Masks for Matheny

Chris Saglimbene behind his San Francisco 49ers mask.

Adult Services students at Matheny have gone all out to support the upcoming Mardi Gras-Carnivale celebration at the Verve restaurant in Somerville, NJ. Verve has once again selected Matheny as the beneficiary of its five-day celebration, and part of the proceeds come from a silent auction of masks, to be held on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 12.

The Adult Services students, working with their instructors, created more than a dozen masks from combinations of cardboard, construction paper, magazines, glitter, paint, ribbon and found objects. To learn more about the celebration, they also watched videos about the history of Mardi Gras and listened to jazz.

The Verve Mardi Gras Carnivale celebration will be held on Feb. 7-10, in addition to Fat Tuesday. According to owner Rick St. Pierre, it will feature “food and libations of Venice, Brazil and New Orleans, baubles, beads, gaudy decorations and cheap plastic trinkets.” To make a reservation, call (908) 707-8655 and be sure to mention Matheny.

Dion Alston working on his mask.

 

Mardi Gras for Matheny

State Sen. Christopher Bateman at last year’s Mardi Gras celebration.

Verve, a French restaurant in Somerville, NJ, has once again selected Matheny as the beneficiary of its Mardi Gras-Carnivale celebration, to be held Feb. 7-10 and 12. The celebration, according to owner Rick St. Pierre, will feature Venice, Brazil and New Orleans-inspired food and libations, baubles, beads, gaudy decorations and cheap plastic trinkets. Partial proceeds from those nights will be donated to Matheny.

A special feature of the Fat Tuesday celebration, on Feb. 12, is the annual Mardi Gras silent mask auction, and a portion of the auction proceeds will also benefit Matheny. Want to donate a mask? Drop it off at Verve, 18 East Main St., by January 28.

Since opening Verve in the late 1990s, St. Pierre has consistently given back to the community. He was named Somerville’s Citizen of the Year in 2011, and he is chairman of the Downtown Somerville Alliance events committee. In 2008, he was given the Somerset County Business Partnership’s Economic Vitality Award.

In 2012, the Mardi Gras celebration raised $1,900 for Matheny. For reservations, call (908) 707-8655 and be sure to mention Matheny.

One of last year’s Mardi Gras masks.

 

Holiday hoops

Somerset County Vo-Tech basketball player Devon Gardner and Matheny student Yasin Reddick.

Ahmed Mackey, coach of the Somerset Vo-Tech Jaguars, told the Courier News he wanted his players to see that life is about more than just basketball. So he had his team organize a toy drive and delivered toys to Matheny on Christmas Day.

The team arrived Christmas morning, bringing several hefty bags of toys and games. According to Janice Kriegman, Matheny development officer, who was at Matheny that day, “the boys seemed to instinctively know how to interact with each resident. I was touched by how natural and caring they were. They had just the right touch.”

There are plans for some Matheny students and patients to attend a future Jaguars game. In the meantime, they won’t soon forget the special visit on Christmas Day. And some of the players hinted that they might be back on Valentine’s Day.

Matheny student Richard Kozlik with assistant coaches Mike Remeta, center, and Erik Bowers.

 

Miles for Matheny 2013

Braving the elements at Miles 2012.

The 16th annual Miles for Matheny will be held Sunday, April 21, 2013, at Liberty Park in downtown Peapack, NJ. The fundraiser and community event returned to downtown Peapack this past April after a two-year hiatus in Natirar Park, and the homecoming was triumphant.

Despite rainy weather, our students, patients and their families joined with friends from the community for a wonderful day that included the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk, five cycling rides, a 5K run and a kids fun run.

As usual, all funds raised in 2013 will help support the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry, which provides medical, dental and therapy care to people with disabilities in the community.

Online registration begins today! Log onto www.milesformatheny.org. If you have any questions, need information or would like to become a sponsor, call Patricia Cats at (908) 234-0011, ext. 260, or email her at pcats@matheny.org.

