The Red Cross Community...

TROOPS SAY "THANKS" FOR HOLIDAY PACKAGES
	Thank you so much for the care packages that you sent to us here in Afghanistan. I was just about to try to start looking into buying an electric razor, but there is no longer any need with all the razors you sent. Our entire directorate was having a field day finding special items to use from your packages. We also thoroughly enjoyed your words of encouragement and love what you wrote in your letters. It is acts of sharing like this that help to get us through the challenges of being so many miles away from our loved ones. Please send these pictures to all those that contributed to the care packages so that they can share in our experience here. JOHN PAXTON Captain, Aviation Afghanistan Read more...
SUPPORTING THE TROOPS
Anthem Institute The Peer Mentor Program at the Anthem Institute collected items for soldiers and the students held a bake sale to help raise funds for shipping costs. All class sessions and staff at the North Brunswick Campus were invited to participate and the response was outstanding!	Mercer County Association of Realtors Members of the Mercer County Association of Realtors (MCAR) are pictured at the Lawrenceville Family Assistance Center donating Thanksgiving Baskets to the Red Cross to benefit local military families. The baskets were loaded with food to help the families enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and included a gift card to purchase a turkey.

HURRICANE IRENE RELIEF See More...
	Church & Dwight Employees Support Disaster Relief October 13, 2011 – Church & Dwight Employee Giving Fund Chairman Andrew C. Forsell (center) presents a check to American Red Cross of Central New Jersey CEO Carol Chang (left) and Chief Development Officer Barbara Latady at the Red Cross chapter in Princeton. The $25,000 donation will benefit American Red Cross Disaster Relief and represents donations by Church & Dwight employees along with a matching gift from the company. “Seeing the effects of Hurricane Irene, Church & Dwight employees reached out to support Red Cross efforts to help bring relief to affected communities,” said Carol Chang. “We greatly appreciate their continued support.” The Church & Dwight Employee Giving Fund has also donated generously to Red Cross disaster relief efforts following the earthquake in Japan and supports the local Red Cross Youth Program. The Church & Dwight Employee Giving Fund is a workplace giving fund which was established in 2005 to meet the desires of Church & Dwight employees to financially assist those that are less fortunate and to actively support and participate in the good works of not-for-profit organizations dedicated to that end. Church & Dwight Co., Inc. manufactures and markets a wide range of personal care, household and specialty products under the ARM & HAMMER brand name and other well-known trademarks.
	Silver Line Building Products Donates to Hurricane Irene Relief Efforts September 21, 2011 – John Keller, vice president of customer experience with Silver Line Building Products, an Andersen Company, presents a $50,000 check to Marguerite Mount, chairman of the board with the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey, at the Red Cross offices in Princeton. After Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc along the Eastern Seaboard, Andersen Corporate Foundation provided the donation to support Red Cross relief efforts. New Jersey, Vermont and Massachusetts are locations where many Andersen employees live and work, and where the Red Cross conducted massive response and sheltering efforts when floodwaters inundated entire communities and where storm damage was excessive. Silver Line Building Products and Andersen Corporate Foundation recognize the fundamentally vital work of the Red Cross and we applaud their philanthropic spirit, as well as their recognition of the critical need for financial resources before, during, and after disaster strikes. Silver Line Building Products, an Andersen Company, continues Andersen’s legacy of support to community dating back to 1903, with their support of American Red Cross services, including relief efforts to help those affected by disasters.
Red Cross volunteers James Fowler of Atlanta, GA and Courtney Miskell of Auburn, NY, hand Red Cross cleaning supplies to Manville resident Denise Polak. Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) were also out delivering meals to Manville residents hit hard by recent flooding now back in their homes cleaning up on Saturday afternoon. Red Cross mobile feeding and bulk distribution of supplies continued in many of the affected areas throughout the state on Saturday. Photo: September 10, 2011	Red Cross shelter manager Sue Vineyard gets a giggle from Angel Munoz (age 1) as he relaxes with family members Gaspar Rendon, Rasalba Castillo and Alison Rendon (age 2) at the Red Cross shelter in Bound Brook, NJ. Photo: August 29, 2011 Read more about Hurricane Irene Relief Efforts...

