Linwood couple endows Stockton scholarship; Atlantic County Sheriff announces promotions

Atlantic County Sheriff promotes three officers

Atlantic County Sheriff Eric Scheffler promoted three officers on Jan. 11.

The Sheriff Scheffler stated two of the three positions are needed to supervise the newly formed County Municipal Court Program. He added that the three officers promoted, Darren Aberman, Adam Erskine and Dave Nguyen, are more than qualified to hold their new titles. Sheriff Scheffler is proud of their work ethic and has no doubt they will be great additions to his supervision staff.

Sergeant Darren Aberman of Egg Harbor Township was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He was hired in 2006 after serving four years with the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

During his tenure Lt. Aberman has served in Civil Courts & Transportation, Criminal Courts & Transportation, Fugitive Unit, IT Unit and the Explorer Program. For the past year Lt. Aberman was assigned to the Training Unit where he totally revamped how officers are trained. His leadership in this area has proven invaluable to the office.

Officer Adam Erskine of Hammonton was promoted to the rank of sergeant. He has been with the Atlantic County Sheriff's Office for 20 years. Prior to joining the sheriff’s office, he spent eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he was a combat veteran during Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Desert Storm.

During his tenure at the sheriff’s office, he worked in the fugitive unit, as the school resource officer, D.A.R.E Officer, the L.E.A.D Officer, and the Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs Officer for the state. He served as the president of the Atlantic County Juvenile Officers Association and sat on the board of the Atlantic County Youth Services Commission. Sergeant Erskine is a Mental Health and Developmental Disability De-escalation and Diversity trainer for Atlantic County. He is also a Master Resiliency Trainer and is working toward his Masters in Social Work at Stockton University with aspirations of working with veterans and law enforcement who suffer from PTS and addiction.

Officer Dave Nguyen of Egg Harbor Township was hired by the sheriff’s office in 2005 and was the first person of Vietnamese decent to hold the title of Sheriff’s Officer. He graduated from Gloucester Police Academy, Class #28 and from Stockton University with a bachelor of arts degree in business management. Sergeant Nguyen is a Court Fingerprint expert and is certified by New Jersey State Police Forensic Unit.

During his tenure, Sergeant Nguyen has served in Atlantic City Civil Court and Mays Landing Criminal Courts and Transportation. He was also assigned to the FBI Task Force, where he was tasked with locating and recovering run away juveniles.

Linwood couple endows scholarship in memory of parents who survived Holocaust

GALLOWAY – Cathering and Marcell Renny lost everything in their lives twice. The first time was during the Holocaust, when Catherine was forced into concentration camps and Marcell into the Hungarian Labor Service.

The second time was when they and their two sons escaped Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 and came to America, where Marcell, who had owned a textile factory in Budapest, rose from being a janitor in a textile factory in America to become vice president. Catherine worked as a bookkeeper and office manager and the couple raised two sons.

Their perseverance, and their optimism for a better life was ingrained in their children. Their son, Dr. Andrew Renny and his wife, Barbara Harvis, of Linwood, are passing those lessons forward with an endowed scholarship for students studying the Holocaust and genocide at Stockton University.

“They were just such incredibly positive, warm and loving people,” Harvis said of her in-laws. “They lost so much in the Holocaust and when they left Hungary. But they did not want to feel like victims. They always tried to make life better.”

Renny said when his parents, who had lived in North Jersey, moved to Ventnor, they got involved with the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton, where they participated in the Portraits of Resilience and oral history testimony projects for survivors.

“They would attend the programs and lunches and then we got involved,” Renny said. “After they passed, we talked about doing something in their memory. We believe in the mission of the Holocaust Center, and helping students seemed like an ideal way to honor my parents’ memory.”

Harvis said her father-in-law believed in “doing a good deed every day” and a scholarship is one way to do that good deed by helping students learn about the Holocaust and share those lessons.

“A scholarship directly impacts an individual,” Harvis said. “And this scholarship has a direct connection to a survivor’s story. It personalizes the relationship.”