 

Team spirit

Bryce Curnin, left, and Ryan Murphy of Mendham, NJ, with Matheny student Catherine Aragona.

“It was a great experience for the whole team, and we all really appreciated the opportunity to help out.” That’s Bryce Curnin, a member of the Delbarton School varsity basketball team and a resident of Basking Ridge, NJ, who spoke on behalf of all of his teammates who made their annual visit to Matheny to participate in adapted basketball contests with Matheny students and patients.

Physical education instructor Jim Hintenach and recreation therapy director Sean Bielefeldt created a variety of basketball games designed to level the playing field, and, as always, the event resulted in an hour packed with fun and camaraderie in an arena-type atmosphere. The Delbarton players finished off the morning by tossing t-shirts into the audience, similar to what is often done at NBA games.

“It was very humbling to see the students at Matheny,” added Curnin. “I hope it meant as much to them as it did to us.” Delbarton is an independent Roman Catholic learning center in Morristown, NJ, for young men, grades 7-12.

The Delbarton basketball team cheers on adult patient Jason Weiner, who sunk several baskets.

 

Mealtime success

Teaching assistant Kristin Barone helps Jenna with self-feeding.

Nutrition specialists and speech-language pathologists at Matheny work together to ensure that meals for students and patients are healthy, nutritious and safe. Once that’s accomplished, some students learn how to be semi-independent during mealtimes.

Ten-year-old student Jenna Poleyeff is one of them. She participates in Matheny’s semi-independent feeding table program everyday at lunchtime. There, with a little help from a teacher or therapist, she can feed herself using an adaptive spoon, and she can hold a cup on her own to drink. In fact, eating has become one of Jenna’s favorite activities.

Creating ways to communicate

Student Matthew Detgen uses a switch to welcome visitors to Back-to-School Night, as his parents look on.

Speech language specialists at the Matheny School offer individual and integrated services plus in-class language groups. Our vast library of augmentative devices range from low-tech single switch access devices to high-tech dynamic display devices. And our onsite audiology clinic provides audiological evaluations as well as a dysphagia clinic throughout the year.

To learn more about Matheny’s speech, occupational and physical therapy programs, visit us at The Matheny School Open House for school administrators. It will be held from 10 a.m-noon on Tuesday, January 29. For more information or to register, call Jill Baker at (908) 234-0011, ext. 774, or email mathenyschool@matheny.org.

A lawmaker visits Matheny

Congressman Leonard Lance chats with Arts Access artist Luis Rodriguez.

Congressman Leonard Lance (NJ-07) took one look at an untitled painting by Arts Access artist Jason Christie and exclaimed, “If you had told me that was a Jackson Pollock, I would have believed you!”

Rep. Lance toured Matheny recently, starting at the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center where he praised staff members, students and patients for being awarded a 2013 Fast Track Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

He visited with artist Luis Rodriguez in the visual arts studio and then watched Rodriguez work on his choreography with two dance facilitators. “I was pleased to talk with staff and patients at Matheny and learn more about the facility’s first-class art program for residents,” Lance said. “I was also impressed with the high quality of care that is provided to patients at this top-notch facility in Peapack.”

Arts Access enables people with disabilities to create fine art, assisted by professional artist-facilitators. The NEA grant was awarded to help support the 20th anniversary of Arts Access, which will be celebrated in November.

Creative freedom

Darlene Tammara uses picture symbols to make a story more understandable for student Deborah Eike. At left is occupational therapist Debbi Goodheart.

Darlene Tammara looks at her students and sees their abilities, not their disabilities. “Who knows how far they can grow?” she asks. Tammara teaches a transition class at the Matheny School, instructing older students in life skills that will help them after they graduate.

