People often wonder how they can make a difference in the world; some decide to work for a non-profit organization for a cause that they are passionate about, others volunteer their time often times, to these same organizations.  Wikipedia defines volunteering as a “voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service.”  By performing such acts, volunteering allows you to have a better understanding of the community that you work or live in. Exposing you to new experiences, cultures and points of view.

National Volunteer Week will be this year from April 20^th to April 26^th.  April is also known as Global Volunteer Month.  This year’s theme for National Volunteer Week is “Connecting Communities”, with the intent to show the power of volunteering in not only creating lasting relationships but in doing so strengthening the community we are a part of.

We at Family Promise of Sussex County love our volunteers and they help us in so many ways so that we can better serve our community and our mission, to secure housing stability and sustainability for those in crisis. In 2024, volunteers assisted us in carrying out our mission in many ways, such as filling dozens of backpacks with cold weather supplies for our clients, organizing the resource room which houses the many generous donations of coats, hats, socks, etc. that we receive.  As well as, enhancing the garden and landscape around our office and assisting with fundraising efforts. Their dedication and diverse contributions have greatly strengthened our community support initiatives.

Interested in becoming a volunteer?  We’ve had groups from local businesses as well as individuals wanting to serve.  Please contact us through the volunteer tab under Get Involved on our website and thank you!

As spring is my favorite season, I love April.  Yes, you can still have snow…I remember as a young child being out with my mom and seeing those large pancake like snowflakes falling from the sky, but for the most part the cold of winter is over and everything seems to be blooming.  April is typically when Easter is celebrated that talks all about rebirth…warming temperatures, flowers blooming, birds chirping…all positive right?  Well, I discovered a lot of negative, tragic occurrences which all happened in April.  Here’s a list of what I found…much of which surprised me.

• The first shots of the Revolutionary War were heard on April 19^th, 1775.  Also, The Civil War, Spanish War and WWII all started in April!
  
• The unsinkable Titanic did just that sank on April 15^th, 1912.  It just took 2 hours and 40 minutes to do so.  I believe the movie Titanic was longer than that!
  
• Lastly on April 11^th, 1970, Apollo 13 launched from Cape Kennedy in Florida only to have a catastrophic explosion 56 hours later.  Thankfully no lives were lost.
  
  

So, although I discovered quite a few negative, oftentimes tragic moments in our history that have April as its date…I still love April and all of the positive vibes and newness it brings for the rest of the year.  Hopefully I did not depress you too much…did I mention that taxes are also due in April!

Save the date, our largest fundraiser of the year Casino Night is coming up! It will be held on May 22nd starting at 5:00pm in The Conservatory at The Sussex County Fairgrounds. Since it was such a huge hit with everyone last year, we’re doing it again! To prepare everyone for the night, I thought I would go over some details on the games we will offer.

Blackjack – players compete against the dealer with the goal to try to have a hand that beats the dealer without going over 21 which is called “busting”.

Craps – is a dice game which is essentially about how you wager or bet. The Pass Line Strategy offers the best odds of winning. You place your chips on the pass line area and if the shooter rolls a 7 or 11 you win!

3 Card Poker – some say is the easiest to learn among all variations of poker. After reviewing the rules I’m unsure of that. Luckily at Casino Night, the dealers are very helpful for those who are unsure of how to play. A popular strategy for this game is to bet all hands better than Queen, Six and Four, fold with lesser value.

Texas Hold’em – aim is to have the best 5 card poker hand from any combination of the seven cards. First the players are dealt 2 cards known as “hole”, at that point you can bet or hold. Then the dealer draws 3 cards known as the “flop” and players can bet, hold or fold. Once this is completed the dealer will draw two more times with the final draw known as the “river”. The player who remains with the best hand wins!

For those, like me, who are slightly intimidated by these games, we will have Roulette as well as Slot Machines. DJ Ray Sikora will be back with karaoke (for those brave enough) and who knows…last year the festivities ended with an impromptu conga line so you never know! Come and enjoy the fun for tickets or more information look for the Casino Night tab under Get Involved on our website. Hope to see you there!

As the official start of Spring is soon approaching, on March 12th there is National Plant A Flower Day. The purpose of which is to encourage people to plant a flower to celebrate the joy and beauty that flowers bring into our daily lives. Studies have shown that having flowers, arranging flowers and even watching someone arrange flowers can have a positive effect on your overall wellbeing by reducing stress and as a proven mood enhancer. In honor of National Plant A Flower Day I thought I would share some flower fun facts.

· The most popular flower to give on Mother’s Day is the rose.

· The flower most purchased is the tulip with annual sales revenue over $65 million. The number one selling potted plant is the orchid. I don’t know about you, but I’ve given up on orchids. As someone known as the “resident plant lady” I can never get them to bloom again. Not surprisingly, the orchid is named as one of the hardest plants to grow – now I don’t feel so bad.

· Sunflowers have the most google searches of any other flower in the United States.

So, plant a flowering seed on March 12th, place it in a nice sunny window, make sure to keep the soil slightly damp and watch it sprout. When the temperature gets warmer, you can move it outdoors and with a little bit of nurturing, watch it grow and flower!

