A new cycling challenge

Bill Simpson.

Bill Simpson has a message for all those planning to ride the Hills of Attrition cycling route at this year’s Miles for Matheny fundraiser and community event. Enjoy an “easy ride” this year, because next year, the course will be longer and harder.

Simpson, a Gladstone resident who has been designing this route for several years, reasons that, “We already have a 50-mile route. Next year the Hills of Attrition is going to be 66 miles. It will continue further west, and there will be no rest stops.”

Simpson has cycled all over the country and the world, including such places as California, Colorado, Ireland and Switzerland. “In this part of New Jersey,” he says, “the hills are small but challenging. This is great, great cycling country.”

Simpson has lived in Gladstone since June 2004 and, before that, lived in Pottersville. He remembers that in the early days of Miles for Matheny the Bedminster Flyers, a local riding group that he belongs to, was asked to design all the cycling routes, and he was specifically tagged for the Hills of Attrition. Asked if he has any advice for those tackling the Hills of Attrition, he says: “Most guys who ride it know what they’re up against. But remember, if you go up, you also get to go down.”

Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack. 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. Activities include five different Cycling Routes, a 5K Race, a Kids Fun Run and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk in which more than 100 participants in wheelchairs, with walking partners, travel 1.5 miles around town. Peapack-Gladstone Bank is the Cycling sponsor, and its Whitehouse Station branch will be used as a rest stop.

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

Cyclists line up in 2009, the last year Miles for Matheny was held in downtown Peapack.

Organizers of T.E.A.M. KIDS, from left, Ridge High School students Karly Koelmel, Katherine Winter and Hannah Broos.

Ridge High School student Hannah Broos has been volunteering regularly at Matheny. She’s also a member of the girls’ track team at the Bernards Township, NJ, high school. She and some of her teammates have been planning to run in the 5K Race at Miles for Matheny, but they’re going the extra mile, so to speak. They’ve decided to train elementary school children to either run or walk in the 5K and help raise money for the event.

In a special flyer they’re distributing to promote this project they are identifying themselves as T.E.A.M. KIDS: Teaching Exercise and Awareness for Matheny. Children are invited to be part of a winning team, the flyer says, and to:

• Have FUN

• Train to run or walk 5K

• Learn about the Matheny School

• Raise money to help kids at Matheny.

To prepare the elementary school kids for the 5K, Broos and her teammates will hold training sessions at the Ridge High School track on March 10, March 18, April 7 and April 14, from 1-2 p.m. They are encouraging families to sign up and participate together. At least one adult will be present at every training session, and parents are welcome but not required to attend.

Anyone interested in participating should contact Hannah at hbroos@optonline.net, Karly Koelmel at karlybellk@gmail.com, Katie Winter at katie19@gmail.com or log onto the T.E.A.M. KIDS Facebook page.

Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack. For more information or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

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

Otis Livingston.

Otis Livingston, weekday sports anchor for WCBS-TV, will emcee the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk at the 15th annual Miles for Matheny event to be held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack. A multi-Emmy Award winner, Livingston lives in New Jersey with his wife and five children.

WCBS-TV, along with its sister station, WCBS Newsradio 880, will again be a broadcast media sponsor of Miles for Matheny, which will be returning to downtown Peapack after two years at Natirar Park.

All funds raised at Miles for Matheny will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care for Matheny inpatients and for people with disabilities in the community.

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

Wheelchair Walk participants in 2011.

R.P.C. Inc., petroleum wholesaler distributor in Randolph, NJ, that supplies six BP service stations in northwest Morris and Warren counties, will be a Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk sponsor at the 15th annual Miles for Matheny. The sponsorship was made possible by a BP Fueling Communities grant. R.P.C., which nominated Matheny to be its grant recipient, supplies BP service stations in Randolph, Boonton, Hackettstown, Parsippany and Rockaway.

In the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk at Miles for Matheny, more than 100 children and adults in wheelchairs, with walking partners, travel 1.5 miles around downtown Peapack. There is also a 5K Race, five different Cycling routes and a Kids Fun Run. All funds raised help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny’s inpatients and to people with disabilities in the community.

