A Little Agency - Little Melissa Video7.12

The FAST Start program implemented by the city in March 2016 is working to replace the thousands of lead and galvanized steel service lines that connect Flint water mains to city homes by 2020. But as of October 2018, only a little more than 7,500 pipes had been upgraded. The slow pace of progress drew the group of residents working with NRDC back to court to demand that Flint comply with its obligations to identify and replace lead pipes and supply filters to residents after each pipe replacement.

A Little Agency - Little Melissa video7.12

These reforms, while well-intentioned, leave unaddressed an especially harmful form of bias, which remains entrenched within law enforcement: explicit racism. Explicit racism in law enforcement takes many forms, from membership or affiliation with violent white supremacist or far-right militant groups, to engaging in racially discriminatory behavior toward the public or law enforcement colleagues, to making racist remarks and sharing them on social media. While it is widely acknowledged that racist officers subsist within police departments around the country, federal, state, and local governments are doing far too little to proactively identify them, report their behavior to prosecutors who might unwittingly rely on their testimony in criminal cases, or protect the diverse communities they are sworn to serve.

Happy birthday! I am a teacher and enjoy sharing the Little House books with my class. The show reflects a simpler time and that gives us all courage to keep making our nation a good place for kids to grow and learn. Thank you for your part in making the world a little sweeter. Hope you have a great day.

I grow up watching little house wish it had never ended.i have movies of little house.I would love to meet Melissa and some of the other actors. But I know,it will never happen because of money. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA!

"My wife has been a healthcare provider for over twenty five years. She has been helping cancer patients reduce their swelling from their extremities secondary to their lymphedema disease. These treatments require her to be in close contact with the patient for an hour as these treatments are all hands-on. She did this even though Covid was a huge risk. Many healthcare workers were recognized and many of them are hospital based, but what my wife did, with little concern about her own health, is simple a courageous act. Her patients' extremities were saved from serious outcomes, cellulitis, infections, sepsis, and amputations if she did not continue to do her specialty during Covid. She is from Uruguay, one of many latinos that fall between the cracks when it comes to be recognized as heroes. I chose her, not because she is a wonderful wife and mother, but because she is a great human being. Her courageous spirit extends beyond recognition. Thank you for the opportunity."

"Collette has been an active covid vaccinator since the beginning of pandemic and is currently active with Atlantic Health System. She currently administers 90 vaccines daily with little recognition. She's a lifelong nurse who cares deeply for the general public and all other heroes. She addresses their concerns with personal skill and knowledge in the fight to control the virus."

"2020 and 2021 have been tremendously difficult years for the entire globe. In our little town, our residents depended on our all volunteer first aid squad to continue to help in times of sickness, COVID related or not, and in all manners of emergency situations. George created an evolving set of protocols that enabled our squad to respond to our residents, while ensuring that our members were safe from spreading or contracting COVID, and that our residents received the care that they needed and deserved. His work was so impressive that in spite of many calls where we subsequently learned the patient was COVID positive, to my knowledge not one Mendham Township First Aid Squad member contracted COVID while on a patient call. Yes, it's a team effort and we all needed to adhere to the protocols, but George created the protocols, provided the leadership model, the protocols, and the training so we all knew, understood and could apply them. His work and dedication were, and are, exemplary. I say that as a past Captain and current Deputy Mayor. I see his work from many perspectives. George is a Hero to all of us on Mendham Township First Aid Squad, and all of us on the Mendham Township Committee. Thank you for your consideration and for this opportunity to recognize all of our heros!"

"The West Essex Tribune would like to nominate Jeff Friedman, founder and director of Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. Jeff is a former television producer who has spent his retirement helping the homeless of Essex County. Some eleven years ago, he began an informal winter coat drive, collecting coats and distributing them personally to homeless individuals at Penn Station, etc. As time went on and his coat collections continued to mount, he reached out to local urban Essex County agencies, churches, food pantries and soup kitchens, and established distribution partnerships. In the meantime, he reached out to the Tribune, and we were happy to publicize his efforts. Through his hard work and enthusiasm for helping others, his operation grew exponentially. He had to recruit numerous volunteers to help him pick up and deliver coats and winter accessories. Not content to help the homeless only during the winter, Jeff expanded his efforts to include collecting trial-size toiletries during the summers. These were assembled into care packages for the homeless, filling a little known but much-needed niche: hygiene "on the run." The toiletries collection expanded into a year 'round endeavor. The bulk of these care packages are assembled by Jeff and his wife, Karen Friedman, who has worked side by side with him the entire time to make all this happen. Eventually, his operation grew to such proportions that he formed a non-profit organization, Livingston Philanthropies, Inc. (LPI), whose mission is to help the "homeless, profoundly poor and disenfranchised. Each week, he sends press releases to the Tribune, updating our readership on his organization's works and thereby raising awareness of homelessness close to home. In addition, he frequently speaks to civic and religious organizations, throwing a much-needed spotlight on the homeless and ways to help them. When the pandemic hit, he re-invented LPI, concentrating more on collecting monetary donations to enable him and his volunteers to purchase new items for distribution to the homeless, including clothing, socks, shoes, school supplies, non-perishable food items, and even fresh produce. He has formed partnerships with companies large and small to help the homeless, including Bimbo Bakeries and the Bombas sock company. His charity continues to grow in scope, and he and LPI show no signs of slowing down. Instead of spending his well-earned retirement on the golf course, Jeff dedicates his time and energy to helping others. His empathy for those less fortunate shines through in everything he does. Over the past decade, he has made an incalculably huge difference in the lives of the poor and homeless of urban Essex County and, in doing so, has made better people of all who know him."

