Freedom Village at Toms River was recently visited by some strange force that turned tenants and staff into beings not seen before on the complex. Our cameras caught these pictures!
Nearly 200 supporters came together last week to celebrate Project Freedom’s 2oth Annual Dinner Gala. Some highlights ad photos:
The Gala featured Mayor David Fried of Robbinsville with the Julia “June” Ronan Angel Award in recognition of Mayor Fried’s “Pay it Forward Initiative.” Mayor Fried has has transformed his yearly State of the Township Report into a fundraising event that raises money to help someone in need. Created in 2015, the funds raised at the event went to address a specific need in the community of Robbinsville.
The Freedom Bell Award was presented to Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh of West Windsor his steadfast support for a Project Freedom community within West Windsor since 2006. Under his leadership, an appropriate site was identified for our project, arrangements were made to purchase this site, and $250,000 was contributed to help pay for the engineering and architectural costs so that project could be approved by the planning board.
The Robin G. Heim Award was given to Lawrence Tenant William Manzo. The Robin G. Heim Award was created in 1990 to honor his spirit and desire for self-improvement and empowerment demonstrated by a young man who had multiple disabilities. Last summer Bill Manzo started his 19th year as a 911 operator for the New Jersey State Police.
The Stephen Wensley Award went to Westampton Tenant Jaime Hooker for her community service. The Stephen Wensley Award was created to honor the memory of an unsung hero who would have served his community without recognition because it was the right thing to do. Jamie Hooker volunteers as a mental health peer counselor with an agency for people with Cerebral Palsy. She works on projects that advocate for improved healthcare for adults and woman.
Project Freedom Inc. Employee of the Year went to Sammi DeMaris, the Social Services Coordinator of Freedom Village at Woodstown. Located in Salem County, Sammi has managed Project Freedom’s southernmost site since 2009 with a very minimum amount of support from Project Freedom’s central office.
The National Equity Fund, Inc. and V. J. Scozzari & Sons, Inc., were this year’s Event Sponsors of the Gala.
The Angel Sponsors this year were First Commerce Bank, Joseph F. McKernan Jr. RA Architects & Associates, Nottingham Insurance, and TD Bank.
Bank of America was this year’s Patriot Sponsor.
This year’s Freedom Sponsors were: Dumont & Watson, P.C., NJM Insurance Group, Northfield Bank, Novogradac & Company LLP, and PS&S, LLC.
This year will be the twelfth time in my life that I cast a vote for the governor of NJ. I remember back in 1973 being forced to vote two weeks ahead of time by absentee ballot because my polling place was not accessible. I remember in 1992 being challenged at the poll because of disability, and I remember the empowerment I felt by calling a state hotline while at the poll to “fix” the situation to my satisfaction.
Times have changed for people with disabilities in terms of voting ease. Now most polling places and polling booths are accessible. Voting early by mail is encouraged for everyone in many states. Yes, there are still barriers to voting—especially in other states, but there is no excuse for any person with a disability not to vote.
Yet last year I read an article from the Arizona Capital Times about people with disabilities voting, and it cited a report from the Research Alliance for Accessible Voting. The report said that people with disabilities voted at a lower rate than their able-bodied peers in the 2012 election. The rate was 56.9% in the able community vs 48.1% for people with disabilities. Our vote was 12% less than people who were able-bodied, and we wonder why some elected off do not pay attention to us!
The article also contained a quote from Phil Pangrazio, a person with a disability and the CEO of an Arizona-based center for independent living. Pangrazio said:
“With barely half of our community overall voting in any given election, it is critical that we each take our civic right – and our duty – seriously. Not voting may just be one of the most selfish and irresponsible acts a citizen could commit.”
I agree with Pangrazio—especially with what is happening in Washington and Trenton these days.
One of my heroes in the Disability Movement was Justin Dart. He is credited by many as the force behind the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dart’s take on people with disabilities voting was simple and succinct: “Vote as if your life dependent on it…because it does!”
