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MAIL TO: American Red Cross/ Handyman Program Westfield/ Mountainside Chapter 321 Elm Street, Westfield, New Jersey 07090 Westfield Committee Sponsoring
Family Relocated From Kosovo Veteran Spreading Word About Services For ExServicewomen
By MELISSA BETKOWSKI
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times
WESTFIELD — At the Veterans Affairs (VA) enrollment drive held July 13 at the Westfield Municipal Building, Nan Marie Rotchford was easy to spot.
The Westfield resident, a former military policewoman who served with the Army in Germany between 1978 and 1981, was wearing a gray Tshirt emblazoned with a red, white and blue design that read: “Women are Veterans Too.”
The former Licensed Practical Nurse, who is a 100 percent service
woman veteran, came out to the enrollment drive to spread the word about VA services for women.
She is currently a volunteer with theVAfor women’shealth.Shespoke of a real need for specialized services
women veterans. spoke about Ingrid Renwanz, a registered nurse who serves as the
veterans coordinator for the New Jersey VA hospitals in Lyons and East Orange.
Mrs. Rotchford also told about the gynecological services that the pitals offer, such as a nurse ner and a board certified gist.
One fairly new feature that the VA isoffering iscompensationforsexual trauma, which includes harassment. Mrs. Rotchford said that since the 1991 Tailhookscandal,sexualtrauma compensation has become more prominent.
She noted that people who file for such compensation, even before re
ceiving monetary benefits, will ceive priority medical care. The VA, she said, is introducing a new women’s health center at the East Orange VA Medical Center. Also, she said that Dr. Mark Zimmering, who is affiliated with LyonsHospital, isofferingBoneMass Screenings for osteoporosis.
Also, the VA has begun offering maternity and infertility care, both of which are arranged with outside viders as a feefor service.
On July 21, the VA will be soring Breast Awareness Day at the East Orange VA Medical Center.
Mrs. Rotchford was one of the first female military police officers in the Army, as well as a cryptographer.
More information about women’s health services provided by the VA may be obtained by calling (973) 6761000, Extension Nos. 1696 or 1695. Calls should be directed to Mrs. Rotchford or Ms. Renwanz.
Mountainside Council Tables Vote On Pact For Comcast Franchise
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
By MELISSA A. BETKOWSKI
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times
WESTFIELD – “It has been said that the meaning of community can best be defined as a group of people who, although socially independent, possess a set of shared values and ideas, resulting in a common vision and a unified whole,” Westfield Mayor Thomas C. Jardim said at a press conference Tuesday night for the Committee of Concerned Citi zens for Refugees of Kosovo.
“The common vision of this com munity ... is a community that tries to live by the words of the Apostle Matthew (quoting Jesus Christ): ‘When I was hungry, you gave me food;whenIwas thirsty,yougaveme something to drink; when I was a stranger you took me in, when I was naked you gave me clothing; when I was sick you took care of me, when I was in prison you visited me. ’”
He said it is this common vision that led the Committee to sponsor a refugeefamily fromKosovothatwas brought to Fort Dix and later placed
rein a makeshift shelter at St. Patrick’s
Rectory in Elizabeth. The family includes a mother, a father, two girls, ages 9 and 10, and a boy, 5. With the help of the project, the family was placed in a fully fur nished apartment on July 15.
He said that this effort is a small way to demonstrate the abundance that exists in Westfield.
Mayor Jardim added that “the prounique
thing about this town is its people.”
sponThe committee is the brainchild of
Elisa Sananman, project tor, who recalled a conversation she had with her son Peter, now 27, when he was in high school.
“I said to him, ‘If we had lived in Nazi Germany, which one of our neighbors do you think would have saved us? ’ He said, ‘You’ve got that wrong, Mom. If the situation were reversed, who would you have saved? ’”
Thisconversation,Mrs.Sananman said, was a challenge to her.
When she heard of the ethnic hoscleansing
and other atrocities taking practitioplace
in Kosovo she decided, “I gynecoloneeded
to respond to it in some way. It was carrying out an unspoken promise to my son.”
Mrs. Sananman then came up with a model for the project, which cluded local congregations ating to support their fellow human
beings. She developed a ing committee of herself and four other women who brainstormed and
came together to support each other. “It was a brain trust,” she said. She also secured the full support of Assemblyman Richard H. Bagger (R22nd) of Westfield, who helped with some of the logistics of the project.
This all came together just before the May meeting of the Westfield/ Mountainside Ministerium Associ ates, at which Mrs. Sananman pre sented her idea. She was then con tacted by Reverend Pamela Gilchrist of the First Congregational Church of Westfield.
“They were having an open forum on Kosovo and asked me to speak,” she said.
