Wanted: 4-H Science-sational Day Workshops

Deadline: January 18th

Event date: March 30th

It’s time to start planning the 11th annual Morris County 4-H Science-sational Day! Volunteers are needed to lead hands-on science workshops for youth in grades K-6th. Workshops can be led by 4-H clubs and community volunteers.

Click here to learn more about workshops.

Click here for the workshop proposal form.

Need an idea? The 4-H office has a wide range of curriculum! Contact the 4-H office for more information.

Jobs

Deputy Clerk, Board of Chosen Freeholders

Under direction of the Clerk to the Board of Freeholders, has charge of development and maintenance of clerical procedures and services of the Board of Freeholders; communicates with the Freeholders; and does other related duties as required.

The Deputy Clerk shall have excellent organizational and communication skills and understand the importance of confidentiality within the Department; shall have a working knowledge of Word, Excel and have the ability to understand and implement other programs utilized within the County.

Examples of Work:

• Prepare all Work Session meeting agendas for placement on the web. Set recording equipment up for work session meeting, attend and take minutes of the meeting, download the meeting recordings and place on Sound Cloud for placement on County website within 48 hours.
• Prepare agenda for meetings; review resolutions and place them on the resolution list for the upcoming meeting; place agenda on County website. Receive all banner, road closing and coin toss requests to place on the agenda; coordinate the certificate of insurance requests with Risk Management.
• Attend evening meetings and take minutes when the Clerk of the Board cannot attend.
• Publish Bond Ordinances, Legal Notices and other required notices.
• Prepare agenda for Insurance Fund Commission meetings; attend, take minutes of the meeting and other clerical duties associated with the Insurance Fund.
• Maintain the various databases.
• Secretary to the League of Municipalities. Arrange, attend and take minutes for Executive Meetings. Meetings are quarterly and after 5 p.m.

Applicants must reside in New Jersey.

Interested applicants should send their resumes via email by January 10, 2019 to: Debra Lynch, Clerk of the Board; dlynch@co.morris.nj.us.

Jobs

Deputy Clerk, Board of Chosen Freeholders

Under direction of the Clerk to the Board of Freeholders, has charge of development and maintenance of clerical procedures and services of the Board of Freeholders; communicates with the Freeholders; and does other related duties as required.

The Deputy Clerk shall have excellent organizational and communication skills and understand the importance of confidentiality within the Department; shall have a working knowledge of Word, Excel and have the ability to understand and implement other programs utilized within the County.

Examples of Work:

• Prepare all Work Session meeting agendas for placement on the web. Set recording equipment up for work session meeting, attend and take minutes of the meeting, download the meeting recordings and place on Sound Cloud for placement on County website within 48 hours.
• Prepare agenda for meetings; review resolutions and place them on the resolution list for the upcoming meeting; place agenda on County website. Receive all banner, road closing and coin toss requests to place on the agenda; coordinate the certificate of insurance requests with Risk Management.
• Attend evening meetings and take minutes when the Clerk of the Board cannot attend.
• Publish Bond Ordinances, Legal Notices and other required notices.
• Prepare agenda for Insurance Fund Commission meetings; attend, take minutes of the meeting and other clerical duties associated with the Insurance Fund.
• Maintain the various databases.
• Secretary to the League of Municipalities. Arrange, attend and take minutes for Executive Meetings. Meetings are quarterly and after 5 p.m.

Applicants must reside in New Jersey.

Interested applicants should send their resumes via email by January 10, 2019 to: Debra Lynch, Clerk of the Board; dlynch@co.morris.nj.us.

Stigma Free Morris County Essay Contest for Jr. High and High School Students

Posted Monday, December 3rd, 2018

Two $250 Prizes Offered by Stigma-Free Initiative Member and Sponsor: Boonton United Methodist Church & Montville United Methodist Church

A countywide Stigma-Free essay contest is underway in Morris County, with separate categories for junior high school and high school students who are are encouraged to write about the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction, and to offer some ways to encourage students and other county residents to come out of the shadows and get the help they need.

Submission Deadline:  December 31, 2018

Who can Participate:  Any junior high school (grades 6-8) or high school student (grades 9-12) attending school in Morris County.

Award: Two awards of $250  — one each for a grade 6-to-8 student and a grades 9-to-12 student. A $150 Amazon gift card will go to each selected student and $100 will go towards a project selected by each student to further eliminate the stigma of issues, such as mental health disorders, substance use disorders, or others.

Primary Essay Topic: Write a 1-2 page essay (double spaced, 12-pt. Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins) on how a stigmatized issue, such as a mental health disorder or substance use disorder, has impacted you or those you know personally, and what suggestions you might offer to your community to help lessen the negative impact of the stigma surrounding the issue being addressed in your essay.

Two Additional Short Writings: In addition to and separate from your essay, using no more than 100 words, describe why is it important to be stigma-free. Also, using no more than 200 words, describe a project you would like to initiate to help eliminate the stigma attached to any of these issues, if you were awarded the prize.

Take a look at just a few statistics on particular issues that often are associated with stigma:

• In the past five years, nearly 11,000 individuals died in New Jersey alone from drug overdoses. Nationally, in 2017, some 72,000 lives were lost to overdoses, the leading cause of death, and with a 10 percent increase from 2016.
• More than 120 people in America die from suicide each day. This death toll has been increasing every year since 2000, and for each life lost to suicide, there are many more suicide attempts.
• One in five people experience a diagnosable mental health disorder, but the average individual with symptoms doesn’t seek help for 8-to-10 years.

