It’s January, the time of year when many people find themselves a bit house cooped, which can lead to the increased spread of flu and COVID-19. Turns out, the symptoms for both viruses look and feel very similar. more
The winter series returns to Franklin Avenue in Princeton
The Princeton Farmers Market has announced that its Winter Market Series returns on Thursday, December 3. The market will remain outdoors for the foreseeable future, providing ample space for social distancing. Shoppers are required to wear masks at all times, and practice adequate social distancing while waiting in lines and perusing the vendors. more
Don’t let the quarantine keep you from all of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions! Join Trinity Church in Princeton for the 13thannual Trinity Turkey Trot. This year’s race will be virtual, which means that friends and family from around the country can participate. One hundred percent of proceeds from this year’s race will go to charities that work on behalf of food, housing, and youth support services in central New Jersey. more
The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey invites runners and walkers to the upcoming Virtual 5K and Fun 1 Mile Run/Walk on November 7.
Did you know that New Jersey is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, yet hunger is a daily occurrence for many members of the community? Hunger and food scarcity may strike one of your child’s classmates, a coworker, an elderly neighbor, and people in your own family. The realities of COVID-19 have resulted in lost jobs, lost wages, and often, an inability to provide for oneself. All proceeds of the Soles for Harvest race will benefit programs dedicated to fighting hunger in New Jersey. more
Join the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta (HOSR) virtually on October 18-24, 2020. Compete on your favorite indoor rowing machine or body of water by self-submitting times and distances traveled during October 18-23. Live racing will be held on October 24. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the famed Philadelphia race that typically draw rowers from around the world. Registration is now open on Regatta Central (https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/?job_id=6266). more
Full-Service Health and Fertility Company Increases Access in the Northeast
Kindbody, a fast-growing health and fertility company, recently announced the opening of a new clinic in Princeton at 16 Chambers Street. With the new opening, Kindbody continues to fulfill its mission of reimagining fertility care by delivering an exceptional patient experience that is accessible and affordable for all. more
All are welcome to participate in the ninth annual Sourland Spectacular to enjoy the great outdoors and to “Save the Sourlands.” Typically, the event takes the form of a cycling rally, but this year’s event invites registrants to choose their own route (and fee) to cycle, run, or hike anytime during the nine-day event. more
Beth Fitzgerald, head of Fitzgerald Life Coaching at 259 Nassau Street in Princeton, is a certified life coach, certified John Maxwell Coach, Master ETF Practitioner, international speaker, and trainer. She believes that coaching is the act of empowering the individual to harness their goals, dreams, and aspirations. more
Alzheimer’s New Jersey’s Walk to Fight Alzheimer’s is scheduled to take place at Educational Testing Service’s Princeton campus on Sunday, October 11, 2020. One hundred percent of money raised will support New Jersey individuals and families. Participants can choose to walk virtually or in-person at 660 Rosedale Road. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the event and the walk will begin at 10 a.m. Festivities include refreshments, music, and door prizes. Parking is available on site. Register online in advance at https://alznj.akaraisin.com/ui/walkalznj2020 and choose from one of five walks: Point Pleasant Beach (September 26), Liberty State Park in Jersey City (October 3), Princeton (October 11), Morristown (October 18), and/or Paramus (October 25). more
Pick your distance, your pace, and your race. The NJ Virtual Challenge is an at-home race series that enables runners, walkers, and outdoor enthusiasts to log some serious miles and earn a race medal and T-shirt in the process. You will have 62 days (from May 15 to July 15) to complete the total miles from the event you choose. more
On May 15, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) educational system will lead a Zoom online learning course entitled Grow Fruit in Your Home Garden. more
Penn Medicine Princeton Health will be holding the following free yoga classes virtually via Blue Jeans platform where you can participate from the comfort and safety of your home. more
Together we run. Together we can make a difference.
HiTOPS Princeton Half Marathon is moving forward with its October 25, 2020 scheduled race event. Organizers note that they will continue to follow safety recommendations associated with the COVID-19 virus, and all race participants will have the opportunity to defer to 2021 if they so choose. more
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, has released a guide to answer frequently asked questions regarding the intersection between coronavirus (COVID-19), and people affected by mental illness, their caregivers, and loved ones. more
By Taylor Smith
Community Options, Inc. invites runners, walkers, and rollers (baby strollers and wheelchairs) to help raise funds to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities at the annual Cupid’s Chase.
The Cupid’s Chase 5K on Saturday, February 8 at the Princeton Shopping Center will raise funds to support people with disabilities in Mercer County. To register, visit cupidschase.org. more
“Scent is mood. Scent is memory. Scent is magic.”
By Taylor Smith
Finding a unique and meaningful holiday gift for loved ones can be challenging.
“Like cooking, skincare is an art and ingredients matter. So, we use the simplest, most nourishing ingredients in all of our products. People see the difference in their skin. We’re promoting wellness and encouraging people to take advantage of that renewing experience that we get in the bath,” says Deborah Lukasik O’Shaughnessy, an art teacher, educator, and East End resident. more
High Mountain Park
By Taylor Smith
The Nature Conservancy of New Jersey is encouraging Garden State residents to stay active this winter season with the introduction of the High Mountain Challenge, inspired by New Jersey native Jessica Bagley’s running achievements. The Nature Conservancy is also hoping to raise awareness of High Mountain Park Preserve, a protected 1,260-acre tract of forested land in New Jersey’s Piedmont region (near North Haledon and Wayne). more
Dana and Christopher Reeve (Image Source: https://www.christopherreeve.org/about-us/christopher-and-dana)
By Taylor Smith
This year’s gala benefit for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation took place on Thursday, November 14 at Cipriani South Street in New York City.
