PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release                                                           Tulsi Maharjan

July 1, 2009                                                                            908-369-4318

 

6^th ANNUAL BOUND BROOK COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

TO CELEBRATE CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Vendors and Volunteers needed

BOUND BROOK, NJ --  The Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition, in collaboration with the borough, local chamber of commerce and Rotary Club, as well as many other non-profit organizations, houses of worship and businesses, will be holding its 6^th annual Bound Brook Community Festival on Saturday, September 12, 2009 from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm.

The annual community day will be free and open to the public and it will highlight the diversity of cultures in the borough and Central Jersey. ”We see this festival as a celebration of the borough's community, and those surrounding it” says organizer and SCCDC Founder, Tulsi Maharjan. “We are also looking to honor those local organizations who have helped the community rebound from the damage caused by Hurricane Floyd in 1999.” 

Professional musicians and groups will perform a variety of live music, from rock to salsa and dancers representing many local ethnic groups will perform as well.

 There will be various activities for children such as art workshops, flag making, face painting, a karate demonstration, dunk tank, carnival games, and more. Home Depot of Bridgewater will be helping kids make mini fire trucks. Along with the music and children's activities, there will be food, crafters, non-profits and other vendors.

 Sponsors of the celebration so far include: Somerset County Freeholder's office, Valley National Bank and Verizon Foundation. Community sponsors are Borough of Bound Brook, Stone Crest Church, Aqua Viva, Cresto Christen Church, Bound Brook Rotary Club and Bound Brook Chamber of Commerce.

 Vendors (food, craft, businesses, organizations) are needed to generate interest and volunteers are needed to assist in the day’s events. Interested parties can call 908-369-4318 or  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ,

 The next planning committee meeting will be held on July 8, 6:30 pm at the Spice of Life Restaurant in Bound Brook. 

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/trmaharjan/2009_06_27#

As the population of Somerset County grows, we are also seeing growth in diversity in all of its dimensions.  I would like to invite you to join other elected officials and community leaders for a special breakfast on Friday, May 29 and take part in a very important dialogue about diversity in our community.  We expect to have an excellent group of speakers to talk about various aspects of diversity and invite you to share your experience with others.   

 

 Interfaith  Community Forum

PICTURES FROM THE EVENT

http://picasaweb.google.com/trmaharjan/InterfaithForumMay22009# 

Interfaith understanding starts with open conversations among various religions. Religion and religious belief are often an area of intense conviction and passion. 

TOPIC

 The Role of Scripture

PANELISTS

Dr. Gurprakash Singh – Garden State Sikh Association

Father Ed Murphy – Episcopal Priest
Rabbi Jack Kramer – Congregation Knesset Israel
Deacon Ray Chimileski – Meditation Teacher
Vikas Chawla – Art of Living Foundation
Ashley Avaregan - Bahai Community
Zaheer Hussian- SCMC
 

 VENUE

MAY 31, -  St. Luke Parish - Long Valley

Sponsoring Organizations:

Garden State Sikh Association, Somerset Hills YMCA, Friends of Nepal- NJ, Friends of American Muslims, NJ Human Relations Commission, NJ Ethnic Advisory Committee, Bahai Community of Somerset County, Art of Living Foundation, Rotary Club of Branchburg, Rotary International District 7510

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New Jersey Caribbean Festival 2009

PICTURES

http://picasaweb.google.com/trmaharjan/2009_06_27#

Delight your Senses   Join the Fun

Experience the cultural richness of the Caribbean Islands

  Enjoy the rhythmic and soulful sounds of soloists and bands from the     Caribbean Islands. See cultural dances. Taste cultural delicacies.

