Planting Friendship

Several Peapack-Gladstone Bank volunteers  brought clay pots, soil, and pansies to help adult residents at Matheny Center use their creativity to decorate the pots and plant their own flowers. Not only were the flowers blooming, but the room was filled with blossoming smiles as the volunteers and Matheny adults enjoyed the camaraderie and opportunity to make new friends.

P-G Bank volunteer Andrew Hall and Matheny adult resident Amanda Kochell.

Peapack-Gladstone Bank, headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, is committed to community service. Over the past four years, it has received recognition from the New Jersey Bankers Association’s Community Service Awards Program and has been named a Jersey Choice Great Oak Awards finalist by New Jersey Monthly “in recognition of  generosity and exceptional commitment to the betterment of New Jersey.” According to the P-G Bank website, a key component in its community service is “hands-on employee volunteer efforts.”

Matheny’s annual Day of Beauty, organized by Andrea Szott, whose son, Shane, is a Matheny resident, was held on Friday, April 1, for female students and patients. Volunteers from the community and Matheny staff members set up stations for haircuts, hair coloring, manicures and hand and shoulder massages.

From left, volunteer Elayna Alexander, Matheny Adult Services instructor Rachel Pyke, and Matheny resident Rasheedah Mahali.

Tea and snacks were served, and Matheny students and patients had an opportunity to not only meet people from the community but also to socialize with staff members in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. It’s another example of how Matheny tries to enhance the lives of people with disabilities, providing them with as many normal life experiences as possible.

Named after Lu Huggins, a co-founder of Miles for Matheny, the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk is a one-mile walk through beautiful downtown Peapack, NJ.  Walk with our students and patients on Sunday, June 5, at the 19th annual Miles for Matheny!  Family, friends, and all supporters in the community are welcome. To register, log onto milesformatheny.org and click on Wheelchair Walk under Event Information.

You can also form a fundraising team. For help with your page, call 908 234-0011, ext. 260, or email pcats@matheny.org.  All funds raised will support programs and services that enhance the lives of children, teens, and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities.

Cindy Shanks is an active artist in Matheny’s Arts Access Program, which enables individuals with disabilities to fully express themselves in the creative arts. She spends several hours a week working on her paintings, choreography, dramatic work, and creative writing.

When she paints, Cindy likes to take risks. “I really like to paint,” she says, but “I usually don’t know what I want to do ahead of time. I figure it out that day.” Her painting style, she says, is about love and having fun, and she works on more than one painting at a time.  “As far as colors,” she adds, “I pick one and go from there. I choose them based on how I’m feeling.  When people look at my paintings, I want them to really look at them.  When people see my work, I want them to feel good.” Her work has been displayed at such venues as Rutgers University, Johnson and Johnson, the Monmouth Museum, and the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Center.

Cindy Shanks in front of one of her paintings at a Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School exhibit.

Cindy is one of 10 participating artists in the first Arts Garden CSA, a Community Supported Arts Program that connects emerging artists with disabilities and local art collectors.  Art Garden CSA is a collaboration between Arts Access and Arts Unbound and is made possible by a grant from the Kessler Foundation.  The local artists are each given a stipend of $1,000. Each artist is required to create 25 pieces of art for the program. These can range from paintings, jewelry, small sculptures, wearable art, photography, and more. The “community” is comprised of any individual or group that purchases one of the 25 available shares. They pay $500 for each share and, in return, receive 10 pieces of art – one from each artist. The buyers will receive their art at two “pick-up” events during the year where they can meet the artists and establish relationships. Shares can be purchased through the Art Garden website at artgardencsa.org.

