Tag: news

Gloria C. Essoka, PhD, RN, Elected Trustee Emerita

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Gloria C. Essoka, PhD, RN has been elected Trustee Emerita of the Partners for Health Board in recognition of her significant and continued service to the Foundation. During her tenure as a Trustee (2015-2023), she served as First Vice Chair of the Board, Co-Chair of the Grants Committee, and on several other committees.

Dr. Essoka had a distinguished nursing career that spanned five decades. She worked in baccalaureate and higher degree programs nationally and internationally as a nurse educator and administrator. She retired from the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing of the City University of New York in 2004. She then served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor and Department Chair at Seton Hall University; permanently retired in 2016.

“Gloria enriches our conversations in countless ways, and we’re delighted we will continue to benefit from her wise counsel,” said Sara Elnakib, PhD, MPH, RDN, Board Chair, Partners for Health Foundation.

Social Worker now available at Montclair Public Library

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Members of the public can meet one-on-one with a social worker, Margarette Ouji, at the main branch of the Montclair Public Library. This service is free and can be reserved in advance or on a walk-in, first-come first-served basis. 

The social worker is available: 

  • Tuesdays: 4-6:15 p.m. (walk-ins) and 6:30-7:15 p.m. (by appointment)
  • Thursdays: 12-2 p.m. (by appointment)
  • 4th Saturday of the month: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (walk-ins) and 1-1:45 p.m. (by appointment).

Note: In December, it will be the 3rd Saturday instead.

Stop by to chat or ask about college information, resources for emotional development and coping skills, job assistance, and time management. Get help finding community resources, completing applications for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid/Medicare, and other benefit programs, or getting an ID, Birth Certificate, and other vital documents. To make an appointment, visit https://montclairlibrary.libnet.info/v/assets/925 or call 973-744-0500 ext. 2286. 

The social worker is funded by a generous grant from the Partners for Health Foundation, whose vision is to make our communities healthier, better places to live. The grant was awarded to the Montclair Public Library Foundation at the end of 2023. 

  “Many of our Montclair neighbors visit the Library for information, shelter, and a sense of community. Partners for Health is pleased to support the social worker position and the Library’s efforts to welcome all who seek assistance and guidance within their building,” says Pam Scott, Executive Director of the Partners for Health Foundation. 

This service was first piloted from fall 2021 to spring 2023 with interns from Montclair State University’s Master of Social Work program. With funding secured for 2024 and 2025, the new social worker will enhance the Library’s existing efforts and will connect with local agencies in addressing the overall health and wellness needs of the community, including its most at-risk members. The social worker will also train Library staff, develop programs addressing equity and inclusion, and oversee the continuing partnership with Montclair State University. 

About the Montclair Public Library 

Founded in 1893, the Montclair Public Library serves the residents of Montclair, New Jersey. It has two facilities: the Main Library at 50 S. Fullerton Avenue and the Bellevue Avenue Branch at 185 Bellevue Avenue. The Library has been changing lives every day for over 125 years through words, ideas, and community building by providing unlimited opportunities for lifelong learning, discovery, and community engagement. Visit montclairlibrary.org for more information. 

Verona Community Center Playground & Fitness Area is Now Open

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The Township of Verona recently  held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of Verona’s Inclusive Playground & Fitness Area.  The new playground and fitness area includes specifically selected playground elements to promote inclusivity and cognitive learning activities for families and children of all abilities. The playground area, fitness area and restrooms are wheelchair accessible.

The project was made possible through the time and commitment from many members of Verona Township and the community, as well as the support from Essex County Division of Housing & Community Development Block Grant, Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs, Partners for Health Foundation and Greenfields Outdoor Fitness.

Pictured (from left): Elisa Northrop, Public Information Officer for the Township of Verona; Kate Kelly, Partners for Health Trustee and Verona resident; and Pam Scott, Executive Director of Partners for Health

Open Space Institute Secures Deal for Creation of Greenway in Northern New Jersey

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Deal reached after Open Space Institute negotiated $65 million purchase rights for nearly nine miles of former rail line and galvanized private fundraising effort.