Miles for Matheny is being held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in Peapack. For more information or to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908 234-0011, ext. 260.

Kids Fun Run at Miles for Matheny in 2011.

Grab your kids’ sneakers and sign them up for the Kids Fun Run at Miles for Matheny. The Kids Fun Run enables children ages 10 and under to join together in friendship and fun while being introduced to “running for a cause.”

This event is designed especially for young children. It’s a short sprint that gives everyone a chance to be a winner in a very non-competitive atmosphere. Every runner receives a medal after crossing the finish line. The races start at 11:30 a.m., and are broken into four categories: ages 3-4, 50 yards; 5-6, 75 yards; 7-8, 100 yards; and 9-10, 150 yards. 

The 15th annual Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 22, in downtown Peapack, NJ. All funds raised 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.

The Morristown, NJ.-based law firm Porzio Bromberg & Newman, which also has offices in Princeton, New York City and Westborough, MA, has been sponsoring the Kids Fun Run since its inception several years ago.

In addition to the Kids Fun Run, there is a 5K Race, five different Cycling routes, and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk. For more information and to register, log onto www.milesformatheny.org or call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260.

From left, John Paul and Jeanne May of Bridgewater with their son, Henry and daughter, Ginger. Their other son, Mason, is a residential student at Matheny.

The Verve Bistro Bar Lounge in Somerville was packed with customers on Fat Tuesday, February 21, to celebrate Mardi Gras and support Matheny. We will get 10% of the Fat Tuesday proceeds, in addition to funds raised from a Mardi Gras mask silent auction that continued through the weekend. Many of the masks were created by Matheny staff members including several of the facilitators in Matheny’s Arts Access Program.

A special thank you to owner Rick St. Pierre. Since opening Verve in the late 1990s, he has continually given back to the community, and he was named Somerville’s 2011 Citizen of the Year.  We certainly support and agree with that award!

From left, David Christiansen and Nancy Allegar of Stockton with Verve owner, Rick St. Pierre.

Adult patient Jessica Evans enjoying the Wheelchair Walk.

The late Lu Huggins was the inspiration and one of the founders of Miles for Matheny, the annual fundraiser and community event, which will be held Sunday, April 22, in downtown Peapack, NJ. Huggins, a former Matheny trustee, was determined to lead a normal life despite being in wheelchair. She also always wanted to make sure Matheny students and patients had a chance to experience “what life was like in the real world.”

At the 15th annual Miles for Matheny, more than 100 children and adults in wheelchairs, with walking partners, will travel 1.5 miles through town. Our students and patients look forward to this walk each year. Come walk with us, cheer us from the sidelines and form a team to raise funds to support this event.

All money raised at Miles for Matheny supports the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to our inpatients and to children and adults with disabilities in the community. In addition to the Wheelchair Walk, there is a 5K race, five Cycling routes and a Kids Fun Run. Everything will take place downtown in Liberty Park, accompanied by a Breakfast of Champions, courtesy of The Friends of Matheny and refreshments throughout the day.

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

The Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk returns to downtown Peapack this year.

You want to raise money to support Miles for Matheny, but you don’t know how. The first step is to log onto www.milesformatheny.org. Then register for the event you select. You can either join an existing team, create a new team or register as an individual.

After you register, you will have a home page on the Miles for Matheny website. This is a centralized location for you to view and edit your personal fundraising goal, track individual and team fundraising progress, view web traffic and email statistics.

If this sounds complicated, go to the milesformatheny.org homepage and look on the left for the Need help with your page? Click here for information message, and we will walk you through the process. If you’re still confused, call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260, or email pcats@matheny.org for additional help.

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. So, whether you’re running, cycling, walking or just cheering, join us on Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack, NJ.

Arts Access artist Michael Young. At right is his painting, “Motorcycle Shop.”

“Pure Expression,” an exhibition of paintings by artists in Matheny’s Arts Access Program, opened Sunday, Feb. 12, with a reception at the Monmouth Museum in Lincroft, NJ. The exhibit runs through March 18. We hope you stop by to see our artists’ wonderful artwork.