The 19^th annual Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, June 5, in Peapack’s Liberty Park.  Miles is a family-friendly event that raises funds and awareness for children, teens, and adults with developmental disabilities.  It brings together Matheny’s students, patients, family, friends and members of the community for an exciting day of camaraderie and fun. Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk. More than 100 Matheny children, teens, and adults “wheel” through the streets of downtown Peapack, accompanied by family and friends and cheered on by neighbors and supporters. Sponsored by Partlow Insurance and the Golub Family.
• Cycling. A choice of 10, 25, 35, and 50-mile bike rides, plus the highly challenging “Hills of Attrition” endurance ride. The Hills of Attrition course was redesigned this year by the Bedminster Flyers and subtitled “Ride It If You Can”. Sponsored by Peapack-Gladstone Bank.
• Fitness Walk. This is the second year for this one-mile walk/jog for all ages.
• Kids Fun Run. Children ages 3-10 enjoy friendly competition, and everybody’s a winner. Sponsored by Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P.C. Attorneys at Law.
• Breakfast of Champions presented by The Friends of Matheny plus music, family entertainment and refreshments throughout the event.

The Poses Family Foundation is again our Premier Sponsor, and other major sponsors are Mariner Wealth Advisors and WCBS Newsradio 880.

Log onto www.milesformatheny.org to register for an event, form a fundraising team or make a donation.  For assistance, call (908) 234-0011, ext. 260, or email pcats@matheny.org.  Onsite registration begins at 8 a.m. on June 5, and events run throughout the morning culminating with the Wheelchair Walk starting at 12:15 p.m. All proceeds from Miles for Matheny will benefit programs and services that enhance the lives of the children, teens, and adults served by Matheny.

Ellen Kane in front of her creation, “Half Circle”, at the “Lane and Kane” exhibit.

Ellen Kane says her paintings represent her happy personality. She sometimes likes to use circles and other geometric shapes in her work. “I always want to do beautiful paintings,” she says. “I want to do something different every time. Sometimes I know what I want to do before I start painting. Some of my favorite shapes are triangles, rectangles, and squares. When I do digital art, I like to use cylinders and octagons.” Her work was showcased in a two-person show, “Lane and Kane” in Morristown, NJ, and has been exhibited at the Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, NJ; Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ; Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ; and as part of the permanent collection at Johnson and Johnson headquarters in Cincinnati and New Brunswick, NJ.

Kane is one of 10 participating artists in the first Art Garden CSA, a Community Supported Arts Program that connects emerging artists with disabilities and local art collectors. Art Garden CSA was launched early this year by Matheny’s Arts Access Program and Arts Unbound with a Community Employment Grant from the Kessler Foundation. Through Art Garden CSA, the 10 participating artists with disabilities have each been given a $1,000 stipend and are required to create 25 pieces of art for the program. These can range from paintings, jewelry, small sculptures, wearable art, photography and more. The “community” is comprised of any individual or group that purchases one of the 25 available shares. They pay $500 for each share and, in return, receive 10 pieces of art – one from each artist. The buyers receive their art at two “pick-up” events during the year where they can meet the artists and establish relationships. Shares can be purchased through the Art Garden website at artgardencsa.org.

Arts Access empowers individuals with disabilities to create art without boundaries. Arts Unbound is dedicated to the artistic achievement of people living with disabilities and of seniors.

When she was five years old, Michelle Fontes started dancing with her father at the Portuguese Club in Perth Amboy, NJ. And she continued dancing there until she was 19. “Portuguese people love two things,” she says, “Food and drinks and dancing. If you go to a party, and we know you are not Portuguese, we will still try to get you to join us.”

Michelle Fontes gives a dance lesson to adult patient T.J. Christian.

That’s exactly what Fontes, an adult services life skills coach, did during a Portuguese Day celebration at Matheny, coaxing Matheny staff members and adult patients to get out on the dance floor. She demonstrated three Portuguese dances: the Vira, the Bato Pe, and the Marcha. The Vira means ‘turns’, and “that’s what we do the most of,” she says. “There are many forms of turning, and how fast or slow you go is based on the beat of the drum.” The Bato Pe is a line dance, and the Marcha is a two-person dance – “You just march in place with the music.”

The adult services program is designed to instill a sense of self-respect and self-expression among adult residents at Matheny and its group homes.

Students in The Matheny School and adults in Matheny’s Adult Services program displayed their artistic ability in a four-day exhibit at the Morris Museum in Morristown, NJ, as part of its AccessABILITY series, which showcases fine art created by artists with disabilities.