The $25,000 Catherine and Marcell Renny Holocaust Studies Memorial Endowed Scholarship will be managed by the Stockton Foundation and will make its first award in the 2022-23 academic year to undergraduate or graduate students with a demonstrated interest in Holocaust studies.

Holocaust Resource Center director Gail Rosenthal said scholarships mean a lot to students and even more when they are connected to someone who survived the Holocaust.

“Our students are not just grateful for the funds but also understand the importance of continuing the lessons of the Holocaust for the next generation,” Rosenthal said.

For Stockton information, visit stockton.edu/holocaust-resource.

Buena Historical Society to meet; elect trustees

BUENA – Buena Historical Society will host its annual business meeting and election of trustees at 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Buena Vista Township Hall at890 Harding Highway.

Terms for trustees are three years.

The meeting will also feature Bea Grossi Finnegan who will present “Great Memories & Stories of Family and Friends & Life in Buena Vista & Beyond!”

Plus, a history of Grossi, Perugini, Fannucci, Dalponte and Petrini families will be presented.

For information, call (856) 558-9547 or email buenahistorical@gmail.com.

Atlantic Cape presents family information sessions

Atlantic Cape Community College will host a series of Family Information Sessions at Atlantic County libraries, which are designed to give prospective students and their families or caregivers information on everything that Atlantic Cape has to offer, ways to register for classes and information on financial aid and scholarships.

The following sessions are scheduled:

• Galloway Township Branch, Atlantic County Library, 306 E. Jimmie Leeds Road, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22.

• Ventnor Branch of the Atlantic County Library, 6500 Atlantic Ave., 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. March 16.

Also, information on the college’s Three Free Credits program and how to receive a free laptop by registering for six or more credits will be shared.

For reservations, visit atlantic.edu/family.

For information, call (609) 343-5000 or email admissions@atlantic.edu.

First rabies case of 2022 found in Hamilton Township fox

The first rabies case of 2022 was confirmed on Jan. 7 after a fox collected from a property in the 6300 block of Spruce Street in Hamilton Township tested positive.

The homeowner let her dog out in the back yard where it encountered a fox under the deck. The dog was immediately brought into the house while the fox repeatedly attacked a metal pipe and eventually died. Animal control was called to remove the fox. It was then sent to the state lab for testing.

An investigation by the Atlantic County Division of Public Health determined the dog was current on its rabies vaccination. It was given a booster and placed under a 45-day informal confinement as a precautionary measure.

Officials remind residents of the importance of vaccinating their pets against rabies, a viral disease that can be fatal if left untreated.

Rabies vaccinations also help protect pet owners and their family members from contracting the disease from an infected pet.

Dogs and cats who receive an initial rabies vaccination are not considered immunized until 28 days after the vaccine has been administered, therefore it is strongly recommended that any animal newly vaccinated or those too young to receive the vaccine (less than three months) not be left outdoors unattended.

Situations have arisen where pet owners have left unvaccinated or newly vaccinated pets outdoors, where they have sustained exposures to known or suspect rabid animals, resulting in euthanasia or four to six months strict confinement.

Public health officials also advise residents to teach their children to stay away from wild, stray or aggressive animals. Never feed or touch wild animals or try to keep them as pets.

If you are bitten by an animal, wash the wound immediately with soap and water and seek medical attention. All bites should be reported to the Atlantic County Division of Public Health at (609) 645-5971.

For more information about rabies control and precautions to protect your family and your pets, visit the county web site at www.aclink.org/publichealth or call (609) 645-5971.

The Atlantic County Animal Shelter offers free rabies vaccination clinics for dogs and cats by appointment and in accordance with federal and state protocols to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

To schedule an appointment, visit www.aclink.org/animalshelter.

Alternate route police training test scheduled

The Atlantic County Police Training Center will be testing for alternate route positions for the Basic Course for Police Officers, Class #26.

The test will be administered at 6 p.m. Feb. 23 at the Canale Training Center at 5033 English Creek Ave., in Egg Harbor Township.

The alternate route program allows for candidates who successfully complete the competitive process to attend the academy without being a member of a police department. In addition to the written test, there is a physical test and an oral interview for which the candidates will receive a score. Once hired by a department, the New Jersey Police Training Commission will issue a certification to the Alternate Route candidate.

