MORRIS COUNTY — The power of positive thinking will be a focus of the monthly Recovery Recognition Breakfast hosted by Prevention is Key (PIK) this December. PIK is a north Jersey-based non-profit substance misuse prevention agency. The Recovery Recognition Breakfast began as a small gathering to acknowledge the work of the agency’s volunteers but has grown into something much bigger. Community members are invited to join PIK on the second Monday of each month to discover recovery resources, network with peers in or exploring recovery, and learn something new.

The December breakfast is sponsored by Absolute Awakenings and will welcome speakers Harvey Rich and Joey Himelfarb to educate guests on the power of positive thinking. The program will conclude with special guests from Creature Comforts Pet Therapy. The animals will be available for pets and cuddles following the formal speaking program.

The breakfast is scheduled to be held on December 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the Rockaway Center for Addiction Recovery Education and Success (CARES), located at 25 West Main Street.

Questions and RSVPs can be directed to Laura Jennings Pitt at (973) 949-7979 or ljennings@mcpik.org,

Prevention is Key (PIK) is a 501(c)3 organization that has delivered culturally competent, evidence-based prevention services in Morris County and the surrounding counties for almost 25 years. The agency was founded in 1989 to coordinate substance misuse prevention in Morris County. From our roots as a resource center and awareness campaigns with a modest budget to our current implementation of both direct service and environmental change strategies, including our recent addition of the Center for Addiction Recovery and Success (CARES) Peer to Peer Recovery Center, has made PIK the premiere substance misuse prevention agency in north central New Jersey. For more information, click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Having been the first community college in New Jersey to be designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity in 2017, County College of Morris (CCM) now has gained additional confirmation of its strength in this critically important field. The National Security Agency (NSA) has reissued that designation to the college, effective through Academic Year 2027.

In its announcement to the college, the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense noted, “Your ability to meet the increasing demands of the program criteria will serve the nation well in contributing to the protection of the National Information Infrastructure. A highly skilled cybersecurity workforce is a strategic national security advantage.”

The designation is presented every five years to institutions that can demonstrate they offer a cybersecurity curriculum aligned with national standards, contribute to providing a pipeline of professionals who can assist with protecting against cyber attacks, and serve as a resource for the community in the area of information security.

“We’re delighted to have our cyber and information security programs, and initiatives recognized once again with this prestigious designation,” said Professor Colleen Bamford, chair of the Department of Information Technologies. “Along with offering strong degree and certificate programs, our department provides hands-on training opportunities for high school students through adults. Our goal is to both provide people with pathways to rewarding and well-paying careers and to assist the public with staying cyber safe.”

The department offers an Associate of Applied Science in Information Technology to prepare individuals to begin working in the field immediately or to transfer to bachelor’s level programs, along with a certificate in Information/Cyber Security. Through a share-time program with the Morris County Vocational School District, the department also enrolls junior and senior high school students from across Morris County in the Cyber Security & Information Protection Program. Students in that program earn college credits and certifications to take advantage of high-demand career opportunities in information protection.

In 2015, the department established the Center for Cyber Security to serve as a comprehensive resource for students, faculty, staff, and the community in the area of cybersecurity. It also has held GenCyber summer camps for high school students and participates in the annual national Hour of Code, where people of all ages can learn the basics of programming, along with offering other activities for the public.

To learn more about the department’s offerings, click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Advisory Committee on Women is now accepting nominations for its “Seeds of Change Award,” which will be presented next year to a woman who has worked to improve the community and who has been a leader and inspiration to other women in the county.

Nominations may be submitted through January 6, 2023. The Morris County Advisory Committee on Women is asking that all nominations be submitted online:

Morris County 2023 Seeds of Change Award Nomination Page

For additional information, please contact Pam Bennett-Santoro at jpmp010@aol.com no later than January 6, 2023. The person selected to receive the honor will be contacted after the deadline and asked to attend the Seeds of Change Award Ceremony at a meeting of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners.

The “Seeds of Change Award” was inspired by the late State Senator Leanna Brown, who passed in 2016, and her longtime friend and colleague, the late Morris County Freeholder Patricia Maynard, who died a few months later in 2017. The honor is intended to highlight and celebrate women who build up other women, including those who work at the grassroots levels in the community.