SUMMER YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
	The American Red Cross of Central New Jersey Youth Leadership Conference was held August 1st through August 5th at the chapter in Princeton. READ More... (Pictured L-R) Red Cross Youth Coordinator Joelle Piercy, conference participants Megha Shah (WWPHSS), Vikram Kesavabhotla (WWPHSN), Mariah Guarnaccia (Robbinsville HS), and Red Cross Intern Karthik Chalamala (Purdue University) at the Red Cross chapter in Princeton with Rep. Rush Holt (D-12), pictured center.

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP KEY CLUB	GRAND BANK
Members of the Hamilton Township Key Club presented a check for $500 to the Red Cross in Princeton to help aid Red Cross relief efforts for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. In June, members of the Key Club organized a Field Day at Veterans Park in Hamilton and raised the funds through t-shirt sales, team sponsorships and team entry fees. (Pictured L-R): Hamilton Township Key Club Vice President Frank Sun, Lieutenant Governor Sarah Diefenbach, American Red Cross of Central New Jersey Youth Coordinator Joelle Piercy, Kiwanis Club Advisor Dan Benson and President Marissa Cucinotta.	In July, Grand Bank’s Philanthropic Committee coordinated a Silent Auction through their Hamilton headquarters to raise funds to assist Red Cross relief efforts to those affected by devastating tornadoes and floods in Missouri. Generous Grand Bank vendors donated prizes to be offered for auction. All bank employees were invited to participate and their outstanding response resulted in $2,880 being raised for Red Cross relief efforts. Pictured are Sarah Mertz, American Red Cross interim regional chief executive officer (center), accepting the donation presented by Terri Macor (left) and Paula Huergo, Grand Bank Silent Auction co-chairs, at the Red Cross chapter in Princeton.

NOAH'S ARK PRESCHOOL Noah's Ark Humanitarian Projects Pictured are the amazing students and teachers at Noah’s Ark Preschool in Highland Park who undertook two fundraising projects to help people devastated by disasters. Click Here to learn more about these remarkable young children.

GRAINGER FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTES TO RED CROSS PROGRAMS Patricia James, W.W. Grainger, Inc. Trenton branch manager (second from left), with Grainger sales associates Donna Jackson (far left) and Brian Zavacky, presents a $5,000 donation on behalf of the Grainger Foundation to Sarah Mertz, associate executive director with the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey to benefit local Red Cross programs, including disaster preparedness. Grainger, a leading broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products, is considered a leader in disaster preparedness and response and technical education through strategic charitable contributions and community initiatives. Since 2001, Grainger has built a strategic partnership with the American Red Cross, providing more than $9 million in cash and product and supplying employee volunteers to support preparedness and relief efforts across the United States and internationally.

DELOITTE'S IMPACT DAY WITH THE RED CROSS   On June 10th, more than 50 employees from Deloitte’s New Jersey offices donated their time to teach elementary school children about water safety using the Red Cross program, Longfellow’s WHALE Tales. The employees were taking part in Deloitte's annual IMPACT Day, their national volunteer service day. See more photos and read more...

GIRL SCOUTS DONATE TO LOCAL CHAPTER Girl Scout Troop 71005 - West Windsor Girl Scout Troop 71608 - Plainsboro The amazing young ladies involved with both Girl Scout Troop 71005 in West Windsor and Girl Scout Troop 71608 in Plainsboro, decided that they wanted to help others by donating some of their cookie sale earnings to the Red Cross. Thank you ladies!

