have enjoyed several celebrations this month!

First there was A Night to Shine, a prom event for people with special needs sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation. The event was a virtual celebration filled with music, positive messages, and appearances by celebrities. The residents had a great time viewing the event and participating with their peers and staff. A special thanks to Bridget Rainville of Bethany Church and Andrea Szott for all of their support in making this event happen.

Matheny also held Valentine’s Day celebrations on our Peapack campus. Residents loved posing for pictures!

We’re so grateful for our Matheny community, and we love events that allow us to spend time together and make great memories.

Matheny is dedicating 2022 to celebrating an important milestone – our 75^th anniversary! 75 years of enriching lives and growing abilities for children and adults with developmental disabilities. This institution has an incredibly inspiring story that began with one family’s vision and devotion. We are proud to continue the work each and every day to help ensure that our students, patients, and residents have the medical care, education, and other services that allow them to live the active and fulfilling lives they deserve.

As part of our celebrations throughout the year, we want to highlight Matheny community members – the people who have made Matheny the place we all know and love over the last 75 years. What initially drew them to Matheny? What makes them stick around, through both the joyful and the challenging periods? What are their favorite memories and stories? What’s the first thing that comes to mind when they think of Matheny?

We hope you enjoy this new series – The Faces of Matheny!

And who better to start this story sharing than a community member who found his way back to Matheny after a period away? Meet Matheny’s new chaplain, Fr. Paul!

Fr. Paul Varchola West, more commonly known around the halls of Matheny as Paul, received a B.M. in Music Theory and completed an MFA in Music Composition in 2010. After completing his degree, he began working at Matheny as a Recreation Therapy Assistant. Paul later worked in the Education Department as a 1:1 Aide, and then as the school’s Music Teacher until 2016 when he began his seminary studies. Fr. Paul completed his M.Div. in May of 2020 and was ordained a Byzantine Catholic Priest on July 18^th of that year, at which point he was assigned as the pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Byzantine Catholic Church in Levittown, PA. During seminary formation, Fr. Paul completed his Chaplaincy Internship (CPE) at UPMC Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. Recently, Fr. Paul caught wind of an open Chaplaincy position at Matheny and jumped at the opportunity to return to the “Matheny Family” as he always found great joy within those halls. And it’s not just him – Paul’s wife Alissa was a Music Therapist at Matheny from 2005-2009, and again from 2010-2016. Their two children have many fond memories of Matheny and are looking forward to making many more. Truly a family affair!

When asked about his favorite Matheny memory, Fr. Paul had this to say:

“Back in 2013 when I was working as the school’s music teacher, an album I had performed on years prior while living in Los Angeles was picked up for a Grammy Nomination. To my surprise, there was a rather large uproar at Matheny, which honestly rivaled the Red Carpet! Anyway, there was so much excitement that, in all honesty, I wanted to “bring home the Grammy” more for the folks at Matheny than for myself. So, my wife and I got to travel back to LA, go to several fancy parties, walk the Red Carpet, and even watch the Grammys performances from AMAZING seats! After all that…we didn’t win the Grammy. When I returned to Matheny, a whole group of students presented me with a Grammy Award they made with their art teacher, Felicia. It said “Paul West – Our Every Day Grammy Winner” on it. It was made out of a tissue box, a Styrofoam coffee cup, and some gold paint. That award still sits on a shelf in my office. My Grammy Nominee medal from the Recording Academy is in a box somewhere…I have no idea where. What Matheny (the staff and students/residents) did was demonstrate how true the phrase “the Matheny Family” really is. The unity, the love, the care, the devotion, dedication, support, pride in one another’s achievements – that’s what I will remember, always.

We’re so grateful to have Fr. Paul back at Matheny! Thanks for the wonderful story. Here’s to the many more stories we’ll create here – over the next 75 years and beyond!

Do you have any favorite Matheny stories that you would like to share? Would you like to be featured in this series (or know someone you’d like to see featured)? Get in touch at marketing@matheny.org or on social media @mathenymedical.

Please join us in congratulating Matheny’s Chief Financial Officer Kathleen Powers for her recent appointment as President on the 2022/23 Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Society of CPAs!