Voting is a right that every citizen of this great country should exercise. People have died to gain that right. People have died to protect that right. People have died to exercise that right. We need to honor their ultimate sacrifice by voting, and there is no excuse for people with disabilities not to vote.
Well, we are one week away from our Angel Award Dinner, and staff are busy pulling all the last minute details together. Thanks to Board member Karol Moss for heading up this committee and for providing the leadership for this event once again.
At this year’s Gala, we are honoring two Mercer County mayor’s–
Robbinsville Mayor David Fried, with our June Ronan Angel Award, and West Windsor Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh with our Freedom Bell Award. Both are elected officials for their respective towns.
As we have done in years past, our Angel Award remembers June Ronan, Norman’s cousin who was instrumental in establishing Project Freedom in the early days. We honor others in her name, like Mayor Fried, for his support for Project Freedom programs and for people with disabilities. What is most unique about what Mayor Fried has done, is that he has transformed his yearly State of the Township Report into a fundraising event that raises money to help someone in need. Created in 2015, the Mayor calls this program, “Pay It Forward”, in which the funds raised at the event, go to provide some specific need in the community of Robbinsville.
In years past, he has raised money to purchase a wheelchair accessible van for our Robbinsville tenant Trey Shepherd, as well as making renovations to the home of Debbie Dauer, a Sharon School teacher who has ALS. Over the past three years, his program has raised over $100,000 for individuals connected to Robbinsville that were in need. A very creative way to present the Township Report and help someone in the process.
Likewise, Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh has continued his steadfast support for a Project Freedom community within West Windsor, since 2006. Under his leadership, an appropriate site was identified for our project, arrangements were made to purchase this site for our community and $250,000 was contributed to help pay for the engineering and architectural costs so that we could get our project approved by the planning board. In the world of Township politics, these are almost super human accomplishments. Thanks to Mayor Hsueh, our West Windsor construction will start sometime in early March 2018.
Our other honorees are two Project Freedom tenants who have both achieved their independence despite some difficult challenges—Jaime Hooker and Bill Manzo. Both are great examples of people who don‘t give up, but rather contribute back to society.
And finally, our Employee of the Year Award this year goes to our Woodstown Social Service Coordinator, Sammi DeMaris. Located in Salem County, Sammi has managed our furthermost site since 2009, with a very minimum amount of support from our central office. It is very gratifying for me, as the boss, to know that our communities are in good hands and having Sammi in Woodstown is most reassuring.
So, our Angel Award Dinner is slated for November 11 and there is still time to call for tickets ( 609 ) 278-0075. Hope to see you there.
So, one of the hot topics today in our country, is the use of “Free Speech” which is guaranteed by our Constitution and First Amendment. Usually this revolves around some kind of protest or some action that certain groups are usually against. Recently we have seen this in protests involving racial equality and the mistreatment of minorities by law enforcement officials. Today, it is often said that we are a divided nation, yet when disaster struck in the form of hurricane Irma in Texas, Jose in Florida, and Maria in Puerto Rico, American’s came together to help one another. So, this begs the question, on what level are we divided and again, on what level are we united?
Let’s also keep in mind that our nation was founded upon a rebellion from a foreign nation that wanted to control the destiny of our citizens. So, controversy is a part of our national make up. For sure, even our founding fathers, were not always united in the cause to break from Great Britain. There continued to be disagreements during the revolution, with some remaining loyal to the Crown. In the end, we did come together as a people and formed a unity of states–a United States.
Today, the most recent controversy, comes from the NFL, with players and coaches “ taking a knee” during the singing of our national anthem. This lack of respect for our flag is to show that not all of us agree with what is happening in our nation today. Certainly, our country is still struggling with racial equality and treatment of minorities. Our history here has not been good. But I honestly don’t know from these protests exactly what they are pointing to and how we are to address these issues.