MAKING SOMEONE'S DAY A LITTLE BRIGHTER Christine's Hope For Kids donated gift bags containing pajamas, books and stuffed toys to help children affected by disasters. Red Cross Regional Senior Program Director Carol Chang (left) accepted the donation from Christine's Hope for Kids President Jean Gianacaci (center) and board member Suzanne Suarez. (Pictured L-R) Kanika Sharma, Emily Tyndall, Mariah Guarnaccia and Alaina Ungarini, all students at Stuart Country Day School, donated 132 beautiful floral arrangements they had assembled for elderly clients of the Red Cross Home Delivered Meals programs.

JAPAN EARTHQUAKE AND PACIFIC TSUNAMI RELIEF
	Berlitz Corporation Donates $50,000 for Japan Earthquake Relief Efforts Marcelo Roman, Senior Vice President, Berlitz Americas Region and CEO, Training Management Corporation (TMC), presents a $50,000 donation on behalf of Berlitz Corporation for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief to Sarah Mertz, associate executive director for the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey. In addition, Berlitz has implemented a donation campaign for employees and customers on its global website and has encouraged company operations in over 70 countries around the world to do the same on their local websites. Benesse Holdings, Inc., parent company of Berlitz, has also contributed 100 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross in support of relief efforts.
Abbott Point of Care Employees Employees at Abbott Point of Care, Inc., took a collection to help those affected by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Pictured (L-R) are Abbott Point of Care employees Angela Brown, Rick Knaus, Kasia Rusin and Roz Arcomano with Jennifer Durrant of the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey at the Princeton chapter. Employees at The Bank Pictured delivering a check to the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey are The Bank employees Tina Middleton (left) and Victoria Baldwin. The Bank held a “Jeans Day” at area branches where a $5 donation gave employees the opportunity to wear jeans to work while also helping raise funds for Red Cross Disaster Relief efforts in Japan.
Students at The College of New Jersey The Japan earthquake and tsunami hit days after Communications Studies students at The College of New Jersey were assigned a “pay it forward” class project. With the people of Japan in mind, the six-member team sold Ribbons for Relief – red and white ribbons created by the students with the colors representing those of the Red Cross and the Japanese flag. The work of this team helped raise more than $600 for Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. Pictured L-R, Ashley Platt, Victoria Vales, Caitlin McNab, Kristen Molnar, Rebecca Nurbin and Roberto Ferranteli.
	Extraordinary Young Girls Making A Difference Our hearts are with the people of Japan who have been affected by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. Many in our community have come forward to help the people of Japan, including some that prove you are never too young to make a difference. Julie, Katie, Olivia and Scarlett are four 12-year-olds from Princeton who were very upset by the footage of the devastation and decided that they were going to help. “We were especially upset because we love Japan,” said Julie. “We have this dream we share that when we grow up, we'll go live in Japan.” Suddenly the idea came to mind to raise funds to help the people of Japan. The girls decided to name their efforts the Kiba Charity and with the help of the attention-grabbing Kiba quadsuit created by Julie, the charitable group was able to raise more than $600 to donate to the Red Cross for the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. A quadsuit is a costume allowing one to stand up on all fours with an even back since stilts extend the arms. As Julie explained it, kiba is the Japanese word for fang, and most of her quadsuit creations are based on dogs and wolves. “We all felt very proud with how much we raised,” said Katie. And the American Red Cross is very proud of Julie, Katie, Olivia and Scarlett for putting their compassion into action. Pictured (L-R) are Julie Clement and Katie Schofield.

SUPPORTING THE TROOPS
	The Mercadien Group Employees at The Mercadien Group in Princeton Adopted A Unit with the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey and held an office-wide Jeans for Charity Day to raise funds to help with shipping costs and purchase additional comfort items. “We hope that the donations bring smiles to our men and women in uniform. Just knowing that we can perhaps send a little comfort from home has made this a wonderful experience for us.” The Mercadien Group