The award was first issued in April 2018 and has been bestowed only two other times since because of an interruption in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is preferred, but not required that the recipient be linked with a cause of current interest to the Advisory Committee on Women. Current areas of interest include housing and homelessness, human trafficking, incarcerated women, women in the military, female veterans, and other areas that impact women.

Ms. Brown served on the Chatham Borough Council from 1969 to 1972. She was the first woman elected to the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders (now the Board of County Commissioners), becoming the Director in 1976. In 1978, she was named president of the New Jersey Association of Counties.

In 1983, Ms. Brown was also the first Republican woman elected to the New Jersey Senate. She was a champion of women’s causes and mentor to many women who sought to join the political and electoral process. Ms. Brown also was the driving force behind the county’s creation of the Morris County Advisory Committee on Women.

Ms. Maynard served as a member of the Mendham Township Committee from 1974 to 1978 and was Deputy Mayor from 1976 to 1978. She served as a Morris County Freeholder from 1978 to 1984 and at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 1984 to 1996.

Ms. Maynard was passionate about public service and helped to maintain and improve the cultural and educational opportunities and the quality of life in her many roles in Morris County. Her activities included the Morris County 9 Memorial Committee, Morris County Library Foundation, and as a trustee at the Morris Museum, Ralston Cider Mill, the County College of Morris Foundation, and N.J. U.S. Olympic Committee.

Prior “Seeds of Change Award” winners include:

2018 – Lila Bernstein of Mendham Township
2019 – Phyllis Chanda of Flanders
2022 – Mary Ledyard of Rockaway Borough

MORRIS COUNTY — Kids can conquer the slopes this winter while conquering their fears in an exclusive partnership with Lakeland Hills Family YMCA, Mountain Creek Resort, Big Snow, and the Mental Health Association. Students in grades 3-8 will immerse themselves in this 3-month, 8-session experience. While learning how to shred the slopes, they will also learn lifelong social and emotional skills.

This inclusive program is called “GRIT ‘n Snow” with “GRIT” an acronym for Growing Resiliency In Time. It kicks off as children learn how to snowboard or ski with Mountain Creek pros using Burton® gear in the Ys main gymnasium before heading to the mountain to learn about the snow. Sessions begin on Thursday, December 8, for five weeks and include one hour in the gym with Mountain Creek pros learning snowboarding, then one hour in a classroom setting, focusing on one of the mental components of GRIT: Resilience, Empathy, Friendship, Communication, and Confidence. Then it’s three Saturday trips to the slopes at Mountain Creek. The last day at Mountain Creek culminates with a fun family dinner, where the participants and their families join the Mountain Creek team to celebrate the skills, both on and off the slopes, that they learned through the GRIT experience.

This innovative program is open to both Y members and non-members, and 10% of the available slots will be given to students needing financial assistance. The cost of the program includes all equipment, instruction, and transportation to Mountain Creek. With generous funding from Mountain Creek, Mental Health Association, and Peapack-Gladstone Bank, this program is being made available to as many students as possible within its limited enrollment.

Each session at Lakeland Hills Family YMCA consists of two hours, with one hour focusing on an adventure curriculum of skills-based training with the professionals from Mountain Creek, and the other one hour on facilitated activities and conversations, including role-playing, social-media posts, etc. Addressing the mental-health component of this program is just as important, if not more so, than the snowboard/ski skills each participant will learn. With one in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 reporting a mental-health disorder each year, the partnership with Mental Health Association is vital. As some of the common youth mental-health challenges are anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, and trauma experience, a child’s usual way of thinking, feeling, and acting interferes with daily life. This is what makes this program so unique: It consistently engages youth in coping strategies, relationship building, friendships, fostering connections, etc.

Another unique aspect of this initiative with Lakeland Hills YMCA, Mountain Creek, and Mental Health Association is the inclusion of those with mental or physical abilities. One of Lakeland Hills’s young volunteers is an individual named Packey, who has autism and is a snowboard whiz. Packey will be helping students with the adventure curriculum, thus proving that individuals with disabilities or who need adaptive equipment can and should be active participants.