But our flag and the national anthem represent many different aspects of America, so much more, most of which are good. We are the land of opportunity, which is why so many immigrants want to come to our country. Our freedom’s have provided the wealth, which most of these NFL player protesters enjoy today—each and every one who “took a knee” are millionaires. And let’s not forget all the men and women, minorities included who have given the ultimate sacrifice for this country. Disrespecting the Flag and our anthem, disrespects those folks as well.
Finally, isn’t there some other way to raise a voice in protest rather than to disrespect our flag? Maybe the NFL could sponsor a dialogue prior to the games, which offers speakers the opportunity to make their case, and call attention to injustice. Or donate funds to inner city schools, or revitalize poor neighborhoods, or sponsor police education programs. I just think that much more constructive action could be taken that would help to heal and mend these wounds, than by protesting the singing of our national anthem, or our flag, symbols that represent us all.
Tim Doherty, Executive Director
I have exciting news to report. The governor announced last Friday, the Low Income Tax Credit Awards for this year, and Project Freedom has won for both our new projects—West Windsor and Gibbsboro. Hooray.
This is by no means an easy task, and in the past, we have only been able to get one of our submitted projects the award, so to get both is quite a feat. So, before I go too far, I need to thank our Director of Development Tracee Battis and her assistant, Marion Doherty, along with CFO Steve Schaefer for all their hard work on making those applications a success. And a very big thank you to our Board of Trustees who has steadfastly supported our efforts to develop affordable housing in New Jersey under the leadership of Board Chair, Herb Schneider. It certainly was a team effort.
So, a little about where and what these two communities will be. Our setting in West Windsor is off of Old Bear Brook Road and it will be adjacent to the Enclave by Toll. Our project will mirror our buildings at Hopewell, two story, 12 unit buildings– all barrier free with an elevator in each. We will also have a large community center for tenant and civic activities. This site is about ½ mile from the train station which makes it ideal for someone who uses a wheelchair for mobility. The Enclave will contain long term suites, townhomes and apartments and some light retail commercial buildings. We hope to start construction in early 2018, with completion in Spring of 2019.
Our second project is located in Gibbsboro, Camden County, in South Jersey, off of route 561. Gibbsboro is a quaint little town set around Silver Lake which is a beautiful setting for our housing, and next door to Voorhees Township. It is known historically as the headquarters for the Sherwin Williams Paint company which moved out of the area years ago. Gibbsboro is in the process of developing the area around the lake, which will create housing and retail, consistent with the character of the town.
Both projects have been in the works for over ten years. I remember traveling to Gibbsboro in the late 1990’s working with the town fathers and their planner to identify a possible site. During those years, Gibbsboro had been in litigation with Brandywine Corporation, a large real estate developer, that was proposing high density housing for the lake area. Ultimately the Town won, and have worked to develop a plan that will continue to maintain the local town flavor and not compromise on traffic and safety. Our site will create 72 rental apartments, one, two and three bedroom units, on three floors within four buildings. We will be part of the town’s bike and walk path, throughout the town and should contribute at least 95 COAH credits for Gibbsboro’s affordable housing plan.
Our West Windsor site, will also have 72 units and look exactly like our Hopewell Freedom Village. We are excited with the fact that this location is so close to the train station, and will provide an increase in mobility to anyone who uses a wheelchair. Also, this location will lend itself to access to the city of Princeton and all that goes with it.
Lastly, I need to mention the tremendous help and cooperation we received from both towns toward making our project a success. Both towns provided tremendous help with our planning effort, the passing and approvals in a timely manner. West Windsor even provided the land along with some seed money which helped enormously in making our project work financially. So, our task now is to create housing that both towns can be proud to have in their communities that will include people from all walks of life. Our mission continues.
New Jersey will be holding its Seventh Annual Disability Pride Parade and Celebration in Trenton this month. The event is organized by the Alliance Center for Independent Living based in Edison, and I’m proud to have been a part of the parade since the beginning.