COMMUNITY MAKING THE SEASON BRIGHTER 2010
Wilkin & Guttenplan PC Employees at Wilkin & Guttenplan PC in East Brunswick have been generous supporters of the Red Cross Holiday Gift Run for years. The Holiday Gift Run brings toys and gifts to children in our area who have recently experienced house fires. This year, Wilkin & Guttenplan helped fulfill more than 45 children’s wishes!
NJ Physician Assistant Foundation   The NJ Physician Assistant Foundation fulfilled many children’s gift wishes for this year’s Holiday Gift Run. Pictured are PA Foundation President Beth Hellstern PA-C (center) with Red Cross Emergency Services Response Coordinator Byard Bridge and Senior Program Director Carol Chang, taking a break after loading gifts into the Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle.
BlackRock Ten employees from BlackRock in Plainsboro volunteered and spent the day helping Red Cross volunteers wrap more than 200 gifts and toys that were generously donated for the 90 children that will benefit from the Holiday Gift Program.
Rutgers University Thousands participated in Rutgers’ The Big Chill 5K Race, held 12/11/10 in New Brunswick. In lieu of registration fees, race participants are asked to donate a new toy for charity. The Red Cross Holiday Gift Run is one of the charities. Thank you to Rutgers and all the runners! Pictured: Kathleen Pearson of the Red Cross and young volunteer Mia helped sort and stack the toys at the event.
Garden Club of Princeton The Garden Club of Princeton prepared 75 beautiful Holiday arrangements for our Home Delivered Meals clients – bringing a lovely, festive addition into their homes. Pictured L-R are club members Linda Sedgewick and Maureen Stellato with Meals on Wheels Princeton/Heightstown Meals on Wheels coordinator Debbie Hoagland.	Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. Employees at Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. donated 70 gifts for Red Cross Home Delivered Meals clients. Pictured (L-R) are Lisa Wurfel, Phyllis Horner, Debbie Genzo and Nancy Columbia of Munich Reinsurance America, Inc.; and Debbie Hoagland, coordinator of the Red Cross Meals on Wheels program.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS MAKING HOLIDAY SPECIAL FOR THE TROOPS
The Princeton Footnotes On Saturday, December 11, The Princeton Footnotes a cappella group donated their time visiting with, and performing for, the veterans at Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home. It was a packed audience, with several veterans joining in to make it a sing-a-long! Special thanks to these wonderful 13 young men for providing a fabulous performance.
Novo Nordisk Rather than holding a Secret Santa this year, employees from Novo Nordisk’s Human Resource Services collected items and made festive care packages full of goodies to send to the troops. Quite a nice gift!
Bristol-Myers Squibb Bristol-Myers Squibb employees from both the Human Resources and the Sales and Learning departments participated in an Adopt A Unit campaign. BMS employees then volunteered to help sort and pack all the items collected, as well as raised funds to help with the shipping costs to send the packages to the troops!
The Red Cross and BOB (Best of Bloomberg) On December 6th, eleven members of the Best of Bloomberg (B.O.B.) volunteer program came to the chapter to help Service to Armed Forces volunteers sort and pack items collected from Adopt A Unit campaigns. This team of Bloomberg employees also wrote holiday greetings to soldiers which were then included in the shipment.
Hill Wallack Adopts A Unit with Red Cross Service to Armed Forces Hill Wallack LLP Adopted A Unit with the Red Cross. Employees at this Princeton firm collected items and created holiday greetings for the troops. A group of their employees also volunteered and helped to pack up and ship 37 boxes filled with wonderful comfort items for soldiers serving overseas. Thank You Hill Wallack!
Mercer County Association of Realtors On November 16th, members of the Mercer County Association of Realtors (MCAR) donated 50 Thanksgiving Baskets to the Red Cross to benefit local military families. The baskets were loaded with food to help the families enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and included a gift card for families to purchase their turkeys. Pictured at the Lawrenceville Armory are (L-R): Aaron Heimowitz of Wells Fargo; MCAR President Ellen Affel of Keller Williams; MCAR Executive Officer Marlene King; Lawrenceville Family Assistance Specialist Jane Hackbarth; Pam Trapp of Keller Williams; and Red Cross Service to Armed Forces Volunteers Kyle Chu and Linda Ruffini.	Cherry Hill Nursery School Cherry Hill Nursery School Adopted A Unit. Young students created special holiday greetings for the troops and collected items to help fill care packages. Thanks to all the great staff members at Cherry Hill who helped make this collection possible!

