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International Day Returns to Mount Prospect School

Public invited to multicultural dances on Friday at 7 p.m. and International Day Fair, with food, at 5:30 p.m.

Mount Prospect Elementary School is the most international of Bernards Township's four elementary schools, and some of the flavors of that world-view are on display on Friday. On Thursday, the third grade performed dances from Russia, Mexico, Kenya, Japan and Scotland at an assembly for students. The dance performances will be repeated for the public at 7 p.m. on Friday, following an International Day Fair for the public — including food — at the school cafeteria, beginning at 5:30 p.m. School Principal Judith Slutzky said she had always wanted to hold an international day, but last year launched the program the help of dedicated parent volunteers Riham Elkashef, Achint Kaur, Helen Woo and Denise Zangara. The Mount Prospect PTO provided …

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'More Than Me' Awaits $1M Charity Prize Results

NBC's Chase American Giving Awards will reveal Saturday if Bernardsville native Katie Meyler's foundation is winner.

On Saturday, supporters will learn whether More Than Me, a foundation that helps girls get off the street and into school in Liberia, West Africa that was founded by Bernardsville native Katie Meyler, has won up to $1 million in the second annual NBC Chase American Giving Awards contest. Only 25 charities were selected throughout the entire country — and just one from New Jersey — and the foundation and even some famous names worked through Tuesday night to galvanize a final push to collect the most votes on Facebook. Votes were counted until Tuesday ended midnight through the foundation's voteabigail.org page. The foundation's cause has received tweets and Facebook posts from numerous celebrities, including a retweet from the chef Emeril …

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Colleen Epple Pine

9:57 am on Wednesday, December 5, 2012

With so many worthy charities out there, I would like to give my personal testimony to More Than Me. Not only have I met its founder, Katie Meyler, but her vision leaves me inspired to help-even just a little bit. I wish Katie and "Abigail" the best success as we hopefully find a way to keep young girls like Abigail find ways to get a drink of water and a meal without "selling themselves out".   more ›

'Run For The Hoses' Attracts All Types For First 5K

They ran, they jogged, they walked — or even rode in baby carriages.

'Run for the Hoses' Comes to Bernardsville

Register online or on race day for new 5K and kids fun run to raise funds for all volunteer Bernardsville Fire Co. and First Aid Squad.

The Bernardsville Fire Co. and First Aid Squad's upcoming "Run for the Hoses" 5K and kids fun run is a brand new fundraiser for the all-volunteer organization — but it's already got a history. The event, which now will be held this Saturday, heading out at 10 a.m. from Bernards High School, originally was scheduled for Nov. 3. However, that plan was revised after Superstorm Sandy blew through the area and virtually all of Bernardsville remained without power on that date. The firefighters and first aid squad were determined to reschedule, however. The idea of holding the event the weekend around Thanksgiving was kicked around, but the organizers finally settled on rescheduling for Dec. 1, said firefighter Anthony Falconeri. Fortunately, …

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Bernardsville Woman Seeks Help With Sandy Lunches

Staten Island, N.Y. native bringing food to her home borough for those still left homeless or struggling after storm.

Cathy Fersini-Campitiello, a Bernardsville resident and Staten Island native, still is seeking local volunteers to help her pack 20 bagged lunches to contribute toward those she has been delivering on a daily basis to residents in her home borough whose homes and lives were "devastated" by Sandy. Fersini-Campitiello, whose husband works in Staten Island, has been delivering lunches along with moral support since the beginning of the week. "The devastation is sickening," she said of the people she had visited. "It is a humbling sight. They were so appreciative of the food we brought today and are in need of so much more," she said on Tuesday. Fersini-Campitiello had reached out to friends in the Somerset Hills before this week to ask for …

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Great Escape

Head to Ladies Night Out for Shopping and Socializing

Benefit for Bernards Township PBA this Friday include refreshments, drink and shopping.

Sometimes there's just not enough days to go around, but each week we'll give you an idea of something to do to relax, spend time with family and just take some time for yourself. This Friday, it's time to grab a friend and head over to the Basking Ridge Country Club on Madisonville Road in Basking Ridge for a chance to nibble, sip, shop and socialize at Ladies Night Out. The event begins at 7 p.m. "This event is a great way to start — or finish — your holiday shopping," said Bernards Township Police Patolman Ray Gizienski. The event, with $30 admission that includes a light dinner, drinks and door prizes, also is a benefit that supports the activities of the Bernards Township PBA. "After the recent storm, we could all use a night out to …

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Holiday Tree Found, Goes Up Saturday Downtown

The search for a tree for the center of Basking Ridge ends on Annin Road.

The Basking Ridge Fire Co. and Emergency Medical Services volunteers who each year put up a holiday tree in downtown Basking Ridge report that a tree has been found, and will be moved and erected on Saturday. "After losing two trees designated to be used as the town’s tree were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, one has been found as a replacement," Fire Co. spokesman and former Chief Jack McGrath said on Friday. The tradition started by the fire co. and EMS to put the Holiday Tree in the Center of Basking Ridge Center will continue when the tree is set up at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the fire company reported. The replacement tree reportedly was donated by Steve and Maggie Aloisio of Annin Road in Basking Ridge. The fire company tradition has…

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Somerset Hills YMCA's Giving Garden Takes Root

Official ribbon-cutting for garden at the YMCA's Basking Ridge location that provides opportunities for education and sustenance.

There were a lot of gardeners who put effort into the Somerset Hills YMCA's Giving Garden. Several of those who made the garden possible gathered on Tuesday morning for an official ribbon-cutting at the fenced plot on the side property at the YMCA's main facility off Mount Airy Road, even though the seeds first had been planted last June. It's now harvest time at the garden, where such produce as peppers and tomatoes, squash and eggplant are coming ripe. And those fresh items from the garden, grown organically, will go to some of the families that the YMCA already supports through its programs, said Fred Wasiak, chief operating officer for the YMCA, who was at Tuesday's ribbon-cutting. This initiative is in partnership with the Rotary Club…

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