Roberto Martinez, REDCO Engineering, highlights Jardine’s interior design work for CPL Board members and guests.
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The Cerebral Palsy League recently hosted friends and supporters at a reception and tour of the League’s new building in Cranford. The event was to thank them for their help in making the new addition a reality. More than 35 guests were guided through the hallways and rooms of the building, which is still undergoing retrofitting in preparation for a September 14 opening. Patty Tekel, director of programs and services, and Roberto Martinez, the project’s architect, led the tour. While met by bare steel beams and concrete floors, guests quickly captured the imagery of the building, aided by schematics and Patty’s and Roberto’s passion for the awakening facility. Special guests at the celebration included Bette Jane Kowalski, Union County Freeholder, members of the CPL board of directors, vendors and other friends of the League. |
 Gary Goodman, Board President admires design features. |
 Union County Freeholder, Bette Jane Kowalski with Andrew Kotak (njwineseller.com) |
 Papermill Players perform for a "Packed House". |
Because “life lessons can be taught through theater,” the Paper Mill Player All Stars took the stage at the Jardine Academy in Union again this spring, once more establishing an intimate connection between the young performers and their special audience. The Paper Mill Player All Stars, affiliated with the Theatre School at the Paper Mill Playhouse, are a group of artists-in-training who visit schools, hospitals and community centers performing scripted musicals. ”This is a very important part of the training for our kids, the feeling of giving back and sharing their talent with others,” said Mickey McNany, Theatre School director. The “others” in this case are the students of the Jardine Academy in Union, who each year receive more from the visit than simple entertainment. “It’s nice because they are peers of the students,” said Laura DelDuca, school principal. “It’s nice for them to see peers performing and singing. It’s also an opportunity for our kids to have some typical peer interaction.” |
 Jardine’s Pride 2009. |
Three students of the Jardine Academy proudly graduated from the program in June, marking years of accomplishment and progress. Like graduating seniors worldwide, the graduating students were dressed in gowns and mortarboards. They listened to proud teachers recount their personal strengths and achievements before watching slide shows that reflected their accomplished past and foreshadowed the promise of their future. The hard work the graduates invested in their education was on hand, as well. Each spoke to the audience of family, friends and staff using augmentative and alternative communication (ACC) devices. In addition, two of the three demonstrated the effectiveness of the Jardine Academy’s MOVE curriculum by using a walker or gate trainer for their processional entrances and exits. |
 Cyril Spinks “Struts His Stuff” for MOVE Fashion Show. |
Our Jardine Academy in Cranford has been dedicated as a Model Site of MOVE® (Mobility Opportunities Via Education), the internationally renowned educational program for people with developmental disabilities. We are the only school in New Jersey serving students with developmental disabilities employing the MOVE discipline. MOVE is a research-based program designed to apply education, psychology, biomechanics and motor science to improve functional mobility skills of persons with severe physical disabilities. The program objective is to enable participants to sit, stand and walk, thereby allowing for fuller participation with family activities and inclusion in the wider community. “MOVE is in Fashion,” a fashion show presented by students to demonstrate the impact of the MOVE curriculum on their lives, highlighted the dedication. Parents spoke about the impact the program has had on their children and families, with one parent presenting the Jardine Academy with an award for all the school has done for [her] daughter. The Jardine Academy serves more than 100 students age 3-21. |
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