NRG Energy Continues Support for Haiti
NRG Energy's Triple-Match of Employee Donations Tops $143K for American Red Cross NRG Energy presented the American Red Cross with a $143,682 donation that represents a Company triple-match of funds raised earlier this year by NRG employees to support humanitarian efforts in Haiti. Pictured front row, left to right: NRG Employees Jennifer Brunelle, Lynn Przychodzki, Nalini Singh, Erin Gilli and Meredith Moore (NRG’s head of Global Giving), and Kevin Sullivan, CEO, American Red Cross of Central New Jersey. Top row, left to right: NRG employees Omar Kingwood, Carl Harroo, Deborah Fry, Stefan Kimball, Bill Walsh and Kevin Malcarney.	Photo Courtesy of NRG Energy

Sharing a Day With the 50th Chemical Company
	By Julie Daigle On Saturday, September 18th, the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) team was invited to attend the 50th Chemical Company family picnic. Click here to read more... Julie Daigle is an Emergency Services Volunteer with the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey.

A Birthday Celebration Benefits Haitian Earthquake Survivors
	By Maggie Sullivan The Corriveau family of Plainsboro, NJ; Colin 9, Caroline 7, Claire 4, Caite 2, and parents Jessica and Bob, recently made a donation to the American Red Cross. What began as a joint birthday party for their children, whose birthdays all happen to fall in May and June, has turned into a way to raise funds for charitable causes. The tradition began last year when the family asked guests to bring a donation for charity in lieu of gifts for each of the children. This year, 55 friends and family members attended a cookout over the Memorial Day weekend. When Jessica and Bob consulted their children about where to send the donation, oldest son Colin immediately recommended donating to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. Colin had learned at school about the suffering in Haiti caused by the January earthquake. After making the donation, the kids “felt really good about their efforts and had a great sense of pride.” Jessica and Bob expressed how very proud they are “of how the kids have handled collecting donations instead of receiving presents from their friends. We have four wonderful children and we are very, very blessed.” Maggie Sullivan is a public relations intern with the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey. Maggie is entering her senior year at Muhlenberg College.

A Summer Picnic With Our Veterans
	By Georgia Kinsley After a summer of interesting, informative, and enlightening experiences during my internship at the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a picnic for a group of honorable veterans at the Lyons Veterans Hospital. Not knowing what to expect... Click here to read more...

Following in Florence Nightingale's Footsteps -- Literally!
	Read the blog of Susan Hassmiller, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Senior Advisor for Nursing and a member of the Red Cross of Central New Jersey Board of Directors, which documents her travels through Europe on her journey to learn more about the life and work of the legendary Florence Nightingale! Click here to read more...

Red Cross Honors Eagle Scout

Jonathan Murray decided to hold an American Red Cross Blood Drive as his Eagle Scout project last year. Thanks to all of his hard work and extra efforts, this successful blood drive yielded 60 pints of blood. During his Eagle Court of Honor at St. Paul’s Church in Princeton, Red Cross Senior Program Director Carol Chang presented Jonathan with a certificate to honor his commitment. Jonathan is pictured here during the Eagle Court of Honor ceremony.

Central New Jersey Community Support for Local Programs
URS Corporation URS Corporation donated $10,000 to the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey. Chapter CEO Kevin Sullivan (left) accepts the generous donation from George Nash, President, URS Powergroup.	Daisy Girl Scout Troop Daisy Girl Scout Troop 71704 in Pennington Adopted A Unit and collected donations of Girl Scout cookies and also created sweet notes for soldiers serving overseas. Pictured is young Daisy Annakah, who helped her mom deliver several cases of cookie boxes. SEE More...