Mrs. Sananman said that working with the Ministerium Associates helped to formulate “good social policy, ethical social policy.”
Reverend Dr. Dee Dee Turlington of the First Baptist Church in Westfield cites a “moral imperative” to help in this situation. She said that what is being done is “what every major religion of the world requires of its adherents.”
Reverend Turlington said it is a way of responding to “a God who has been gracious.”
The family was forced to start over from scratch upon arriving in New Jersey,Rabbi MaryZamoreofTemple EmanuEl of Westfield said.
“Our goal was to give them struc ture,” she said. “We hope to help bringthemtoselfsufficiency,tohelp them improve their English, gain jobs, to get the kids into schools.”
Rabbi Zamore said that not only is there an abundance of resources in Westfield, but also “an abundance of compassion and love.” She said that this is what it is all about, “to use religion for its best, to have people of different faiths united.”
“This is truly what Westfield is all about,” Marcia Kendler, media coor dinator for the Committee, said.
The committee has committed to providing for the first four months rent for the family as well as half of the rent for the rest of the year and providing cash assistance for the first four months. Catholic Community Services will be offsetting part of the rent as well. In addition, the family will be receiving food stamps and Medicaid.
The Committee thanked Charles Kushner, the owner of the apartment complex and who has provided the apartment at a reduced rate for one year, and J& M Meat Market.
An account for the family has been set up with the United Fund of Westfield. Tax deductible contribu tions can be made to: The United Fundof Westfield,KosovoFund,301 North Avenue West, Westfield, NJ 070901421.
By KIMBERLY A. BROADWELL
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times
MOUNTAINSIDE — A vote on Mountainside’scabletelevisionfran chise agreement with Comcast was tabled Tuesday evening by the Bor ough Council, as negotiations con tinued on wording concerning the franchise fee which Mountainside can collect from the cable company on their cable television service to borough residents.
Borough Attorney John Post told members of the public that the fran chise fee was the percent of gross revenues paid by borough cable sub scriberswhichMountainsidecollects from Comcast. A final agreement was not complete, he noted, because of dialogue pertaining to the per centage now allowed by law.
Mr. Post stated that currently the state law allows 2 percent to be col lected and that he wanted to see a clause introduced within the fran chise agreement that would enable the borough to collect more than that amount in the future, should the law change allowing a higher maximum.
“I want the borough to always be able to collect whatever the maxi mum percentage is allowed by law,” stated Mr. Post.
The Borough Attorney also com mented that he wanted an additional provisional clause stating that Mountainside can collect a franchise fee from other facets of the cable industry, if the law allows them to in the future.
He noted that under the current law, the franchise fee can only be coordinacollected on the cable television serconnected
vice, but that in the future, the law might change allowing other parts of the industry to include a franchise fee for the borough, such as Internet service.
The current amount that the borfor ough collects from the cable comShe pany is approximately $14,000, which equals 2 percent of the revwomen enue collected for cable television service byComcastforMountainside.
The ordinance to approve the new franchise agreement, which passed on first reading at the council’s June meeting, will be in effect for the next 15 years if passed at the Tuesday, August 17 meeting. The existing
agreement, which has been in effect for the past 10 years, will expire in October.
The new franchise agreement will Mountainside a 24houraday public access channel, as well as accessto theBerkeleyHeightspublic
access channel. Mountainside public school students attend Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights upon graduation from Deerfield School.
In the past, Mountainside shared its cable access channel with the Borough of Fanwood.
Other additions to the new fran chise agreement include two new character generators, which are a type of computer keyboard that will enable users at both Deerfield School and Borough Hall to type announcements for broadcast on
the new channel. The new franchise agreement will also provide for free installation and staff training for use of these two character generators, as well as a waived fee for the borough’s Internet service.
In other business, an ordinance was passed on second reading to amend the existing clothing allow ances for members of the MountainsideVolunteerFireDepart ment.
At last month’s governing body
William A. Burke for The Westfield Leader and The Times A TOWNWIDE EFFORT... The Committee of Concerned Citizens for Refufranchise gees of Kosovo met Tuesday night to discuss ways of generating funds to assist ina Kosovo family that was recently relocated to Westfield. Pictured, left to right,
cooperare: Donna Lind, Ann Harris, Marcia Kendler, Sandy Pacchia, The Reverend
Dee Dee Turlington, Charlotte Kantz, Rabbi Mary Zamore, Elisa Sananman, Mayor Thomas C. Jardim, Kathy Dulan, Meryl Chertoff, representing Assemgive spearheadblyman Richard H. Bagger (R22nd) and United Fund of Westfield Executive
Director Linda Maggio.
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