State of Diversity: In Pursuit of Good Health for All New Jerseyans

On April 3rd, 2020, New Jersey Business Magazine discussed the challenges of meeting the healthcare needs of diverse populations. Thanks to the NJ Hospital Association, the piece highlighted the inclusion efforts of several health organizations around the state, including Matheny:

“Inclusion is also the goal for other populations, including those living with disabilities. The Matheny Medical and Educational Center in Peapack promotes diversity and inclusion by providing people with disabilities opportunities to engage in their communities through initiatives like its Miles for Matheny Wheelchair Walk and its Brave Bag partnerships with several police departments.”

Click here to read the full article. 

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!

News Release

Darlene Tammara, Matheny School Teacher

January 15, 2020, Peapack, NJ – ASAH, an organization supporting the special education community, recently recognized Matheny School teacher, Darlene Tammara as Educator of the Year at their annual conference.

Darlene began teaching at the Matheny School in 1990 and has had multiple roles during her tenure. In her current role as the teacher of the Transition classes, Darlene has created and managed numerous authentic transition tasks for Matheny’s high school students and programs that include the “Tea Time Café”, a student-run food and beverage operation; an opportunity for students to sell snacks called “Tea Time on Wheels”; and the “Tea Time Boutique” where merchandise produced by the students is offered for sale to staff.   Darlene has developed and fostered long term community connections for the students through a job sampling program at several locations in the community.  In addition, the students enjoy frequenting stores in the surrounding communities to purchase supplies for the café.

Darlene holds a Master’s in Education degree and certification as Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired. She works with the Commission for the Blind on functional vision assessments for Matheny students. Darlene created and modified a tactile approach to language-based activities for her visually impaired and multisensory students which incorporated concepts from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired tactile shape library and the Fitzgerald color codes. During this past summer, she worked with classroom staff and taught a lesson based upon this approach to an elementary and middle school class at Matheny.

Under Darlene’s direction, students from the Transition classes have been recognized for their quality work. In what will become an annual event, a group of students made picture frames during their transition class that were used at the Bridgewater library’s awards dinner.  In the new year she will be working with Matheny staff to create a multi-sensory space within Matheny for students.

Darlene has presented the Matheny Transition Program to various organizations, including Community Based Instruction teachers and therapists at The Learning Resource Center in Morris Plains, a Community Based Instruction showcase and as a part of the DCDT (Division on Career Development and Transition) International Conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

President and CEO of Matheny and Executive Director of the Matheny School, Kendell R. Sprott, MD, JD said, “Many of the classes and programs facilitated by Darlene are extraordinary in any educational setting especially when teaching children with medically complex disabilities. Darlene’s unwavering dedication to her students is sincere. We are lucky to have Darlene as a teacher and we congratulate her on this well-deserved accomplishment.”

ASAH is a not-for-profit organization of private schools and agencies in New Jersey which provide highly specialized services to more than 11,000 infants, children and young adults with disabilities. Founded in 1974, ASAH now serves more than 145 schools and agencies throughout the state.  For more information about ASAH, go to www.asah.org.

The Matheny School, the special education school located on the Matheny campus in Peapack, has been helping students achieve their greatest level of learning and independence through a collaborative approach, integrating traditional academics with therapeutic intervention and pre-vocational skills development. School staff includes special education teachers and aides, licensed therapists in the areas of speech/language pathology, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, as well as nurses, social workers and psychologists. The entire team works closely with students’ families and local school districts to design a service plan that is uniquely tailored to each student’s specific needs.  For more information about Matheny, please visit www.matheny.org.

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!

Rutgers Biomedical Engineering has developed a special partnership with Matheny Medical and Educational Center – creating medical devices to assist Matheny residents with disabilities. Check out how Rutgers seniors are taking their skills out of the classroom and into the real world to help others.

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

Message from the President of Matheny:

From time to time we have giants in the midst of our Matheny community.  These giants are not always the loudest, tallest, or demand the most attention, but quietly move behind the scenes steering through others.

Larry Thornton was one of those giants.  We feel privileged to have known Larry, who always seemed to push us and others to do more work on behalf of the students and patients that we serve.  Thanks to Larry we have LAR (The Learning Accessibility Robot), The Lowe’s Community Garden, a repaved nature trail, Home Depot planting boxes, a hydroponics station, and much more.  Larry developed and fostered a relationship between Matheny and Rutgers bio-engineering school which will develop new forms of assistive technology to help people worldwide.  Larry also brought in different Knights of Columbus Councils to Matheny to assist in fundraising.  Until recent health concerns prevented his participation Larry kept a regiment of volunteering three times a week in the school and also served on both the Matheny School Board Committee and the Board of Trustees.  Larry loved the children, the staff, and the spirit of Matheny.

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

Dear Matheny Friends and Family:

It is with great sadness that we have to inform you of the passing of Matheny School’s first student and the face of the Matheny community, Mr. Charles H. Matheny.  Charles was the inspiration and the catalyst for the origins of the school, which has become so many things to many different people, including a hospital, a clinic, a fine arts program, adult program, and group homes.  Mr. Matheny was and is a beacon of possibility and a model of excellence to which all our students, residents, patients, and clients can aspire to be.  During his lifetime, Mr. Matheny finished high school, learned to drive, mowed all the lawns of Matheny’s main campus, and ran the soda machines.

Mr. Matheny was far more than the sum of his accomplishments. He developed close relationships with all the staff and was interested in improving the lives of everyone within the Matheny Community.  He loved to attend Matheny fundraisers and Friends of Matheny events, conversing with people from all walks of life, and he took a very real interest in the students who resided in the school that bore his family name.  He attended back-to-school nights, graduations, plays, choir concerts, and museum coffee houses.  In fact, anything Matheny — he was all in.  Mr. Matheny was kind, humorous, and compassionate. Per his family: “Chuck lived an incredibly rich and meaningful life — a testament to the love and care that is cultivated and shared at Matheny. We are so grateful to the many friends, coworkers, and caregivers who have crossed his path and enriched his life.”

We will all miss Mr. Matheny, yet we shall carry on embodying the undeniable spirit of Charles H. Matheny.

Kendell R. Sprott, MD, JD

President and CEO

Matheny Medical and Educational Center

December 14, 2017

Sean Murphy discusses special education programs with Jill Horner of Comcast Newsmakers.