Successful debut for Lane & Kane

From left, Elizabeth Revels, visiting from Alabama; Katie Jackette, of Warren, NJ; and ZEBU arts coordinator Danielle Merzatta, in front of an untitled painting by James Lane.

“The walls are so stark without art,” explained Bill Oliver, owner of ZEBU Forno, a restaurant/café in Morristown, NJ, “and this art is fantastic.”

Oliver was talking with guests at the opening reception, held Sunday, April 1, at ZEBU for “Lane & Kane,” a special exhibition of art by James Lane and Ellen Kane, both artists in Matheny’s Arts Access Program.

Lane and Kane were present at the opening of the exhibition, which will be up for the entire month of April. Both are abstract artists with distinctive styles that have developed and matured through the years.

Arts Access enables artists with disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators. Through the unique Arts Access methodology, they and many other artists are able to pursue their creative passions, no longer feeling defined by their disabilities but rather defining themselves by their achievements.

Ellen Kane in front of her painting, “Half Circle.”

Melanie Glick-Santiago, left, and Lisa Conturso visit with Matheny adult patient Paul Santo at Matheny’s Adult Learning Center in Hillsborough.

Although Lisa Conturso of Belle Mead, NJ, and Melanie Glick-Santiago of Freehold, NJ, had worked for the same company—Hillsborough, NJ-based nutritional ingredient producer Stryka Botanics—for several years, they only became good friends about 1 1⁄2 years ago. That’s how Glick-Santiago learned about Conturso’s daughter, Dina, who is a residential student at Matheny.

“When Melanie found out about my daughter,” Conturso recalls, “she decided to create a webpage for Miles for Matheny in order to get people to contribute money and participate in the event.”

As of April 5, Melanie’s webpage, “Pay it Forward” had raised $685 online. “I consider the kids at Matheny my children,” she says, explaining that he team name, Pay it Forward, means, “Do something kind for somebody.”   All funds raised at Miles for Matheny help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny’s inpatients and people with disabilities in the community.

Miles for Matheny is an annual fundraiser and community event being held Sunday, April 22, in downtown Peapack. Activities include a 5K Race, five Cycling Courses and a Kids Fun Run. But the signature event is the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk in which more than 100 wheelchair participants, with walking partners, travel 1.5 miles around town. Lisa and Melanie will be there along with other friends and supporters.

Major Miles for Matheny sponsors are: The Poses Family Foundation, Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation, Archer & Greiner, P.C., BP Fueling Communities, WCBS-TV and WCBS Newsradio 880, Partlow Insurance Agency, Peapack-Gladstone Bank and Porzio Bromberg & Newman, P.C.

For more information or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org; to support Pay it Forward, click on Search for Participant and type in the team name.

Dina Conturso uses a switch to activate a sewing machine, assisted by her teacher Gwen McCormack.

Chris Saglimbene with the NJ Devils mascot at Miles for Matheny 2011.

As Sunday, April 22 draws near, you can feel the excitement building for the 15th annual Miles for Matheny. Everyone seems thrilled that this event is back where it belongs—at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack. Returning to the heart of town will be a treat for all of the participants, particularly the students and patients, who look forward to this opportunity each year to experience the warmth and support of their home community. As adult patient Chris Saglimbene says, “There’s nothing better than walking downtown and seeing people cheering for us.”

Matheny is also grateful to the churches in Peapack-Gladstone for working with us to coordinate the Miles schedule so that the activities will not interfere with Sunday services. As a result, Miles will be starting later. Registration will begin at 9 a.m., followed by Cycling Rides at 10 and 10:45. The Kids Fun Run takes off at 11:30 followed by the 5K at 12:15 p.m. and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk at 1. The celebration picnic will now be at Liberty Park after the Wheelchair Walk. And all morning long, breakfast will be served by The Friends of Matheny.

Main Street in Peapack will be completely closed to traffic from noon-2 p.m. for the 5K and Wheelchair Walk. At other times, motorists will have access through town via detours. At all times, though, Peapack-Gladstone police will be on duty to assist cars with the detour routes.

All funds raised for Miles for Matheny will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to our inpatients and to people with disabilities in the community. Major Miles sponsors are: Poses Family Foundation, Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation, Archer & Greiner, P.C., BP Fueling Communities, WCBS-TV and WCBS Newsradio 880, Partlow Insurance Agency, Peapack-Gladstone Bank and Porzio Bromberg & Newman, P.C.