All day activities for the whole family: face painting, martial arts, clowns, jugglers & balloons, special children’s musical performances, cultural dances, crafters and more………

Saturday, JUNE 27, 2009

Time: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM

 720 Hamilton Street, Somerset

Free Admission

 

Sponsored by:

Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition, Hamilton Street Business & Community Corporation, Jamaica Organization of New Jersey

Community Sponsors:

NJ Ethnic Advisory Committee, N.J. Human Relations Council  

 For additional information: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the Web site at http://www.Jaorgnj.org

Interested crafters and vendors please call

908—581-6172 to register

INTERFAITH  COMMUNITY FORUM

"PATHS TO TRUTH"

Interfaith understanding starts with open conversations among various religions. Religion and religious belief are often an area of intense conviction and passion.

 To celebrate the deepest and most profound expressions of spiritual insight which lie at the core of all major religions, the SCCDC Interfaith Forum announces a new public workshop series, “PATHS TO TRUTH”. This series of dialogues will be person-centered, not doctrine-centered. Their objective is to tell the stories of the struggles, the beliefs, the journeys of discovery and the ultimate mastery and triumphs of spiritual seekers from the view of each spiritual tradition.  

 TOPICS

 Practicing Charity , Compassion and Forgiveness, Prayer, Reflection and Meditation, The Role of Scripture

 PANELISTS

 Moderator Dr. Tulsi R. Maharjan, Chair, Diversity Coalition.

 Speakers:

 Dr. Gurprakash Singh – Garden State Sikh Association

Father Ed Murphy – Episcopal Priest

Rabbi Jack Kramer – Congregation Knesset Israel

Deacon Ray Chimileski – Meditation Teacher

Vikas Chawla – Art of Living Foundation

Ashley Avaregan - Bahai Community

Ashraf Lutfi- SCMC

Himanshu Jain - International Jain Society

Jaspreet Singh - United Sikhs

 

Sponsoring Organizations:  Garden State Sikh Association, Somerset Hills YMCA, Friends of Nepal- NJ, Friends of American Muslims, NJ Human Relations Commission, NJ Ethnic Advisory Committee, Bahai Community of Somerset County, Art of Living Foundation, Rotary Club of Branchburg, Rotary International District 7510

 
For more information contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 
Biographies of Panelists

Ashley Avaregan

Ashley Avaregan is a member of the Bahá’í Community in Somerset, NJ, where he has lived since 1994.  Ashley was raised in northern New Jersey and has lived in Southern Africa and Eastern Europe.  He has been married for the last 14 years and has two children. Ashley is Vice President and Mid-Market Specialist at ING, where he has worked since 1996. Ashley has worked as the assistant to the Bahá’í International Community’s United Nations Representative in New York, coordinating preparatory activities for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in China.

 
Vikas Chawla is a senior teacher for the Art of Living Foundation, which has presence in over 150 countries. He has taught breathing and stress management seminars for the past nine years to thousands of individuals from various backgrounds. He is working as a Vice President in Morgan Stanley and is currently on the U.S. Board of Directors for Art of Living.

 
Ray Chimileski is an ordained Roman Catholic Deacon serving at St. Luke Parish in Long Valley. He is a student and teacher of the world’s meditation traditions and coordinates a lay contemplative community “The Way of the Good Heart”. Ray is a professed Oblate in the Order of St. Benedict and directs retreats in interfaith spirituality. In December 2000, Ray founded OPERATION CHILLOUT, a grassroots coalition of volunteers dedicated to resolving the multi-faceted problem of homelessness in NJ by direct compassionate action - by relieving the suffering of those “who fall through the cracks” of the social welfare system one person at a time.

 
Himanshu Jain - Himanshu was born in Banswara, Rajasthan, India and raised in a religious family where he underwent learning Jainism for over 15 years, becoming a keen student of Jain Philosophy from his childhood. In recent years, he is pursuing scientific understanding of various tenets of Jain Philosophy. For the past 4 years he has taught the day-to-day relevance of Jain Philosophy to teenage students at a Jain SchoolIselin, NJ, and is a regular speaker at the monthly Jain studies discussion forum organized by International Jain Sangh (IJS). Himanshu serves as Vice President of the International Jain Sangh. He is currently building an online Jain study portal that can serve as a one-stop educational website on Jain Philosophy, Literature, Rituals, Festivals, and its role in modern day World.