EARTHQUAKE RELIEF EFFORTS
The Mercadien Group Employees of The Mercadien Group held a “jeans day” to benefit Red Cross Relief in Haiti, each donating $5 to wear jeans for the day. The Mercadien Group matched their employees’ contributions. Pictured are employees presenting a check for $525.00. Seated L-R: Lisa Dove, Kim Kelly, Cheryl DeBronzo, Arlene Yanogacio. Standing L-R: Sal Zerilli, Bryan Screws, Michelle Everman, Rick Hoyt, Meghan Meyer, Anna Goldman, Angela Salzano, Paul Dorio, Matt Daly.	Terra Momo Restaurant Group Terra Momo Restaurant Group hosted two fundraisers at their Mediterra restaurant to benefit Red Cross relief efforts to those affected by the earthquake in Chile. Raoul Momo (left) and Carlo Momo (right) present a check for $4,493.55 to Red Cross Financial Development Manager JoAnn Hoppe.
Hapag-Lloyd Employees at Hapag-Lloyd donated to American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti and their donations were then matched by the company. President Wolfgang Freese presented a check for $25,000 to American Red Cross Representative JoAnn Hoppe at the company’s Piscataway office. Also pictured (l-r) are Sharan Jain, David Junkroski, John Nardi and Tom Lord.	Perth Amboy Public Schools Perth Amboy Public Schools made a concerted effort to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Student representatives, including Sofia, the young pre-school student who brought the idea to Perth Amboy's Board of Education, were on hand to present a check for $19,780 to American Red Cross representative Diane Concannon.
Nassau Inn Family Princeton’s Community Response Benefit for Haiti Earthquake Relief Raises $11,000 CLICK HERE for more photos and event participants.	Lawrenceville Elementary School Students at Lawrenceville Elementary School (LES) participated in school-wide fundraising efforts for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, donating a total of $1,680.15 to the American Red Cross. Ms. Shields’ and Ms. Manning’s 2nd graders initiated the effort by selling snacks. First graders secured donations from family members and friends for a read-a-thon held at school. LES children and staff celebrated their efforts through an Awesome Assembly recently, as they presented the money raised for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to Red Cross Volunteer Robert Morgan, pictured here with students and (back row L-R) teachers Cari Gallagher and Kristin Shields with Principal Judith McLaughlin.
Panera Bread	Panera Bread of New Jersey is well known for supporting local causes. The devastation in Haiti made it clear that a relief fund needed to be implemented for such a worthy cause outside of our state borders. And residents in New Jersey, once again, stepped up big time. In just 2 weeks, Panera matched all donations with a 50% contribution bringing the total amount to $37,867.50. All proceeds were donated to the American Red Cross International Response Fund to benefit relief efforts in Haiti. Panera Bread Managing Member Jim Nawn stated, “We are grateful to our customers for their continued support in times of great need. Time and time again, we are overwhelmed by their generosity. This donation will be put to great use in Haiti through the American Red Cross.” Pictured are Jim Nawn, managing member of Panera Bread in Northern New Jersey (far right) presenting a check for $37,867.50 to American Red Cross of Central New Jersey CEO Kevin Sullivan (center) and Red Cross Board Member Bill Augustine.
Hopewell Valley Central High School Members of the Model WHO Club at Hopewell Valley Central High School held fundraisers and collected donations to help with American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. Teacher and club leader David Angwenyi initiated the project, and other teachers and students soon joined on to help. Model WHO Club member Ashley Fennelly's father was so impressed by the students' efforts, he matched funds raised, bringing the total donated to over $3,000! Pictured here are members of the Model WHO Club along with advisors, including club leader David Angwenyi (standing, 2nd from right) presenting the check to Diane Concannon, director of public relations, American Red Cross of Central New Jersey (standing, far right) at Hopewell Valley Central High School.	Princeton High School Ice Hockey Over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, members of Princeton High School's Boys Ice Hockey Team collected donations for the victims of the Haiti earthquake at ShopRite in Montgomery. Pictured here is Hockey Team member Fraser Graham with Sarah Mertz, senior director of financial development at the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey in Princeton.
Khufu Temple The Khufu Temple in Princeton presented a check to the American Red Cross to help fund disaster relief efforts in Haiti. Pictured are (L-R) Illustrious Potentate Frank R. Herron, Honorary Past Potentate Rodney Thompson and Past Potentate David B. Lewis with Laura Pearson of the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey in Princeton.	Newgrange School Red Cross Volunteer Jesse Lazarus (left) congratulates Newgrange School students Darriah Robinson and Student Council President Dan Lapidow on a job well done. Students raised funds for American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti and presented a check to Mr. Lazarus on February 3rd.