Candidates are responsible for:

• Application fees: $100.

• Psychological examinations: $450 to $500.

• Tuition: $2,000.

Uniforms and equipment: $1,000 to $1,500.

Applicants must have a minimum of 60 college credits or two years active duty military and a valid New Jersey driver’s license to start the academy.

A start date has not been set for the class, but it will likely run from mid-late summer through early 2023. The class is about 26 weeks long and is non-residential.

The academy includes 23 alternate route recruits in the current class.

The number of applicants for Class #26 is limited to 100.

Interested candidates should apply on PoliceApp.com by Feb. 18. The application fee is due at that time and is payable to PoliceApp.com.

For information, email Michael Fadden at fadden_mike@aclink.org.

Meadowview to receive support of New Jersey National Guard

A 10-member New Jersey National Guard strike team is being deployed to Atlantic County’s Meadowview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Northfield.

The team will assist with COVID-19 response efforts and augment staff that are short-handed due to the surge of the Omicron variant throughout the nation.

Meadowview is one of several long-term care facilities in the state to receive assistance from the National Guard.

“Our healthcare workers have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic,” stated County Executive Dennis Levinson. “Exposures and outbreaks are currently impacting our staff and residents, so we welcome the support of the National Guard at this time.”

Strike team members may help assist residents with daily hygiene activities, getting out of bed, dressing, walking and feeding. They will also be able to “buddy up” with Meadowview staff to provide additional assistance.

Atlantic County and AtlantiCare offer drive-thru COVID-19 testing

NORTHFIELD - Atlantic County, in collaboration with AtlantiCare, will offer free, drive-thru COVID-19 testing in the Atlantic County Public Works Yard at Dolphin and Harvey avenues from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday by appointment only.

The site will offer PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing for symptomatic and asymptomatic adults and children. Individuals must provide identification at their scheduled testing time.

To schedule an appointment, visit https://www.atlanticare.org/patients-and-visitors/coronavirus-safety-and-information/covid-19-drive-thru-testing.

Test results will be available about 48 to 72 hours after testing is completed by visiting the Labcorp patient portal at https://patient.labcorp.com/landing.

American Red Cross announces area blood drives

The American Red Cross Penn-Jersey Blood Services Region has issued an appeal for blood donors. All blood types are needed, but especially O positive, O negative, B negative and A negative in order to meet patient demand and prevent a blood shortage.

The following blood drives are scheduled in Atlantic County:

• 2 to 7 p.m. Jan. 19, VFW Post 2189, 500 Bethel Road, Somers Point.

• 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 20, Tropicana, 2831 Boardwalk, Atlantic City.

• 3 to 8 p.m. Jan. 24, Praise Tabernacle, 2235 Ocean Heights Ave., Egg Harbor Township.

• 2 to 7 p.m. Jan. 24, Harvey D. Johnson American Legion Post 295, 232 W. Mill Road, Northfield.

• 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. Jan. 24, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Church, 591 New Jersey Ave., Absecon.

• 2 to 7 p.m. Jan. 25, Victory Bible Church, 816 S. Egg Harbor Road, Hammonton.

• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 25, Borgata Casino, One Borgata Way, Atlantic City.

• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 27, Sports Complex, Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Drive, Galloway.

• 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 30, AtlantiCare Life Center, 2500 English Creek Ave., Egg Harbor Township.

• 3 to 8 p.m. Jan. 31, Jersey Shore Baptist Church, 216 S. Wrangleboro Road, Galloway.

• 1 to 6 p.m. Feb. 2, Jewish Community Center, 501 N. Jerome Ave., Margate City.

• 1 to 6 p.m. Feb. 3, Asbury United Methodist Church, 290 Asbury Ave., Egg Harbor Township.

• 2 to 7 p.m. Feb. 3, Harvey D. Johnson American Legion Post 295, 232 W. Mill Road, Northfield.

To make an appointment, call (800) GIVE-LIFE or visit www.redcrossblood.org.

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This article originally appeared on Vineland Daily Journal: Atlantic County Sheriff announces promotions