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation grew out of the community-driven Stifel Paralysis Research Foundation, which was founded in 1982 when Henry Stifel, a New Jersey high school student, was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed at age 17. The organization evolved into the American Paralysis Association (APA). When actor Christopher Reeve was injured in a horseback riding accident in 1995, the APA was one of the first places that Reeve and his wife, Dana, sought support. By 1999, the APA and Christopher’s foundation united as the Christopher Reeve Foundation (Dana’s name was added to the moniker after her death in 2006). more
By Taylor Smith
November is still a fantastic time to find fresh fruits and vegetables at area farmers markets. Here are just a few to look for: more
Dr. Richard Besser, head of New Jersey’s Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is making a difference
By Wendy Greenberg | Photo courtesy of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Dr. Richard Besser, a pediatrician and head of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), has volunteered in a clinic in every place he has lived.
Seeing children once a week at the Henry J. Austin Center in Trenton brings health inequity into focus. There, in Trenton, the life expectancy for children is 73 years. In Princeton, the life expectancy for the same-age child is 87 years.
The clinic grants a window, he said, “into the lives of children, many of whom have profound barriers to health, children growing up in very different circumstances than the children in my hometown of Princeton.”
At a New York City health center, Besser met a grandmother who knows her grandchildren needs daily physical exercise, but was concerned about the safety of playing outdoors. He met a youngster whose asthma attacks were triggered by environmental contaminants in the family’s apartment. At the Trenton clinic, he met a mother of a son with significant developmental disabilities who has been waiting two years for services that would help him. more
“…improving the value of care in the United States is one of the biggest challenges our health care system faces. We also face challenges in providing care in a way that is equitable and that addresses other drivers of health, including social factors.”
Executive Director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI)
By Donald Gilpin | Photos by Hoag Levins
Rachel Werner, M.D., Ph.D., took over last May as the first female and the first physician-economist executive director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI). She is a professor of both medicine at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, and health care management at the Wharton School; a member of the National Academy of Medicine; and a practicing physician at Philadelphia’s Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center.
Werner came to Penn in 1994 after graduating from Macalester College in Minnesota. She earned her M.D. in 1998 and her Ph.D. in health economics in 2004. She joined the Penn faculty in 2005 as an assistant professor of medicine and an LDI senior fellow. A longtime member of LDI’s executive committee, Werner has played an important role in expanding LDI data services and was director of the LDI health economics data analyst pool that provides LDI fellows with statistical analysts. more
By Taylor Smith
Dogs and cats are typically considered “senior” when they reach 7 years of age. Depending on individual health, older pets may require more frequent exams to monitor any changes in health status. more
By Taylor Smith
Dr. Beverly Friedlander has been practicing the art of plastic surgery for over 25 years. Her new facility has been completely redesigned to offer patrons a serene, expansive setting that is inviting, restorative, and relaxing. more
Mike Bloomberg
By Taylor Smith
“Philanthropy gives us a competitive advantage, we think, in recruiting and retaining talent. And I can tell you from personal experience, it is also good for the bottom line, as good a thing a company can do.” —Michael R. Bloomberg
Headquartered on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Bloomberg Philanthropies was founded in 2006 with the purpose of directing funding and research to five major areas: the environment, public health, the arts, government innovation, and education. By “using data in new ways,” Bloomberg Philanthropies routinely shifts policies and advances progress, legislation, and public opinion. As an example, the organization has potentially saved countless lives by creating solutions proven to curb global tobacco use. According to bloomberg.org, “If left unchecked, tobacco use will kill one billion people this century.” more
Image Source: VisitPhilly.com
Coming November 23 & 24
By Taylor Smith
Ranking the nation’s top 10 in terms of large marathons, the Philadelphia Marathon typically attracts more than 30,000 runners, 60,000 spectators, and 3,000 volunteers. The fast and scenic course takes runners past historic landmarks, through urban neighborhoods, and along Philadelphia’s picturesque waterfront. Participants should keep in mind that the November race is a chilly one, with average starting line temperatures around 37 degrees F. The half marathon and 8K races will take place on Saturday, November 23. The full marathon will begin at 7 a.m. on Sunday, November 24. more
By Taylor Smith
Housed in a former factory space at 240 North Union Street in Lambertville, DIG Yoga was founded in 2010 by Sue Elkind and Anime Jezzeny. DIG maintains a following among area resident who find that the architectural characteristics of the studio deepens their practice. Specifically, the light from the large windows that reverberates around the room and reflects beautifully off of the bamboo floors. more
Image Source: The Psychoanalytic Institute of the Contemporary Freudian Society
By Taylor Smith
Adolescents and college-age men and women are statistically at a high risk of experiencing the onset of a psychotic episode, particularly if they are genetically predisposed to mental illness. more
By Taylor Smith
New Jersey residents are lucky enough to experience four distinct seasons; however, this also means that gardeners must prepare for winter and put their gardens to bed each year. In terms of a vegetable garden, preparing your beds for winter will increase the chance that your garden stays healthy from year to year. A sure sign that winter is fast approaching is when the first frost has killed off most of your annuals. For an area that does not see frost, you can begin your cleanup after the annual plants have started to brown and die. more
By Taylor Smith
With children now back in school and an increased amount of time spent indoors, fall typically signals the start of cold and flu season. In reality, a person can contract the flu any time of year, but the CDC reports that influenza typically peaks between December and February. more