COMMUNITY MAKING THE SEASON BRIGHTER 2009
Rutgers University Thousands participated in Rutgers’ The Big Chill 5K Race, held 12/12/09 in New Brunswick. The Big Chill provides our Holiday Gift Run with some of the adorable stuffed animals and toys donated by race participants.	NJ Physician Assistant Foundation The NJ Physician Assistant Foundation fulfilled many children’s gift wishes for this year’s Holiday Gift Run. Pictured are PA Foundation President Beth Hellstern PA-C (far right) and Red Cross Senior Program Director Carol Chang after loading our van with gifts.
Novo Nordisk Employees of Novo Nordisk’s Commercial Effectiveness department donated over 80 gifts to brighten the holidays for some of our Home Delivered Meals clients. Pictured L-R is Obi Ezeadi and Jud Ihlenfeldt of Novo Nordisk Inc. with Brandon Verrault, coordinator Red Cross Meals Home and Weekend Mobile Meals programs.	Garden Club of Princeton The Garden Club of Princeton prepared beautiful Holiday arrangements for our Home Delivered Meals clients – bringing a lovely, festive addition into their homes. Pictured L-R are club members Helena Bienstock and Erin Forrey.
Star 99.1 FM Red Cross Senior Program Director Carol Chang (left) accepts teddy bear delivery from Star 99.1 FM Radio Promotions Assistant Ashley Best. The teddy bears were donated by listeners during a recent radio promotion.	Bristol-Myers Squibb Employees at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Employee Resource Groups, put together over 250 adorable snowman goodie bags filled with candies to be shipped to our troops serving overseas. Also included in each bag was a newsletter created by the group that included recent sports scores, local weather forecasts, and additional news tidbits from Central New Jersey. Pictured here are members of the Employee Resource Groups at Bristol-Myers Squibb wishing the troops a Happy Holiday!

BEST OF BLOOMBERG VOLUNTEERS WITH RED CROSS
	Ten employees from Bloomberg’s Skillman office volunteered at the chapter on December 8, 2009. They are members of the company’s BOB (Best of Bloomberg) volunteer program. For several hours, the team assisted our Service to Armed Forces volunteers as they sorted items from Adopt A Unit campaigns and then packed over 40 care packages for shipment to the troops. They also wrote holiday greetings to include in the shipment. Thank you BOB – you are the Best!

MERCER COUNTY ASSOC. OF REALTORS DONATES THANKSGIVING BASKETS
On November 16th, members of the Mercer County Association of Realtors donated 40 Thanksgiving Baskets to the Red Cross to benefit local military families this holiday. The baskets were loaded with goodies to help these families have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and included a gift card for families to purchase their turkeys. The Red Cross and the Lawrenceville Family Assistance Center would like to thank the following for their generosity: Coldwell Banker in Princeton and Princeton Junction; ERA Advantage Realty in Cream Ridge and Bordentown; ERA Properties Unlimited; Gloria Nilson GMAC in Princeton, Princeton Junction and Pennington; Henderson Sotheby's International; Keller Williams; Long & Foster; Maguire Burke; NT Callaway in Princeton; Prudential Fox & Roach in Princeton and Princeton Junction; Re/Max Excel; Re/Max Greater Princeton; Re/Max in Town; Re/Max of Princeton; Re/Max Tri County; Richard A Weidel offices in Ewing, West Windsor and Princeton; Stockton Real Estate; Weichert Realtors in Princeton and Girl Scout Troop 1218.	11/16/09 – (L-R) Red Cross volunteer Joan Smith, Pam Trapp of Keller Williams, Andrea D’Angelo of Gloria Nilson, Jane Hackbarth of the Lawrenceville Family Assistance Center, Barbara Facompre of Gloria Nilson, Margaret Schmid of Coldwell Banker, and Red Cross volunteer Mario Florio with the baskets delivered to the Lawrenceville Armory.

