Senior Center Cuts It to Shreds

Paper, that is, at a shredding fundraiser Saturday.

It's always good to protect your identity, and the Senior Center of the Chathams has the perfect way to do just that this week. The center is hosting a Community Paper Shred from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the parking lot of the Chatham New Jersey Transit train station. Residents are welcome to bring any sensitive financial documents, magazines, newspapers or paperback books. The suggested donation is $5 per small box or paper bag, and all funds will benefit the Senior Center. Pam Mansfield, the executive director of the Senior Center, said the shredding event "is the perfect solution to get rid of personal documents in a confidential way.”  PSE&G is the corporate sponsor of the event.

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After 22 Years, Senior Center Director Retires

Micki Chaput no longer works for the Senior Center of the Chathams, but she's already signed up to volunteer.

Residents, members, employees and officials gathered at the Chatham Township Municipal Building Sunday to honor Micki Chaput, who stepped down after 22 years from the Senior Center of the Chathams. Chaput's leadership of the center helped guide it from its humble beginings, described as a storage room for desks and chairs when the township first acquired the building, into a financially secure and fully operational gathering place for seniors from the Chathams, New Providence, Madison and numerous other towns in the area. "Micki's warmth and genuine-ness cannot be overstated," Terry Berry, founder of the Senior Center, said. "She puts herself in another's place." Chatham Borough Mayor Bruce Harris read aloud a proclamation which was passed…

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'Alzheimer's Has Come Into Its Own,' Frelinghuysen Says

Costs to care for Alzheimer's patients projected to pass $1 trillion by 2050.

About 75 people from throughout New Jersey attended a town hall meeting by the Alzheimer's Association Greater New Jersey Chapter at the Senior Center of the Chathams Wednesday. Rep. Rodney Frelighuysen (NJ-11) discussed funding for Alzheimer's research through the National Institutes of Health from a political perspective, though his comments were brief. Mostly, he listened to the stories those gathered had to share about the disease. Debbie Warburton, the moderator, outlined the first National Alzheimer's Plan, which was introduced in May. The plan calls for an additional $100 million towards Alzheimer's research and care in the 2013 fiscal year, appropriated toward the plan's five goals: Frelinghuysen said funding for Alzheimer's …

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Frelinghuysen to Speak at Alzheimer's Town Hall Wednesday

The Alzheimer's Association will hold a town hall meeting in the Senior Center of the Chathams.

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) will attend and give remarks at a town hall meeting held by the Alzheimer's Association at the Senior Center of the Chathams at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The town hall meeting is one of over 130 such meetings the Alzheimer's Association will hold this September in commemoration of World Alzheimer's Month. Laura Holly-Dierbach, the vice president of Programs and Services for the Alzheimer's Association's Greater New Jersey Chapter, said, "We really are hoping that Congressman Frelinghuysen can hear the constituents from his area talk about their personal experiences with this disease as caregivers, and people in the earlier stages of the disease will also be there sharing their stories." Among the items for …

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Chatham Girl Scout Presents a Senior's Senior Prom

For her Gold project, Diana Singh decided to reach out to the senior citizen community.

Senior residents of the Chathams can dust off their formal wear in anticipation of the senior's Senior Prom Sunday. Chatham High School junior Diana Singh spent the last two months organizing the "senior prom" for older residents, with volunteers and donations collected from throughout the Chathams. Chatham businesses TM Ward and Elegant Taste will both provide refreshments, Singh said. Other donors include Martha Watson Flower Design, ShopRite and Stop & Shop in Madison.  Senior Center of the Chathams is helping to manage the RSVPs and transportation to the event. The prom will take place at Chatham High on Sunday, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. There is no price for admission, Singh said, "which I thought would be a good way to give back to [the …

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Places Chathamites Can Go to Beat the Heat

The heat index in Chatham is expected to reach 100 Wednesday and Thursday.

Temperatures in the Chathams surpassed 93 degrees Wednesday, and the heat index reached 100. The National Weather Service predicts more of the same on Thursday. The heat index combines air temperature and relative humidity to gauge how hot the weather feels. For those looking for a place to cool down, the Library of the Chathams is open 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Also, the Senior Center of the Chathams is open 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Superintendent's Office confirmed Wednesday morning that there were no plans to schedule an early release in Chatham public schools due to the heat. Stay tuned to Chatham Patch for more updates during the heat wave.

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Stargazing for the Senior Center

The Senior Center of the Chatham has a stargazing fundraiser scheduled for May 13.

On Friday, May 13, the Senior Center of the Chathams will host "An Evening with the Stars," a stargazing reception to be held at Westy Self Storage beginning at 7 p.m. As part of the evening's festivities, William Whitehead from Amateur Astronomers, Inc. will bring a telescope and give a lecture on what attendees can expect to see in the evening sky that night. "We chose that night because you can see Jupiter and the moon," said Mickey Caput. "You'll be able to look through the telescope and see it." Wine, coffee and hors d'oevres will be serve, and Andrea Pleckaitis, who teaches dance and yoga at the center, will give a Zumba Gold dancing demonstration. Township Mayor Nicole Hagner said she attended a similar event for the Senior Center …

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Five Things You Need To Know Today

Two Chances to Attend the Theater

All the essential information you need to get you through your Friday.

Whether you are in the mood for drama or comedy, Chatham has something for everybody Friday night! Read all about it in the Five Things You Need to Know Today column:

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Five Things You Need To Know Today

Cats and Dogs and Bubble Wrap

And other essential knowledge to get you through Monday.

Mondays are pesky, they keep coming around every week. But at least you can get your daily dose of all the information you need to know today, plus a useful tip for stress relief: For more things worth knowing, see our events calendar and announcements—and if you've got something the community should know, don't forget to make a post of your own in one or both of those site sections.

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Cougars Raise $10,000 for Senior Center

Seniors present seniors with check at Cougar Day.

When Pam Mansfield heard that the Senior Center of the Chathams had been selected as this year’s Cougar Classic charity cause, she was a little stunned. “They said it would be a couple thousand dollars,” Mansfield said. That estimate proved a low one when the boosters and members of the boys and girls varsity basketball teams presented a $10,000 check to representatives from the Senior Center at Cougar Day last Saturday. "It's fantastic," Mansfield said, "We're thrilled to have this money." Every year the Cougar Classic basketball tournament takes place at Chatham High School. Basketball teams, and money raised from tickets and concession sales go to benefit a local charity or service. Booster club members suggest and then vote on which …

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