 
Jack Kramer -  has served as the rabbi of Congregation Knesseth Israel (CKI) of Bound Brook, NJ since June of 2007.  He first congregation was in 1977 at Temple Micah in Washington, DC, while studying at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.  Although he remained continuously active in congregational life through lay leadership, and teaching, he left the rabbinate for a number of years for personal reasons.  During that time he taught and worked in the corporate world.  He returned to his original dream of serving as a rabbi in 2005, and he is continuing his studies at the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York City. In addition to his work with the synagogue, he is  active in community outreach and promoting interfaith understanding.  He is a graduate of Rutgers College  He is also the proud father of Adam age 27 and Miriam 24. where he majored in Hebraic Studies and Religion.

 

Tulsi R. Maharjan, Ph.D.

Tulsi is the founder and current chairperson of the Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition.  His community involvement includes past chairperson of the America-Nepal Society.  He currently serves on numerous boards of community organizations including Friends of Nepal-NJ and The NJ Ethnic Advisory Council.  He is also a charter member of the Branchburg Rotary club. He is a graduate of Leadership New Jersey program and currently serves as a Vice Chair of the New Jersey Human Relations Council, the NJ Governor’s appointed position.

 
Father Ed Murphy

received his doctorate from Rutgers University in 1976, and has been a psychologist since that time.  During the middle 1990's he felt a call to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church and was ordained in 2000.  He is the former Rector of St. Paul's Bound Brook, and is now an associate priest at St. Martin's Church in Bridgewater, NJ.  He is presently the vice-chairperson of the SCCDC.

 
Gurparkash Singh

has a Ph.D.  from University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and a  Post Doctoral fellowship from Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. He is trained as a neuroscientist and molecular biologist, and is currently working for Bristol Myers-Squibb. He has a college going daughter, and lives with his family in Basking Ridge, NJ.

 Jaspreet K. Singh

Jaspreet is Staff Attorney for UNITED SIKHS, a UN affiliated, international not-for-profit, non-governmental, humanitarian relief, human development and advocacy organization, aimed at empowering those in need, especially disadvantaged and minority communities across the World.  Jaspreet's work with the ICHRA (International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy) project regularly engages him both with specific cases and community organizing, as well as development of international strategic goals and legal positions. He is a member of the Georgia Bar and the American Bar Association, and is active in international human rights.

Congratulations to  2008 SCCDC Diversity Awards  Winners

Newspaper article

http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2008/11/somerset_countys_diversity_cel.html

The Somerset County Diversity Coalition announces the winners of the 7^th annual SCCDC Diversity Awards.    The SCCDC Diversity Award is designed to recognize exceptional individuals who live and/or work in Somerset County.  The award recognizes individuals, corporation(s) and organizations who embrace the principles of the diversity Coalition which promotes tolerance and understanding in the entire community and whose courageous actions have embodied the values of civility, tolerance, diversity, and cooperation in the advancement of public dialogue and public policy on diverse issues. 

   This year’s honorees are:

Education:  

Kathleen S. Feigley, Executive Director, Kangaroo Kids School, Branchburg

Government: 

Hon. Sue Pai Yang, Compensation Judge, Bridgewater 

and

Leadership Somerset, A special program of Somerset County

Faith Community: 

Hindu Temple and Cultural  Society USA, Inc. Bridgewater

Youth Leaders:   

Keely Swan, Branchburg

Business:   

Anna Lustenberg,  Verizon Foundation

Community Service:

Sascha Higazi, Bound Brook Police Officer

the NJ Governor's Human Relations Council.
 
Ray Chimileski, member of the SCCDC and chair of the Marketing committee was honored last week by the New Jersey Human Relations Council, with the Unity Achievement Award for his tireless effort to help homeless veterans.   The Operation Chillout, launched by Ray, an interfaith, grassroots coalition of volunteers dedicated to easing the burden of homeless people throughout Northern New Jersey has been helping many homeless veterans for the past 5 years.  Congratulations, Ray, for your outstanding work, we are very proud of you. 

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