To stigmatize someone means to place a mark of disgrace or reproach upon them. When stigmas are placed on individuals or groups, they often lead to prejudices, discrimination, and misunderstandings. Many individuals who experience substance use disorders or mental health disorders do not seek help because of fear, shame, or judgment from friends or family.

The Boonton United Methodist Church and Montville United Methodist Church, which are members of the Morris County Stigma-Free community, are working to eliminate the stigma associated with those who deal with mental health disorders, substance use disorders, and more. Eliminating such stigmas will better enable and empower individuals to get the resources they need without judgment and allow everyone to be more aware, educated, and alert to these often hidden and misunderstood issues.

The sponsors of this contest challenge any jr. high or high school student to pick one topic under the category of stigmatized issues (e.g. any mental health disorder or substance use disorder), a few examples of which are bullet-pointed above, and write a 1-2 page essay, along with the two additional short writings, as detailed and outlined above.

Submissions should be emailed to Pastor Donald Kirschner at pastordonaldk44@gmail.com. In your email, please include your name, grade level, and what school you attend when submitting your essay and short writings.

Feel free to also email with any questions you might have regarding the essay contest. The winners of the Stigma-Free Essay Contest will be notified and announced in January of 2019.

Director of Personnel

The County of Morris is seeking a full-time Personnel Director. The successful candidate will be a responsive and service oriented professional who provides exceptional leadership and expertise in the management and oversight of the various components of a personnel office. Ideally, the successful candidate must possess knowledge and skills related to human resource-related concepts, laws, and best practices. The selected candidate will possess a balance of analytical, critical, and creative thinking skills.

Major responsibilities are:

• Ensure compliance with all relevant employment laws and regulations.
• Administer the employer rules and regulations and policies.
• Liaison between the jurisdiction and the NJ Civil Service Commission in matters of personnel administration.
• Direct and supervise activities of the Office of Personnel.
• Review and recommend disciplinary actions.
• Employee benefits administration.
• Oversee Human Resource Information System (HRIS) function.
• Administer employee onboarding and exiting procedure.
• Responsible for the Retiree Drug Subsidy Application.
• Serve as the hearing officer in disciplinary proceedings.

Requirements:

• This position requires a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
• Must demonstrate progressively responsible professional HR experience.
• Minimum of five years managerial or supervisory experience.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality.

The wide range of priorities and opportunities in this role make it an exceptionally exciting assignment. The Personnel Director’s Office will be located in the Morris County Administration & Records Building located at 10 Court Street in Morristown.

Applicant must reside in New Jersey.

Salary based on qualifications and experience, and in the range of $90,000 to $105,000.

Interested candidates should e-mail a letter of interest and resume to Deena Leary, Assistant County Administrator, at dleary@co.morris.nj.us no later than December 14, 2018.

Morris Seniors and Disabled: New Online, One-Step Application Process for State Benefits

Posted Wednesday, November 28th, 2018

ALLOWS MORRIS COUNTY’S OLDER AND DISABLED RESIDENTS TO EASILY APPLY FOR AND ACCESS STATE BENEFITS

Older Morris County residents and disabled residents are now just one click away from important benefits under the NJSave system that has been launched by the state Department of Human Services, and which is now available for residents in Morris County.

The goal of the new online application system is to make it easier for older residents with low-incomes and persons with disabilities to apply for benefits and possibly save on Medicare premiums, prescription costs, heating costs, and other living expenses.

Instructions and a step-by-step YouTube tutorial are available on the state Division of Aging Services’ website to help guide older residents and their family members.

NJSave allows residents to use a single online application to check eligibility for various assistance programs.

Included are Medicare Savings Programs, which help eligible individuals pay their Medicare premiums and copays; New Jersey’s Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD), which helps save money on prescription drug costs; and the Lifeline Utility Assistance Program (see full list below).

Prior to this, individuals had to fill out a paper eligibility application for each program.

“NJSave will help older New Jerseyans and their families with a simpler way to check out the programs and services available to them,” said Carole Johnson, Commissioner of the Department of Human Services.

Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo

“We are proud to partner with the state on this new online program,’’ said Morris County Director of Human Services Jennifer Carpinteri. “All of our residents’ benefit applications now can be kept in one secure location on your computer to make it easier for you to find your information and update it when needed.’’

“We know new technology can be daunting. If you need help, we urge you to enlist a family member or caregiver to get you started. Once you get used to it, I think you will find the new system makes the benefits process much easier to navigate,’’ said Morris County Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo, the county governing board’s liaison on human and social services issues.

Under the new system, eligible residents now can fill out the application and submit supporting documents completely online.  Applicants also will be able to create an account and save the form so they do not have to complete the entire process in one sitting.

NJSave enrolls eligible applicants into the following programs:

• Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (PAAD):
• Hearing Aid Assistance to the Aged and Disabled (HAAAD)
• Lifeline Utility Assistance
• Medicare Savings Programs
• Medicare Part D’s Low Income Subsidy (LIS, also known as “Extra Help”)
• Senior Gold Prescription Discount Program

The application also can be used to screen individuals for numerous savings and assistance programs:

• Universal Service Fund (USF)
• Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

To qualify for the programs, an applicant has to be a resident of New Jersey, meet certain income requirements, and either be 65 years of age or older or between ages 18 and 64 and receiving Social Security disability benefits.

The paper version of the application will remain in use and is available by calling the state Division of Aging Services at 800-792-9745, the County Office on Aging at 973.285-6858, or local pharmacies.