Arts Access enables people with disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators. Through the use of specialized communication and choice systems, the artists can follow their creative passions, building on their instincts and inner strengths. Through this ability to create fine art, the artists, many of whom are non-verbal, are able to distinguish themselves through their achievements rather than being defined by their disabilities.

In addition to painting, the Arts Access Program includes digital art, dance and choreography, sculpture, writing and drama.

The Monmouth Museum is a private, non-profit organization located at 765 Newman Springs Road in Lincroft on the campus of Brookdale Community College. Admission is $7; for hours and additional information, call (732) 747-2266 or log onto www.monmouthmuseum.org.

Coni Lefferts of Keyport, NJ, in front of “Randy and His Wife Stephanie” by Mark Riddle.

Fred Okun helps unload donations brought by Gloria Radlmann of Tewksbury.

When Fred and Nancy Okun of Basking Ridge, NJ, attended Full Circle, the annual celebration of Matheny’s Arts Access Program, this past November, they didn’t know they were going to be recruited as volunteers at the Second Chance Shop, a thrift shop run by Matheny’s auxiliary group, The Friends of Matheny. But they happened to bump into Linda Horton, a friend from Peapack who is on Matheny’s Board of Trustees and also manages the shop. The rest is history.

Nancy Okun now volunteers as a salesperson one Thursday a month, and, since Monday is the only day of the week that the shop accepts merchandise donations, Fred Okun comes to the shop every Monday to help collect and unload the clothing, books and knicknacks that local residents drop off.

Nancy Okun is a retired pharmacist, “but my repressed desire,” she admits, “was always to have an antiques store. So, maybe this is good training.” Fred Okun is also retired, from a career at GE Healthcare. Helping out at the shop, he says, “gives you a good feeling.”

The Friends of Matheny has raised more than $3 million since its formation in 1983. Last year, the Second Chance Shop earned more than $88,000.

Nancy Okun is ready to welcome her first customer.

Five-year-old student Jack Harter hits a switch in response to a question from speech-language pathologist Christine Mayercik.

Speech-language pathologists search tirelessly for ways in which non-verbal children can communicate. Thanks to a donation from The Friends of Matheny, Matheny’s auxiliary group, the Matheny School has been provided with a brand new supply of augmentative communication switches, which can be used by younger students to express themselves.

In a recent classroom session, senior speech-language pathologist Christine Mayercik showed how they work. She combined images on a DynaVox speech-generating device with the preschool game Uno Moo to help students match animal figures and colors and answer questions about both. “If we put a blue sheep on a blue farmer, what are we matching, animals or colors?” she asked. The students would hit one switch for animals and another switch for colors.

The additional switches have had a positive impact on the students’ ability to communicate, and the hope is that this ability will continue to improve and expand. The inability to communicate is particularly frustrating for those students who understand what is going on around them but lack the ability to express themselves.

As part of a collaborative team, speech-language pathologists such as Mayercik provide complete assessments of speech and language and develop and implement programs to meet each student’s individual needs.

Cyclists will have new routes this year.

The five cycling routes at the 15th annual Miles for Matheny will have a new look. After three years with the same routes, Lee Brush, a resident of Annandale and former president of the Bedminster Flyers cycling club, felt it was time for a change. The 12-mile route is now 10 miles, the 23-mile route is now 25 miles and the 32-mile ride is now 35 miles. The 50 miles and Hills of Attrition rides will remain the same.

The 10-mile distance is the “family friendly” route. In the past, it hadn’t been so friendly because there were some difficult hills and the route crossed a highway.

All cycling rides will use the Whitehouse Station branch of our cycling sponsor, Peapack-Gladstone Bank, as a rest stop, reducing our rest stop locations from four to one. This will make delivery and pickup of supplies easier and should be more interesting for the riders and volunteers at the stop.

Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 22, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack, NJ. The 50-mile and Hills of Attrition rides take off at 10 a.m.; 25 and 35-mile rides start at 10:45 a.m.; and the 10-mile ride leaves at 11:45 a.m.

Miles for Matheny also includes a Kids Fun Run at 11:30 a.m.; a 5K race at 12:15 p.m.; and the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk at 1 p.m. All funds raised help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to Matheny’s inpatients and to children and adults with disabilities in the community.

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