WESTFIELD – The Westfield Memorial Library located at 550 East Broad Street kicks off January with a large selection of educational, social and artistic programs.
On Thursday, January 15 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., librarian and craft expert Marge Barkan will hold Crafterdark, a monthly session for crafters to gather and work on their own projects together. Crafters can bring their projects to join a group of fellow crafters for fun, encouragement and inspiration. Whether knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, embroidering, drawing etc., as long as the project is portable, it’s welcome. No registration is required.
Chinese Gong Fu Tea with Marjorie Wang will be held on Saturday, January 17 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. to celebrate Chinese New Year. Attendees will learn about Chinese gong fu tea, its cultural significance and mythical origins, taste two single origin teas thoughtfully paired with Chinese desserts and conclude with a guzheng performance of two songs. The guzheng is a plucked zither.
According to Ms. Wang, Chinese gongfu tea “is a method of brewing tea with time and effort, allowing us to control the time, temperature, and quantity of the brew to maximize the tea’s flavor. It encourages us to slow down a moment in our day, to focus on what’s in the cup, and appreciate what nature can create.”
The presenter grew up in New Jersey, and attended university in Shanghai, where she fell in love with Chinese teas. After an apprenticeship at NYC’s Tea Drunk, Ms. Wang began sharing her passion with local communities through tea and dessert pairing events at libraries, community centers and clubs. She has been playing the guzheng since age 12 and continues to perform at local cultural events.
On Sunday, January 18 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., the library and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Association of Westfield will host the third annual MLK Day of Service Volunteer Fair. The Fair is an opportunity to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and for prospective volunteers to meet representatives of nonprofit and servicebased organizations seeking help.
Volunteering can help people build connections with other people in the community, improve physical and mental health, advance careers, teach valuable job skills, and bring greater enjoyment and fulfillment to life. But finding the right volunteer opportunity is not always easy.
Whether attendees are looking for a one-time volunteer opportunity for service credit, or a volunteer role that allows them to give back for weeks, months, or years the library can help connect individuals with representatives from: Friends of Brightwood Park, Friends of the Westfield Memorial Library, Homefront Hugs Foundation, Imagine – A Center for Coping with Loss, Refugee Assistance Partners NJ, The Miller-Cory House Museum, Westfield Community Players and the Westfield Green Team.
The library also connects people to organizations that require volunteers to be 18+years of age: Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Essex, Hudson & Union Counties; Caring Contact; Center for Hope Hospice; Literacy New Jersey/Union County; Plainfield Public Library Adult Literacy Program; Students 2 Science; and the Westfield Service League.
The library will provide all potential volunteers with a list of the participating organizations, including contact information.
The monthly Women’s Support Group for Cancer will be held on Wednesday, January 21 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in the Meeting Room. Facilitated by Meredith Shufeld Perrone, LCSW, the group is a safe, welcoming space for women whose lives have been touched by cancer whether they are in treatment, living with chronic or metastatic cancer, or navigating survivorship Participants will have a chance to share experiences, challenges, and victories with women who truly understand; learn practical ways to cope with the physical and emotional effects of cancer; exchange tips, resources, and encouragement for every stage of the journey; recognize and honor the resilience within the self and one another; and build meaningful connections that remind participants: no woman walks alone.
Ms. Shufeld Perrone is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 15 years of experience in healthcare, specializing in oncology. She has worked across both inpatient and outpatient cancer care settings, giving her a deep understanding of the medical and emotional challenges individuals and families face.
That same evening from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., a Zoom presentation entitled “Cracking the Code-Affordable College Solutions” by Cornerstone College and Wealth Solutions will be held. Interested parties must register with their email address to receive the Zoom link.
Topics discussed will include: 529 Plans; the impact of ‘the big, beautiful bill; FAFSA and CSS Profile; Student Aid Index; alternative savings vehicles; and maximizing discounts for College. Participants will gain valuable insights, receive expert guidance, and discover creative solutions to financing higher education without breaking the bank.
“Yes to Life” by Victor Frankl is the book that the Mental Health Practitioners Book Club will discuss at their monthly meeting on Thursday, January 22 from 11:00am to 12:30 p.m. This book club is open to local area mental health practitioners, including but not limited to social workers, psychologists, and nurses. The club meets monthly and members rotate picking books. Any mental health professional who is interested in joining should email the Community Liaison, Jack Serzan, at jserzan@wmlnj.org.
On Saturday, January 24 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., Culinary Nutrition Expert, Sonia Verrilli-Jabon will warm up this winter with a plant-powered soup demonstration. Attendees will get a front row seat to ‘see’ how she creates her InstaSoul Satisfying Lentil Soup.
She will also cover the secrets of whipping up a hearty, ‘heal-yourbody’ soup along with the benefits of every ingredient that goes into it. Ms. Verrilli-Jabon Sonia will use her Instant Pot to create this delicious recipe, but she will provide stovetop instructions for anyone who does not have an Instant Pot. She will serve Both gluten-free and regular sourdough focaccia as well.
Ms. Verrilli-Jabon Sonia is a Certified Culinary Nutritionist & Fitness Coach, Wellness Cooking Instructor, and the Founder of Beets & Biscotti. She founded Beets & Biscotti to encourage the use of nutrient dense ingredients that fuel and heal the body holistically, without sacrificing taste (and it usually includes a pinch of dark chocolate and a smidgen of fun). She is an educator and advocate for whole foods, wellness, fitness, and family. Audience members will have a chance to try samples Anyone with severe food allergies should exercise caution. Please feel free to reach out to Victoria at the Westfield Library at vpawlicki@wmlnj.org. for specific ingredient concerns.
To sign up for a library card, or learn more about the library’s resources, please visit https:// wmlnj.org/, and follow the library on Instagram. Library hours are Monday – Thursday 9:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m. The library will be closed Monday, January 19 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