The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) is the largest professional organization (membership of more than 14,000) serving the needs of current and aspiring CPAs in New Jersey.

We are so lucky to have Kathy’s leadership and expertise here at Matheny. Thank you for all that you do!

On December 14, 2017, our beloved Chuck Matheny passed away. Over the past four years, all of us at Matheny have worked hard to model his compassionate and joyful spirit every day. In 2022 and beyond, we will continue to be inspired and guided by Chuck’s remarkable story and legacy. Please take a moment to reflect on his life as we celebrate this season of generosity and love.

Learn more about Chuck here.

IMPORTANT UPDATE!

Out of an abundance of caution, we are cancelling Casino Night, which was scheduled for Friday, December 3, 2021. Although we are hoping to host the event in Spring 2022, we do not have a new date at this time.

After reviewing the New Jersey COVID-19 data, it is clear that cases are once again on the rise. We urge the community to continue to take precautions, and we will continue to make our residents’ safety our first priority.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and will keep you posted on any relevant updates. Thank you for your support of Matheny’s programs!

Interested in joining the Matheny team? Please send along your resume for consideration for our upcoming virtual hiring event!

The event will be held on Wednesday, December 8^th from 4pm to 7pm. Interested applicants should send their resumes to jobs@matheny.org. Selected candidates will receive an interview time slot and a link to a Zoom meeting from Matheny’s Human Resources department. Candidates can also call 908-234-0011 x 1236 or 1306 with questions, or visit our Employment page to learn more about available positions, benefits, and more.

There are open positions in several departments, including nursing, direct support, housekeeping, and food service. Additional positions at the Matheny School include school nurses, elementary school teachers, and paraprofessionals.

All positions offer the rewarding opportunity to make a difference in the lives of Matheny’s patients and residents.

We hope to hear from you!

Enjoy some great photos from the Matheny School’s 6th Annual Golf Outing in September. Thank you to all who joined us!

You can also find this album on our Facebook page.

We hope to see you next year!

Come support our creative and hard-working Matheny artists at Full Circle, a multi-disciplinary fine arts showcase featuring original work created by the Arts Access artists.

This year, Full Circle is being re-imagined as a virtual event in order to ensure the health and safety of our artists, supporters, and staff. Both our fine art gallery exhibition and a multi-media stage show will be professionally filmed and live-streamed.

Viewers will see and experience acrylic paintings, digital paintings, sculpture, choreography, dramatic works, and staged readings of creative writing.

Join us! Saturday, November 6th

Full Circle 2021: Art from Afar, streaming live at 4:00 pm.

We are always proud to celebrate and share the exceptional work created by the Arts Access artists in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Please join us to see our artists demonstrate their passion and talent!

Tickets here.

Join us & support our amazing students!

September 28, 2021 at the Oak Hill Golf Club in Milford, NJ!

Come gather with the Matheny community to enjoy a day of sun and fun.

All proceeds will benefit the Matheny School, a special private school where children with complex developmental disabilities learn, make friends, find community, and thrive.

We work every day to make sure that each of our students can reach their highest academic, social, vocational, and personal potential.

Register today, and learn more about sponsorships here!

For the safety of our Matheny community, Casino night has been postponed. Unfortunately, the recent rise in COVID cases prompted us to make this difficult decision.

If it is safe to do so, Casino Night will take place on Friday, December 3rd, 2021.

The 50/50 raffle drawing will happen live on Matheny’s Facebook page (@mathenymedical) on Friday, August 6th at 6:00 pm. Tickets may be purchased until August 4th via our website: www.matheny.org.

Learn more here.

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!

We’re proud to have so many remarkable, hard-working, and accomplished people on our Matheny staff. Today, we’re thrilled to share that Matheny’s Chief Financial Officer Kathleen Powers was included on NJBIZ’s “Accounting Power 50” List! As NJBIZ puts it:

“Business owners and executives fortunate enough – and smart enough – to work with the CPAs recognized here are getting top-flight advice and service.”

Matheny has certainly benefited from Kathy’s skills, experience, and dedication. We couldn’t be more grateful to have her on our team. Please join us in congratulating Kathy and the rest of the great professionals on this list!