Back in 2013 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 3rd as World Wildlife Day. A day to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora. I’ve always had a appreciation for the environment and all of its creatures. I remember as a young girl having a magazine subscription to Ranger Rick which I’m pleased to say is still being published by the National Wildlife Federation ten times a year with its first issue published back in 1967! I don’t recall to whom it was addressed, but I also wrote a letter about the atrocities of the baby seals being clubbed for their white coats. To help acknowledge World Wildlife Day below is a list of 12 animals that are no longer on the endangered list.

1. Southern White Rhinoceros

2. Yellowstone Grizzly Bear

3. Manatee

4. Bald Eagle (you used to never see bald eagles in NJ, now I see quite a few)

5. Chatham Petrel (bird)

6. Arabian Oryx (desert antelope)

7. Brown Pelican

8. Virgina Northern Flying Squirrel (not sure if they were the VA Northern but I’ve had quite a few humanely captured in my house, but that’s for another story or blog!)

9. Northern Sea Elephant

10. Stellar Sea Lion

11. Monito Gecko

12. Panda Bear

So, if you know a young person, educate them on the importance of protecting the environment and that without conservation many of the animals listed above may have become extinct only to be seen in captivity.

The other day I got trapped into “click bait” (no pun intended) when my Apple feed had an article about fart walking?! I know… but it is a legitimate term, both NPR and Food Network recently posted about it. Essentially it is a short walk after a meal to help with digestion and relieve gas. That got me wondering about other forms of walking. I am a walker and most days when the weather cooperates, I use my lunch break to take a walk around our “work neighborhood”.

According to Aditva Birla Capital there are five essential styles of walking for improved health.

1. Chi – it a form of walking combined with meditation to help calm your mind
2. Brisk – is what it sounds like, it’s defined as 100 steps per minute
3. Stroll – is essentially what I do, for the most health benefits it’s recommended that you do an hour a day for at least five days out of the week. I would say do what you can, any is better than none. If you don’t move it you’re going to lose it!
4. Nordic- mimics the motion of cross country skiing and is a heavy cardio workout
5. Race – is a competitive form of walking. “The distinctive technique used in race walking involves a straight leg and a heel-to-toe motion. The hips sway from side to side, and the arms move in sync with the legs, creating a fluid motion.”

Whatever you call it just go out there and do it. Who knew there are so many physical and psychological benefits to walking?! Let us know, are you a walker? If so, what kind?

A former staff member sent me an article from The New York Times recently that talked about social housing being a possible solution to the lack of affordable housing in this country. It was an Op-Ed piece from two members of congress who want to introduce a bill called the Homes Act. Their point is, “instead of treating real estate as a commodity, we should build more affordable homes…these homes would be built to last by union workers and then turned over to entities that agree to manage them for permanent affordability,” like non-profits.

The NY Times article references Vienna (Austria) as a city who has made social housing work. In another article published earlier this year from PD&R Edge Home, “the effectiveness of the housing program has helped in making the city (Vienna) one of the most livable cities in the world, as judged by The Economist and Monocle in 2012, and as the city that offers the world’s highest quality of life, according to Mercer’s Quality of Living survey for the past four years.”

Here’s how Vienna’s social housing model works. The city purchases land zoned for residential use, they bid out to developers and then sell the land to the winning developer at an affordable price even offering low interest loans and other favorable terms if needed. In turn, the developer must rent out 50 percent of the units to lower-income residents with the remaining offered to moderate income individuals and families. These income requirements only apply when families and individuals move in so tenants can stay as long they want. In other words, there is no income cap where any future increased income would make them ineligible and have to find new housing. This allows for tenants from all socio-economic backgrounds to co-exist together in the same complex.

Can this work here in the United States or in our own “backyard” of Sussex County? Time will tell but it is definitely worth looking into different approaches to the affordable housing dilemma we face. In an article from the Housing Community Development Network of NJ, their president and chief executive officer stated, “Ensuring that all NJ residents can exercise their human right to housing requires bold investments and programmatic solutions to address our vast shortage of available and affordable homes.”

I’m sure most of you have heard if you don’t like the weather in New Jersey just wait a few hours and it will change. I, like many, am weather obsessed…local weather (News 12 NJ), NY Metro weather (predominantly ABC but when it’s winter will also look at CBS, NBC, etc.) When Lonnie Quinn of CBS has his shirt sleeves rolled up you know it’s going to be a big one!

The funny thing is that meteorologists have the best job. They can be completely wrong and it’s OK…they just chalk it up to “mother nature”. Being weather obsessed I did a deep dive into MSN weather for this area and here are some interesting all-time stats.

• Hottest Month – July

• Coldest Month – January

• Wettest Month – September

• Windiest Month – March (ever heard of the Ides of March?)

Speaking of the weather, let’s not forget that the unsheltered are completely exposed to the harsh elements. As stated by the National Coalition for the Homeless, “With nowhere to stay except the streets, people experiencing homelessness have a much higher risk than the general population of developing exposure-related conditions such as hypothermia and frostbite. These conditions can be immediately life threatening and may also increase the risk of dying from unrelated conditions in the future. Increased homeless services, especially additional shelter availability, are necessary to accommodate the amplified need in the winter.”

With no emergency shelter in Sussex County, it is critically important to support agencies who provide homeless services. Please consider donating or volunteering your time, you can find more information and how to participate on our website.