Dear Editor: I had an idea a few months back to use my birthday as an excuse to get some ladies together to raise money for a charity. I thought I would find a cause, have a cocktail and support a worthy organization. Knowing I would need a little help in executing this idea, I contacted Deborah Naude of "Just The Help You Need." She is a local event planner and she immediately jumped on board, free of charge. That was my first indication that this was going to be a great night. I've always wanted to do something to "make a difference" in the lives of women. I feel that I've been so blessed, …

Editor's Note: David Larsen, a businessman from Tewksbury, is opposing incumbent Leonard Lance, in this June's Republican primary election to be included on the ballot in November to represent New Jersey's 7th district in U.S. Congress. The 7th district will next year represent all of the Somerset Hills and Long Hill Township, after redistricting will remove Bernards Township from the 11th district, currently represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen. To the editor, Government regulatory burdens are destroying job creation in America today. As a result, the private sector economy has lost 2 million…

Editor's note: Shannon McNamara of Basking Ridge founded SHARE in Africa while a student at Ridge High School. This year, she is a a freshman at Rice University, in Houston, Texas, majoring in Women's Studies, according to the SHARE website. The organization, started in 2008 when McNamara was 15, began when after a visit to Tanzania that led to 33,000 donated books being sent to schools for girls in that country. The organization now focuses on providing a scholarship program for girls in Tanzania, the website says. Dear Editor: Thank you for publicizing "Cupcakes for a Cause," a SHARE in …

Editor's Note: Local resident Michael Sommer has consistently supported the efforts of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in its efforts to advocate for research and patient support as well as seeking a cure for the disease, which took his father. To the Editor, April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and I would like to take a moment to sincerely thank all of our volunteers from the Northern New Jersey Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, …

Editor's Note: The Somerset Hills Historical Society has given periodic historic walking tours of downtown Basking Ridge in previous years, and is looking to add personal anecdotes to the tour presentation. The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills is based in the Brick Academy at 15 W. Oak Street in Basking Ridge center. Dear Editor, The Somerset Hills Historical Society, located at the Brick Academy in Basking Ridge, is looking for “old stories, tales or recollections” of Basking Ridge from as early as 1850 through 1960. The reason for the “tales” is to add further interest to the local …

Editor's Note: The following is from resident Douglas Wicks, addressing the Bernards Township Committee, and regarding the introduction of an ordinance to allocate another $50,000 to repair a hockey rink closed for almost two years at Harry Dunham Park. The ordinance, proposed on Tuesday night, would bring the maximum total for the project to $175,000. Township Committee members and the township engineer have disputed Mr. Wick's conclusions. However, Township Committeeman John Carpenter asked that information for why the township has decided not to use tiles at this time be detailed when the …

Editor's Note: Township officials recently said the municipality will soon bring up again consideration of how to repair the closed roller rink at Harry Dunham Park off Somerville Road in the township's Liberty Corner section. The township twice has failed to obtain acceptable bids for the job of repairing the cracked rink.A copy of this letter was sent to the Bernards Township Committee, Township Engineer Tom Timko and the Bernards Township Recreation Committee, according to the letter writer, Douglas Wicks. To the editor. A recent article indicated that the Harry Dunham roller rink repairs …

Editor's Note: "Caring for Kathy" was planned more than a month in advance at a fundraiser to help defray the costs of cancer treatment for Kathy Kelleher, a resident of the township for 30 years and, until recently, a teacher at the Tree House Child Caring Center in Basking Ridge. The event was sold out shortly before last Friday. Dear Editor: On behalf of everyone who worked on the Caring for Kathy: a Night at the Beach fundraiser that was held on Friday, March 2 at Saint James School, I thank you and the staff at The Basking Ridge Patch for helping us to publicize the event. The articles …

Editor's Note: The following is a letter from U.S. Congressional candidate David Larsen of Oldwick, who is running in this June's primary election against Republican incumbent Leonard Lance, who represents New Jersey's 7th district in the U.S. Congress. Bernards Township currently is represented by 11th district Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen. However, Bernards Township will be redistricted to the 7th district, along with the remainder of the Somerset Hills, as of 2013, and will be voting for 7th district candidates in this year's election. Dear Editor,   America is brimming with the …

Editor's Note: The following letter comments on Monday night's Board of Education meeting and the decision by school officials to continue directing Ridge High School buses behind the Cedar Hill School. School officials have said the rerouting has alleviated morning traffic congestion at the intersection of Lake Road and South Finley Avenue, the main entrance to the high school. Dear Editor, We are writing to express our shock and utter dismay over the events that unfolded at the February 13 Board of Education meeting at William Annin Middle School. The Homestead Village residents turned out …