CHILDREN USE CPR TRAINING TO HELP SAVE THEIR FATHER'S LIFE
	During the early morning hours on July 15, 2009, Robert Corkwell (seated left) suffered cardiac arrest and his two children, both trained with American Red Cross life saving skills as lifeguards, immediately began CPR on their father. Very soon after, the Piscataway Police Department arrived with an automated external defibrillator (AED) and shocked Mr. Corkwell. When paramedics arrived, they continued the efforts and advised the officers they detected a heart rhythm. Read more...

ORACLE SPENDS GLOBAL VOLUNTEER DAYS WITH RED CROSS
On Wednesday, September 9th, employees of Oracle USA stepped out of their offices and into warehouse space to help the chapter organize a vast amount of our disaster relief supplies now housed in Hunterdon County. They logged and stacked cots, blankets and other supplies used during sheltering and disaster operations. The employees assisted the Red Cross as part of Oracle’s Global Volunteer Days, when Oracle employees around the world engage in volunteer projects to benefit the communities where they live and work. And we’re extremely grateful for their help! The warehouse space was generously donated by the Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission (HCESC). HCESC is providing 1,000 square feet of storage space in its warehouse facilities to allow the Red Cross to store and maintain disaster relief supplies to help facilitate the efficient delivery of emergency services throughout Hunterdon County and the Central New Jersey region.	Oracle Team (L-R) Florie Burke, Lauren Farese, Liz Samuel, Duane Babecki, Joe Alampi, Gerry Jurrens, Dara Sellnow-Mizerak, and Ajay Dhami.

RED CROSS RECOGNIZES RARITAN TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY HERO
	Raritan Township, June 25, 2009 – Kathy Schroeder (far left), health and safety manager with the American Red Cross of Central New Jersey, presents Raritan Township employee Jeff Hamerstone with a Red Cross Community Hero certificate during a Township Safety Committee meeting. Also pictured are Jeff’s wife Cathy and 9-year-old daughter Erin and Jeff’s co-worker Mike Rasile (second from left). On January 15, 2009, Jeff Hamerstone did not hesitate to put his Red Cross training into action when Mike began choking. The two men were on their lunch break at the Public Works Facility when Jeff recognized the signs of conscious choking and immediately performed the actions necessary to dislodge the food and save Mike from losing consciousness.

ADAPTED AQUATICS	DELOITTE'S IMPACT DAY
The Red Cross Adapted Aquatics Program held it’s year-end swim race on June 2nd. Click here for more…	First grade students at Maurice Hawk Elementary School get ready for the Life Jacket Relay during Deloitte’s IMPACT Day. Read more…

WELCOMING HOME THE TROOPS
SAF Volunteers help welcome home the troops. See more pix…

YOUNG FUNDRAISERS	ADOPT A UNIT
Students at the University Heights Elementary School in Hamilton held a fundraiser to help encourage the joy of reading and donated the proceeds to the local Red Cross chapter.	Employees at The Mercadien Group in Princeton adopted a unit. Click here to see others who have adopted a unit...

RUTGER'S DAY
Nearly 200 children walked through the Fire Safety House.	Red Cross instructors taught Longfellow's WHALE Tales program to children.
On April 25, 2009, Rutgers University held their first Rutger's Day. The Red Cross was invited to help educate the community about fire safety and water safety.