I have told this story many times, and the underlying philosophy remains important to emphasize each year. I have recruited people with disabilities to march in past parades. One year my neighbor sarcastically asked me: “Are you proud of that stutter of yours?” Since I’m always reminding him that he cannot see too well and that he is dangerous in a power-chair, his well-aimed barb is routine banter between people comfortable with their disabilities. His comment, however, started me thinking about the incongruity of pride and disability.
It is incongruous to take pride in not being able to do something. There must have been some onlookers at the parade in the past asking: What are these “broken-down people” with crutches and in wheelchairs doing marching around proclaiming their pride? How can they be proud when they can’t do anything for themselves?
Well, that is the point. Society’s view of people with disabilities can be so negative, so weakening, so smothering of spirit that overcoming that negativity can be empowering and something to be proud about.
As people with disabilities, we put up with so much crap imposed upon us by society, the government, the system, and the people in our lives that it is a wonder that any of us have the energy and initiative to be independent, productive, or active.
But we are independent, productive, active, and we need to own it and show our pride in what we do!
This applies to every person with a disability no matter what their situation. Our lives are a precarious “high-wire acts” of low income with under-funded supports that keep us more dependent than independent. One false step drops us into the abyss of institutional living to be trapped and robbed of personal initiative, independence, and dignity.
Yet every day we get up to perform on the “high wire” defying negative attitudes, preconceptions, prejudices, and fears. Some do it with drudgery. Some do it with gusto. Most people with disabilities live our lives somewhere in between. We do it every single day.
This is why we should have pride. This is why we need to display our pride publicly and loudly. This is why we celebrate our pride in ourselves and our community.
Norman A. Smith, Associate Executive Director – ProjectFreedom1@aol.com
Follow me on Twitter @normansmith02 Follow Project Freedom on Twitter @TheFreedomGuys “Like” us on Facebook.com/ProjectFreedomInc
This year will be the twelfth time in my life that I cast a vote for the governor of NJ. I remember back in 1973 being forced to vote two weeks ahead of time by absentee ballot because my polling place was not accessible. I remember in 1992 being challenged at the poll because of my disability, and I remember the empowerment I felt by calling a state hotline while at the poll to “fix” the situation to my satisfaction.
Times have changed for people with disabilities in terms of voting ease. Now most polling places and polling booths are accessible. Voting early by mail is encouraged for everyone in many states. Yes, there are still barriers to voting—especially in other states, but there is no excuse for any person with a disability not to vote.
Yet LAST YEAR I read an article FROM the Arizona Capital Times about people with disabilities voting, and it cited a report from the Research Alliance for Accessible Voting. The report said that people with disabilities voted at a lower rate than their able-bodied peers in the 2012 election. The rate was 56.9% in the able community vs 48.1% for people with disabilities. Our vote was 12% less than people who were able-bodied, and we wonder why some elected off do not pay attention to us!
The article also contained a quote from Phil Pangrazio, a person with a disability and the CEO of an Arizona-based center for independent living. Pangrazio said: “With barely half of our commu-nity overall voting in any given election, it is critical that we each take our civic right – and our duty – seriously. Not voting may just be one of the most selfish and irresponsible acts a citizen could commit.”
I agree with Pangrazio—especially with what is happening in Washington and Trenton these days. Nothing about us without us, right? Well, the decision process for our issues is moving ahead at all levels of government. We need to be involved! We need to be involved from the start by voting! Before we demonstrate, before we sit-in, before we get arrested, WE NEED TO VOTE!!! The rest is meaningless unless we exercise our right to vote. To paraphrase our great leader Justin Dart: We need to vote as if our lives dependent on it! We all need to vote on November 7!
Norman A. Smith, Associate Executive Director – ProjectFreedom1@aol.com
Follow me on Twitter @normansmith02