Editor's Note: Anish Patel is a senior at Ridge High School who has launched an organization that with a group of Indian-American students travels to India in the summer to teach "life skills" to teenagers in detention centers and orphan facilities. Deadline for participation this summer is March 10. To the Editor, Uplift Humanity India is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that I started two years ago, as a sophomore at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, N.J. Every summer for eighteen days, our organization takes Indian-American high school students to Gujurat, India to teach …

Editor's Note: The following letter is from a Basking Ridge mother who said she has a cause — "to spread awareness about Lyme disease which affects so many people here in our area, especially our town." She submitted this piece to Patch to notify readers that during this Sunday's Super Bowl game there will be a Jumbotron exhibit to educate the public about the signs and symptoms of Lyme, which she said is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed. To the Editor: What started one fall as flu-like symptoms ended up being the beginning of a long journey through a medical nightmare. My child, an avid …

Editor's Note: David Larsen, a businessman from the Oldwick section of Tewksbury Township, is challenging incumbent Republican Leonard Lance for the Republican nomination for this November's election for U.S. Congress, district 7. Bernards Township will continue this year in its present 11th district, represented by U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a Republican from Morris County. At that time, Bernards Township will be joined to other towns in the Somerset Hills in being represented as part of New Jersey's 7th district in U.S. Congress. Dear Editor, One step Congress can take to at least slow…

Editor's Note: The letter writer heads the board of trustees for the Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship. This would be the fifth year the scholarship is being awarded. To the Editor: Attention RHS seniors with character! Graduating seniors who’ve demonstrated character, determination and nontraditional achievements at RHS need to remember this date: Monday, March 5, 2012. It’s the fast-approaching application deadline for the $6,000 Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship. Ridge AMS doesn’t ask about grades or test scores — we want to know what a senior has done that reflects the virtues Ridge AMS …

  Editor's Note: The Board of Education was approached at its Dec. 19 meeting with a petition and public requests to add one day off from school in a future calendar to recognize the holiday of Diwali, which typically falls in October or November. The board, which works three years ahead in setting school calendars, approved the 2014-15 school calendar without adding Diwali as a holiday. However, the matter is scheduled to go before a board subcommittee in January, and could be discussed in public after that time. This week's Moms Talk Q&A also addressed the issue. To the Editor: My husband …

To the Editor, I am voting for John Carpenter and Mary Pavlini for BernardsTownship Committee on Tuesday, Nov. 8 and here's why: They have delivered results, maintained unprecedented fiscal responsibility (we have no unfunded debt), acquired hundreds of acres of open space, protected our environment, and maintained open government. The Opponents: Involvement and Knowledge?  I understand the Democrat opponents haven't attended more than two township committee meetings during the last 12 months. When asked about this by the League of Women Voters at the recent debate, they simply evaded the …

Editor's note: The writer of the letter, Sarah Bonnefoi, is co-president of the Parent-Teacher Organization at Ridge High School. To the Editor: Ridge High School does not have an identifying sign on South Finley Avenue. During the 2010-2011 academic year, I sought out several members of Bernards Township Administration to seek counsel about the possibility of obtaining a small, 2-foot high by 3-foot wide sign, unlit, that would be placed at a height of no more than 3-feet overall to mark the location of the school and display short announcements. The township property immediately south of …

Editor's Note: The Bernards Township Public School Initiative last winter raised in excess of $420,000 from public donations to fund the continuation of the full-day kindergarten program in the township's four public elementary schools. The Board of Education had voted last fall to cut the program to less than three hours per day in order to make up for a loss in state aid. However, upon the receipt of additional state aid last July, the school board voted to again pick up the cost of full-day program for the 2011-12 school year. The group chronicled its progress and released information on …

Dear Editor, This year has been a monumental year for crib and sleep safety. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have made crib and sleep safety one of their top ten priority items in 2011. As recently as June 28, new federal crib safety regulations require manufactures and retailers to comply with more stringent laws affecting crib sales marking the first material update to crib laws in over 30 years, making cribs safer and stronger and banning the sale and distribution of dangerous drop-side cribs. Local resident Joyce Davis, president…

Dear Editor, November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and I am proud to say that I am raising awareness about the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. It has been 40 years since the enactment of the 1971 National Cancer Act, and over the past decade there has been significant improvement in overall cancer survival rates. Sadly, pancreatic cancer survival rates are not reflected in this. In fact, this insidious disease has seen an increase of cases and deaths since 1998 and remains the only cancer that still has a five-year survival rate in the single …