Teachers Darlene Tammara, left, and Felicia Querrey with student Tammy Boszczuk. Tammy’s self-portrait is behind them.

Foot built stoneware and earthenware by adult resident Bozena Geraghty.

Several of The Matheny School students were present at an opening reception on Thursday, February 18, that featured examples of a self-portrait photography project. The students used a front-facing camera and a photo booth application on classroom iPods in order to take the self-portrait photos. The portraits were shown in paper pressed frames made by the school’s transition class. Examples of the adults’ ceramic works were also on display. The pottery and sculptural works were created through hand building techniques of pinching, coiling, and slab building.

The AccessABILITY series is made possible in part by support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Its mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement.

Mira Patla, left, and Matheny resident Amanda Kochell

From left: Emily Caspersen, Martin Villagra, Megan Mellett, Nayelis Milian, Matheny resident Jessica Evans, Mira Patla, and Madeleine Acevedo.

No one remembers when the Bedminster School eighth grade class began volunteering at Matheny. But, the tradition started at least 15 years ago and continues to thrive. “I really enjoy the experience of making friends,” said Mira Patla, one of six volunteers at Matheny on Wednesday, February 17. “It’s also a learning experience,” she added. “You get to join in the lives of people and get to know them.”

During the recent visit, the volunteers made “happy cards” for the Matheny residents and also spent some quality time with some of the adults with whom they have become most friendly.

The Bedminster volunteers come to Matheny every Wednesday afternoon, just one of many school groups that visit Matheny residents on a regular basis. For more information, call (908) 234-0011, ext. 282, or email volunteers@matheny.org.

Sandy Josephson, Matheny director of public relations and development, second from left, thanks Coughlin, second from right. At far left is August Pellegrini, Jr., DDS, a director/trustee of both BCB and Matheny; at right is BCB director James Rizzo.

BCB Community Bank, says Thomas Coughlin, president and CEO, is “a small bank with a huge heart.” The past two years, Bayonne, NJ-based BCB has donated $5,000 to Matheny’s annual fundraising appeal. “From the moment I was introduced to Matheny,” Coughlin adds, I knew we needed to support this great organization. Thank you, Matheny, for enriching lives and growing abilities.”

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Eighteen artists from The Matheny School and Adult Services program will be represented in the Morris Museum’s Access-ABILITY series that showcases fine art created by artists with disabilities. From February 18-21, artwork created by students in The Matheny High School art and transition classes and the Adult Services ceramics class will be on display at the museum. The exhibition will be launched with a reception at the museum from 6-8 p.m. on February 18. Tickets are free at the door, and light refreshments will be served.

The high school artwork will be from a self-portrait photography project. Students, according to art teacher Felicia Querrey, used a front-facing camera and a photo booth application on the classroom iPads to take self-portrait photos.

The transition class created paper pressed frames. The paper making process, explained transition teacher Darlene Tammara, was a progressive one in which the students shredded, blended, and scooped and sponged raw material in order to create paper of varied colors and textures.

Adult resident Andy Lash is one of the artists represented in the ceramics exhibition.

In the Adult Services ceramics classes, according to instructor Jodi Miguel, students created functional pottery and sculptural works through hand building techniques of pinching, coiling, and slab building. Students also created works thrown on a wheel with the use of adaptive equipment.

Liam, left, Kevin, and Kate Shaughnessy of Hillsborough, NJ, helped kick off the Mardi Gras celebration at Verve.

Matheny once again was designated as the recipient of a portion of the proceeds from the Mardi Gras celebration of Somerville, NJ’s Verve Bistro. Residents of Somerville and surrounding communities kicked off the celebration on Thursday, February 4. The festivities continued with two more nights of food specials from New Orleans, Venice, and Brazil on Friday and Saturday, February 5 and 6, followed by a Gumbo Cook Off from 1-5 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday, and concluding on Fat Tuesday with a mask auction and party featuring “gaudy decorations and cheap plastic trinkets” tonight (February 9).

The walls of Verve were decorated with Mardi Gras masks, many of which were made by students and staff in Matheny’s Adult Services program. Thanks again to Verve owner Rick St. Pierre for your support!