PARSIPPANY — Jewish Vocational Service of MetroWest NJ (JVS) received a competitive $250,000 two-year grant from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The grant allows JVS and their partner, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Newark, to help legal permanent residents prepare and apply for U.S. citizenship through free instruction and naturalization services. JVS has developed a curriculum that focuses on all aspects of the citizenship exam and interview, while Catholic Charities provides legal assistance in completing the N-400 Application for Naturalization.

The organization is currently halfway through its second year of the grant and is holding classes at the Lake Hiawatha Public Library, located at 68 Nokomis Avenue.  Sessions will run until June 23 on Saturdays from 10:00 a m  to 2:00 p.m. All prospective registrants must bring their Green Card in order to be considered.

These programs will occur on-site at JVS and libraries in Essex, Morris and Union counties over the course of two years.  Please contact Inna Kramers at [email protected] or (862) 704-2283 for details regarding upcoming opportunities.

JVS welcomes volunteer support to help fulfill its mission of helping people help themselves. To get involved, click here to donate, or click here to become a volunteer.

Founded in 1939, Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) of MetroWest New Jersey is a nonprofit, community-based health and human service organization, delivering a wide array of personalized services on a nonsectarian basis to nearly 10,000 individuals each year. Visit jvsnj.org or call (973) 674-6330 x 227 and speak with Rebecca Shulman for more information. JVS also offers career counseling and job search coaching. For details, contact Dr. Meryl Kanner at [email protected] or (973) 674-6330 x 271. JVS welcomes volunteer support to help fulfill its mission of helping people help themselves. To get involved, please visit https://www.jvsnj.org/make-a-tax-exempt-donation to donate, or click here to become a volunteer.

Hi there! My name is Ricky! I am a 4-year old male Pit mix who can provide a family with LOTS of love! I am a very sweet boy who aims to please. I am the friendliest dog out there as I greet every person with a wagging tail and a smile on my face! I am silly and have the cutest habits that can make anyone laugh!

I love to go on walks! My body will just start wiggling and I can’t control myself from getting so excited! I love walks almost as much as I love my tennis balls. I will carry around my favorite ball in my mouth as if it is my baby! I could play fetch forever…well at least until it’s nap time. My foster dad says I am quite the cuddle bug and could lay next to you on the couch or snuggled up in bed for hours!

I get along well with other dogs but have never been around cats. Because of my excitableness, it is best I go home with kids above the age of 13.

I enjoy hanging out in my crate and prefer to be in there when I am left alone. I am fully house trained but will have an occasional accident when left alone for too long.

Everyone tells me how much of a good boy I am. I hope they are right because I really want to find my forever family soon!

If you are interested in adopting Ricky, please fill out an application by clicking here.

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PARSIPPANY — Arrabbiata is all smiles and just might be the happiest pup you will every meet! She is about 15-17 weeks old, about 22-25 pounds and she is from the Dominican Republic.Dominican Republic is a beautiful but life can be difficult for dogs because fresh water is hard to find as well as food.

The locals call their mix breed strays Viralatas because while they are looking for food they sometimes knock over the trash cans…. Vira means flipped over and Latas means trash can. Common traits of Punta Cana island mixes are often tan colored, medium sized when full grown (35 to 40 pounds), usually a lab mixed with something else that gives them a smooth, short haired coat. They are very gentle dogs, friendly/loving dogs.

Arrabbiata foster mom says…..”Arrabbiata is so sweet you can’t help falling in love with her! She’s a independent pup… although she does love to be with you, she is content when you’re just in the same room as her and she’ll continue to play with her natural chews. She is a smart pup … she already knows the commands “ sit” and “no”, she sleeps through the night without having accidents and she is doing good with house training.

One of her favorite things to do is going for walks and meet all the neighbors, she walks nicely on the leash. Arrabbiata enjoys playing in the yard and playing with toys. She’s absolutely food obsessed… whenever you walk around with something in your hand she’s convinced it’s food. When you have a treat she will sit without you even having to tell her to. She’ll sit for her food before I put the bowl down (but she does eat it very fast so I put my hand in it to slow her down). Arrabbiata loves natural chews to play with… antlers, bully sticks, bones, etc. She tries to pick up my dog’s massive bones, convinced that she can carry them, but instead she drops them every two steps and has to drag them haha! When you come home or walk back into the room, her entire body wiggles from side to side as her tail wags! So very cute! She also leaps around like a reindeer or something haha!

All 4 legs hop up when she jumps over something (usually my dog). Arrabbiata is tall and lanky with a beautiful soft white and brown coat and she has black eyeliner around her eyes!! Simply Gorgeous!! And she has a tail that is always wagging! Every ounce of Arrabbiata is sweet! She is a fun pup! And We love her!!!”

PARSIPPANY — The National Institute for People with Disabilities’ (NIPD/NJ) Social Skills Building Network (SSBN) is currently accepting applicants for participation in our Parsippany location.

This class is for adults 18 years and older (with or without diagnoses) who want to improve their social interactions, job seeking and job keeping skills. Young adults transitioning from high school are also welcome.

There are currently no other classes for adults like this in New Jersey. Each class consists of no more than 10 individuals with two facilitators. Sessions are held two days per week, for five hours per day.

Staff is available to work with participants individually on an as needed basis. The class is intensive and experiential in design, and students learn through active participation in discussions, role-playing, acting sessions, real life scripts, video taping, and team building exercises with many rehearsal and practice periods. Self-help strategies, yoga and relaxation techniques are also taught.

To schedule an intake or to obtain more information contact Dara Friedman, Program Supervisor, at [email protected] or (973) 720-3762.