Four years ago she started the Tea Time Café, a snack bar managed by Matheny students for Matheny employees. She has her students count money from Tea Time sales, enter the results on a special math worksheet and make bank deposits. The students also work on clerical jobs for Matheny and fill packages for Operation Shoebox, an organization that sends care packages to U.S. troops deployed overseas. On December 1, her students, along with some Matheny adult patients, participated in an Operation Shoebox packing event at the YMCA in Hillsborough, NJ. And in January 2013, both groups were scheduled to make weekly visits to the Bridgewater, NJ, Library and a local yoga studio to learn appropriate job skills.

Tammara, a resident of Bridgewater, NJ, is in her 17th year at Matheny. One of the things she loves about working there is the creative freedom. “If you have an idea, you can go with it,” she says. “Matheny gives you an opportunity to try things. I love working with students at all different levels, coming up with creative ways to bring the world to my students, giving them every opportunity to grow themselves.”

Tammara also appreciates Matheny’s trans-disciplinary approach, “where therapists work in the classroom with teachers. We all work together. I feel very strongly about that – it’s such a collaborative effort. When there is collaboration among the teacher, therapist and administration, it’s like a well-oiled machine. I enjoy being given the chance to discuss my students with my colleagues.”

Her colleagues apparently feel the same way about her as they nominated Tammara as Matheny’s educator of the year for the 2012-2013 school year.

Good sports

Robert Declan tries out a power wheelchair under the watchful eye of Matheny physical therapist Lisa Tuminelli.

The goal of the Matheny School’s adapted phys ed program is to make it possible for Matheny students to participate and compete in modified versions of as many sports as possible. The program ranges from races in both manual and power wheelchairs to adapted versions of bowling, soccer and basketball, to name a few.

For several years, Matheny has been taking this program on the road, to public and independent schools throughout New Jersey, introducing these adapted sports to students of all ages during their own physical education classes. The most recent trip was to a second grade gym class at the Central Elementary School in Great Meadows, NJ.

The visits have several objectives: to let able-bodied students know that children with disabilities enjoy many of the same activities they do; to break down barriers of anxiety about how to relate to people with disabilities; and to replace those barriers with a sense of camaraderie, understanding and friendship as the two groups of students compete as peers. By all accounts, the Central visit accomplished all of those goals.

Statehouse spirit

Lt. Governor Guadagno and choir member Jessica Evans.

As members of Matheny’s choir prepared for their appearance with Holiday Express at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark on December 20, they received good luck wishes from an unexpected visitor. “You guys are going to be great!” exclaimed New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno. She stopped backstage and chatted with each choir member. Guadagno even promised adult patient Jessica Evans that she’d soon visit Matheny.

During the concert, Holiday Express founder and leader Tim McLoone welcomed the choir members, saying, “We go to a wonderful place every year called Matheny.” After the choir performed “Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You” and “Little Drummer Boy,” McLoone introduced Geri Brewer of Somerset, NJ, who sang “One Little Christmas Tree” to her daughter Rasheedah Mahali and the other students and patients from Matheny.

Tim McLoone, choir member Paul Santos and Lt. Governor Guadagno.

Holiday Express’ mission is to deliver music, food, gifts, financial support and friendship to those in need during the holiday season. The band presents a holiday concert every year at Matheny and also plays at our prom in the spring.

Here comes Skanska!

Back row, from left: Student Mohamed El Yamany, recreation therapy director Sean Bielefeldt, Santa Claus (David Formichella), Stacey Sturrock, Kim DeRocco, Lisa Alongi, Kathy Figueroa, Lisa Dattolo and Young Moon. Front, from left: student Daeon Troutman, adult patient Camille Van Valen and students Kimberly Alarcon and India Jones.

The annual holiday visit from employees at Skanska USA’s Parsippany, NJ, office is a tradition that Matheny students and patients look forward to—especially since the group from Skansaka drops off lots of toys raised in a company toy drive.

But this year, Santa Claus (aka David Formichella, technical administrator in Skanska’s New York City office) and his helpers did more than just deliver the toys. They walked through the hallways and visited every classroom in the Matheny School, spreading holiday joy everywhere they went.

Student Raven Bennett with Stacey Sturrock and Lisa Dattolo.

 

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