After years of direct negotiation that led to a $65 million purchase agreement between OSI and Norfolk Southern Railway, Governor Phil Murphy announced on November 12, 2021 that the state of New Jersey would acquire the 135-acre property to create a new Greenway. The deal marks the single largest state-funded land protection project in New Jersey history.

The newly announced Greenway project will span one of the world’s most populated regions – located just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. It will create easy and equitable access to nature for millions of New Jersey residents; provide alternative transportation options; introduce green infrastructure to improve water quality; and spur economic activity.

Rendering of the proposed Essex Hudson Greenway. Courtesy of Essex Hudson Greenway

OSI assembled private funding to invest $3.9 million in the project to date. Major support for OSI’s efforts has been provided by the Thomas L. Kempner Jr. Foundation. Additional generous support came from the Helen & William Mazer Foundation, Partners for Health Foundation, and individual donors.

Click here to learn more here.

West Orange Designated as an Age-Friendly Community

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West Orange recently received formal acceptance into the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities and the World Health Organization Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities.   This prestigious award reaffirms the Township’s commitment to an age-friendly community, which benefits residents of all ages.

The age-friendly movement, launched by the World Health Organization in 2005, continues to spread across the globe. The guiding principle is creating local solutions to help meet the global challenges of our aging population. Age-friendly communities are inclusive and benefit from diverse citizen engagement to identify and address the needs of the community.

West Orange is only the 13th New Jersey community to receive this honor and the 466th in the United States to be awarded Age-Friendly certification.

To recognize West Orange’s age-friendly initiatives and commitment to senior livability, the Township created the distinctive age-friendly logo, pictured below. The tree, symbolic of growth, strength, and beauty is encased in an incandescent light bulb, an homage to Thomas Edison, the West Orange genius inventor.

“This is exciting news for West Orange and it underscores the Township’s commitment to meet the challenges of an aging population”, stated Dorothy Sanders, Senior Livability Coordinator.  “Age-friendly initiatives benefit an entire community, not just older adults. We remain grateful to the Partners for Health Foundation for their incredible support of our age-friendly initiatives”, added Theresa M. De Nova, Health Officer .

By the year 2030, New Jersey’s over-60 population is projected to represent 25% of the state’s population.

New Walking Tour Booklets Highlights Montclair’s History

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A new self-guided walking and biking tour booklet that highlights some of Montclair’s historic districts is now available through the Montclair History Center. The booklet includes six self-guided tours, five of which are less than 2 miles and can easily be accomplished on foot. A tour of the Montclair Art Colony’s studios and homes is a longer (8 miles) biking tour.  The booklet was made possible through a grant from Partners for Health Foundation.

 

“The guided walking tours we conduct are some of our more popular programs,” says Jane Eliasof, Executive Director of the Montclair History Center. “We’ll continue to lead guided tours throughout different communities in town, plus cemetery tours of Rosedale and Mount Hebron, and our food and history walking tour that takes you through downtown Montclair talking about our history and sampling some of the restaurants’ foods.” 

 

The booklet is an adaptation of those guided walking tours, but it allows people to go at their own pace at a time that is most convenient to them.  The six tours were designed as a result of a survey the Montclair History Center fielded earlier this year.  According to the survey, most people wanted tours that were between one and two miles long.  The tour locations — Montclair Town Center, Watchung Plaza Historic District, South Mountain Estate Section, Upper Montclair Historic District, the Pine Street Historic District, and the Montclair Art Colony – were based on the top six choices in the survey.  In the future, the Montclair History Center hopes to add more self-guided walking tours of other areas of Montclair.

 

In the survey, the Montclair Art Colony was the most requested tour.  As a result of the overwhelming interest in this tour, the Montclair History Center, in partnership with BikeWalk Montclair and the Montclair Art Museum, will lead a guided biking tour going past the artists’ studios and homes on November 3 at XX am. Interested bikers can register at www.montclairhistory.org.

 

“Our guided tours are more in-depth than these self-guided tours,” explains Eliasof.  “However, these self-guided tours give people who can’t or won’t attend a guided tour a great overview of the history of Montclair through its people and its architecture.

 

The booklet is available in printed form and electronically on the Montclair History Center’s website www.montclairhistory.org.