For more information or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org until midnight on April 18. After that you will need to register in person on April 22. Any questions? Call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

FHCD student Cece Gulbrandsen plays adapted basketball.

“I thought this was awesome!” That’s how one fourth grader at the Far Hills Country Day School described the recent visit by Matheny students and staff to the phys ed class at the independent day school in Far Hills, NJ. The students played adapted basketball, rode in both manual and power wheelchairs and tried out special scooters.

It was part of a gym class that included seven students from Matheny along with therapists and teachers. The objective of the program is to encourage interaction between the two groups of students, enabling them to compete in sports as peers.

During a question-and-answer session following the class, the FHCDS students disagreed about which activity was most difficult. One student said, “The electric [power] wheelchair was hardest for me because I couldn’t figure out how to use the joystick.” But other students felt the adapted version of basketball was trickier.

FHCD students Ivan Scotto, left, and Peter Gajewski, right, with Matheny student Niara Holmes.

Alexis Reynolds familiarizes herself with a gait trainer, a walker that supports patients who cannot hold themselves in a standing position. At left is Matheny physical therapist Tara Wach.

We at Matheny are doing our part to ensure that future healthcare professionals understand how to care for and treat people with disabilities. Every year, a group of physical therapy students from UMDNJ visit Matheny to learn about the needs and equipment required by persons with developmental disabilities.

During this year’s visit, the PT students rotated through seven stations dealing with switch access, communication devices, pressure mapping, standing and adaptive tricycles, power and manual wheelchairs, gait trainers and recreational activities.

UMDNJ PT student Melissa Mendez tries out a wheelchair that converts to a stander.

When you see a wave of neon yellow t-shirts at Miles for Matheny, you’ll know you’ve spotted the runners from RDA Fitness in Byram, NJ. According to Michelle Welborn, RDA personal trainer and running coach, there will be close to 25 runners wearing RDA Fitness Running Club t-shirts at the event, including Byram Mayor James Oscovitch and RDA owner Robert Austin. The RDA runners gathered recently for a group photo outside the fitness center.

The 15th annual Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack, NJ. In addition to the 5K, activities include five Cycling Courses, a Kids Fun Run and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk, in which more than 100 wheelchair participants, with walking partners, travel 1.5 miles around downtown Peapack. All funds raised at Miles for Matheny will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny inpatients and people with disabilities in the community.

Major Miles for Matheny sponsors are the Poses Family Foundation, Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation, Archer and Greiner, P.C., BP Fueling Communities,WCBS-TV and WCBS Newsradio 880, Partlow Insurance Agency, Peapack-Gladstone Bank and Porzio Bromberg & Newman, P.C.

For more information, or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

Grace Burton, far right, and Sonali Pai, second from right, fifth graders at the Mt. Prospect Elementary School in Basking Ridge, NJ, are planning to run in the 5K Race at Miles for Matheny. So they decided to visit Matheny to familiarize themselves with our mission of caring for and treating children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities.

Burton and Pai were recruited by three members of the Ridge High School track team, from left, Katie Winter, Karly Koelmel and Hannah Broos, who have formed TEAM Kids to raise funds for Miles. During the trip to Matheny, all five visited with adult patient Jessica Evans. As of April 6, TEAM Kids had raised $1,975.

The 15th annual Miles for Matheny is being held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack. In addition to the 5K, activities include five Cycling Courses, a Kids Fun Run and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk in which more than 100 wheelchair participants, with walking partners, travel 1.5 miles around town. All funds raised will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny inpatients and people with disabilities in the community.

Major Miles for Matheny sponsors include: Poses Family Foundation, Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation, Archer & Greiner, P.C., BP Fueling Communities, WCBS-TV and WCBS Newsradio 880, Partlow Insurance Agency, Peapack-Gladstone Bank and Porzio Bromberg & Newman, P.C.

For more information or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org; to support TEAM Kids, click on Search for Participant and type in the team name.

Christina Renna assists Matheny student India Jones in a game of adapted basketball.

Volunteering at Matheny has meant a great deal to Ridge High School student Christina Renna of Basking Ridge, NJ. “It has helped me understand the diversity of my community and has allowed me to enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities,” she says.