"Mrs. Lindemulder is a Spanish teacher who works at Eastern Christian School in North Haledon, NJ. Mrs.Lindemulder deserves to be recognized as a 2021 Hero because of her positive uplifting energy, creativity, and love that she spreads to her students and coworkers. Mrs.Lindemulder is the teacher that students never forget, including her alumni. She engages us through many different ways, one of them being food. She knows that people love food, and she shows us her love for us through her food. It is a miracle that through this pandemic she has been able to safely make a plan so that her Spanish class students can eat Cultural Spanish foods. Mrs.Lindemulder has such a giving heart, so giving that she even gives some of her own lunch to students if they don't have food, or she'll buy them something as a surprise. Mrs.Lindemulder treats her students like her own children, she even is a host household, where she hosts students from anywhere in the world, and gives them a place to live while they go to school at Eastern Chrisitan. Mrs.Lindemulder is always there for her students who need her, when we are upset she makes us feel better, and when we are happy and energetic she definitely joins us in our excitement. Mrs.Lindemulder is a champion for culture, as she was born in Europe and moved to the USA when she was little. She fell in love with Spanish culture and learned the language. She speaks English, German, French, and Spanish and wants to learn Italian. Mrs.Lindemulder shows her students that different cultures are amazing and they should be celebrated. Mrs.Lindemulder engages us through showing us the cultures of others and delighting in them. Mrs.Lindemulder is a joy and delight to be around and she 100% deserves to be the recipient of this award."

Michael Grabas is selfless and caring. He spends his time, money and energy working with our veterans on active duty and retired. There is nothing this man won't do for them. He's been our member since 1974 and is 64 years young in every sense of the word young. Below is a little bit of what this man does out of pure passion for our Veterans. Michael started working with our veterans in 1998 through the elks lodge. He became the chairman in 2000 and started organizing the Big Band fundraisers, raising money for our veterans. The Bands we had included Glen Miller and Jimmy Dorsey. After the tragedy of 9/11 he started collecting goods to send over to Afghanistan for our soldiers and then and later to the soldiers in Iraq. Through the generosity of the public they were shipping out approximately 20-30 boxes a week. One year at Christmas time they sent over 500 boxes to Afghanistan. His friend who is a Coronel made sure every base had received some of the boxes. Michael was invited to attend the picnic reunion with the Coronel humbly said "he felt so blessed to be able to attend and join him and his unit when they came home. Mike's group has a gift they give to the veterans and their family : a Blue Star Banner which they place in the window of their home to proudly display that they or a family member was in the military. As of today he and his friends have given out over 600 blue star banners! He joined the Chaplain Service at the VA in 2000 and was able to work with our elderly veterans and eventually worked with the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Ward. He also held picnics for the PTSD men and women and always had Congressman Bill Pascrell and Congressman Rodney Frelinghusien to talk to the veterans. In the past they have had the support of Bart Oates and OJ Anderson from the Giants who came to talk to them. Tommy James, a singer from the 60's and Gene Cornish of the Rascals came to visit and treated the guys to a concert. Now Michael is working with the New Jersey AFL-CIO Veterans Committee and the Lyons club, but he works mainly with the guys at the VA bringing clothes, food and words of support and encouragement. Working with our Congresswomen Mikie Sherrill staff addressing the problems our Vets come to face every day and fixing those problems. Mike would like the public, the Unions and all his friends to know he appreciates their support, donation and time. The support of the public, unions and my dear friends make all this possible and I remind our vets all the time I have an army of wonderful caring and thankful public behind me to continually support them. Michael Grabas UFCW Local 360 member, Executive Vice President UFCW 360and Shop Steward, but mostly the supporter of Veterans! Mike doesn't think he's doing anything special that most people wouldn't do, however most of us would love to help people that are especially in need of time, most of us probably said we would or will then life happens and it doesn't!"