Lakeland Hills Family YMCAs Youth Resiliency Series began just last month in partnership with the Mental Health Association and Team De-Stig of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. A mental-wellness initiative was highlighted with a painting party where local students painted one of the highly visible picnic tables bright yellow, the symbol of optimism and hope. There was also a ribbon-cutting ceremony of the symbolism of the yellow table – a place where children and adults may sit, gather their thoughts, find friendship, or simply have a conversation. It is a judgment-free space for individuals to come together to ask for help or offer support. The second part of the Youth Resiliency Series was Sunday, November 13, at the Youth Mental Health Superhero 5K. This date is also known as World Kindness Day. With over 120 participants running or walking on a cold and windy morning, the chilly weather did not damper the spirits of the “superheroes” wearing their Mental Health Association logoed capes or showing support for the program. The impact of the Youth Resiliency Series cannot be underestimated. The comprehensive curriculum educates both kids and parents about how to identify mental health warning signs, what steps to take for yourself or someone close to you who is suffering, how to arm yourself with effective mental-health resources, and how to build resilience in small and big ways. Data shows that adventure-based curriculums have the capacity to significantly increase a person’s sense of accomplishment, self-efficacy, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-trust, and overall personal growth. The participants in this program will be pre-and-post-tested on these target impacts.

Lastly, there will be a strong focus in this program on connection. Groups will be matched by age and will remain consistent throughout the three-month program. This encourages bonds and trust to be built within the group. Peers will depend on one another for physical, emotional, and moral support and will be encouraged to look out not only for themselves but for others as well.

Another key component of GRIT is reenergizing the connection between parent and child. Time, stress, age, and communication can all have a negative impact on a parent and child bond. When speaking to the community during the planning process of this initiative, it was noted that parents of middle school-aged kids find it difficult to find activities where they can truly connect with their children. Snowboarding and skiing are activities that invite all ages and allow both parent and child to experience learning and cheering each other on together.

Be sure to have your kids check out a snow day at Mountain Creek Resort: (1) Long Live The Snow Day – YouTube.

Need more info? Contact Lakeland Hills Family YMCA, Kim Kostrowski, at kimk@lhymca.com or call Kim at (973) 507-7034. Ready to register? Program Search (daxko.com) For more than 100 years, Lakeland Hills Family YMCA Y has been the leading community organization serving thousands of people, with its focus on Healthy Living, Youth Development, and Social Responsibility. For more information on Lakeland Hills Family YMCA, please visit their website at www.lakelandhillsymca.com or email Rosemary Linder Day at rosemaryl@lhymca.com No one serves the community as powerfully as the Y does every day.

MORRIS COUNTY — John Krickus and Christine Myers will be a terrific team providing, fiscally conservative leadership for Morris County government in 2023 and will continue to hold the line on taxes, invest in infrastructure and education, making the best-run county in New Jersey even better,” said Morris County Republican Chairwoman Ali, who added, “we are so grateful for the wonderful leadership County Commissioner Director Selen provided this year.”

Laura Ali said that the 2023 leadership team was unanimously supported at the annual caucus. Morris County Republican leadership has been integral in making Morris the best place to live in New Jersey, with the number one county college and vocational school district as well as the safest communities in the state. Last June, major financial rating agencies Moody’s and S&P awarded their highest-possible “AAA” rating for a record 47th year to Morris County, continuing a legacy as one of the best financially-run counties in America.

Krickus is in his third three-year term on the board. He is a member of the Budget Committee producing no county tax increase for multiple years. He also is the liaison to the Morris County Improvement Authority, the County College of Morris and Morris County School of Technology, and the Chamber of Commerce/Economic Development.

Commissioner Krickus is a Marine Corps veteran, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA-retired), and worked in data analytics for Dun and Bradstreet and Experian.

Previously, he served on the Washington Township Committee for 12 years, including three years as Mayor. Born and raised in Madison, he now lives in Long Valley with his wife Carolyn where they raised their two daughters.

Christine Myers served a term as Freeholder and was appointed to the Office of Advocacy – Small Business Administration where she reduced regulations on small businesses resulting in billions of dollars in savings. In her previous term, Christine leads the development of a county strategic plan and a debt reserve policy. Commissioner-elect Myers was the top vote winner in the Fall election for her second term on the board.

Christine served in executive roles at AT&T and Lucent/Avaya and Siemens and is the co-founder of a growing manufacturing business. She also served in leadership positions at numerous non-profits, including Cornerstone Family Programs, Americas Gleaned Seafood, and the Order of Malta

She and her husband Stan raised their two sons in Mendham, and have recently moved to New Vernon.