Since the majority of Matheny students and patients are full-time residents, volunteers are needed days, evenings and weekends to serve as recreation assistants, classroom aides and just friendly visitors. Matheny’s volunteer office strives to place helpers in positions that meet both their interests and availability. Matheny’s students and patients are everyday people who like the same music, games, sports and movies as everyone else. For those who take the opportunity to discover each person’s individuality, the rewards are great.

For more information and a volunteer application, contact the volunteer services office at (908) 234-0011, ext. 282.

A typical Dawg Pound display in Matheny’s rotunda area.

The Dawg Pound was launched in 2009 to sharpen practical work skills of Matheny patients and students. With startup funds of $5,000 provided by The Friends of Matheny auxiliary group and Village Office Supply of Somerset, NJ, the Dawg Pound participants were able to build a display kiosk and purchase inventory, which includes coffee mugs, water bottles and a variety of Matheny apparel items.

The operation is divided into three departments: marketing, finance, and sales/inventory. Teamwork, budgeting, effective advertising and customer service are all skills that have been learned by those working in the Dawg Pound, which was named after the Matheny teams’ mascot, the Bulldog. In addition to selling merchandise to Matheny employees, Dawg Pound participants sometimes set up shop at special events out in the community.

East Coast staff members, John Schnyderite, left, and Andy Fresco recently visited with group home resident Chet Cheesman at Matheny’s Adult Learning Center in Hillsborough.

A big thank you goes to East Coast Media, a community sponsor at Miles for Matheny, the fundraiser and community event being held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack, NJ. The Hillsborough, NJ-based printing and graphics company donated design work for all promotional materials utilized to promote the event. East Coast also prints Matheny Matters, Matheny’s newsletter, and hosts our website, www.matheny.org.

Miles for Matheny features several activities including a 5K Race, five Cycling Courses, a Kids Fun Run and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk in which more than 100 wheelchair participants, with walking partners, travel 1.5 miles around town. All funds raised help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy services to Matheny inpatients and to people with disabilities in the community.

For more information or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

Julie Gordon with Scott in his classroom.

For example, speech-language pathologist Jaclynne Dietrich has taught him to choose symbols. “We give him two choices,” explains Dietrich, “and he will grab one of the symbols. In art class, he will select a color. Just before lunch, he will select food.”

Dietrich also created a communications book that Scott can take home with him so that he can make choices by selecting picture symbols when he isn’t in school. “I’ve seen tremendous improvement in his communication skills,” Julie says. “We feel like we’re moving toward something.”

The Gordons, who live in New Providence, NJ, with Scott’s twin siblings, 8 1⁄2-year-old James and Whitney, have formed a team, That’s How Scott Rolls, to raise money for Miles for Matheny, the annual fundraiser and community event being held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack. As of March 26, That’s How Scott Rolls had raised $2,288.

The Gordon family will be walking with Scott in the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk at Miles for Matheny, which  also features five different Cycling Courses, a 5K Race and a Kids Fun Run. All funds raised will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny inpatients and to people with disabilities in the community.

Major Miles for Matheny sponsors are:  The Poses Family Foundation, Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation, Archer & Greiner P.C.; BP Fueling Communities; WCBS-TV and WCBS Newsradio 880; Partlow Insurance Agency; Peapack-Gladstone Bank and Porzio Bromberg & Newman P.C.

For more information or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org; to contribute to That’s How Scott Rolls, click on Search for Participant and type in the team name.

Eight-year-old Ryan O’Connor with teacher Karen Dakak.

Several Matheny students recently visited the HealthQuest Fitness center in Flemington, NJ, to experience a “Jacques Cousteau” lesson that included science, language arts, health, physical education and mathematics. Among the activities were:

• Learning about the habitats of animals and plants and ways that humans might harm those habitats.

• Using props and objects to develop spatial and coordination skills.

• Using equipment to see and feel some of the things Jacques Cousteau did during his times of exploration.

• Developing and refining gross motor skills.

HealthQuest is a family fitness, wellness and athletic facility. In addition to aquatics, it offers dance, gymnastics and martial arts. The visit there by Matheny students is an example of how skills and behavior learned in school are practiced during interactive trips to various community resources.

Eight-year-old Patrick Conmy with his mother, Kerry.