Harshini Raman, a junior at WW-P High School South, is one of the three Girl Scouts from the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern Jersey who have been nominated for the National Young Women of Distinction Award.
The award is given out annually to 10 Girl Scouts whose Gold Award projects demonstrate extraordinary leadership, had a measurable and sustainable impact and addressed a local challenge related to a national and/or global issue.
Raman’s Gold Award project, Artistic Hearts, is a program where student volunteers perform relaxing music for patients undergoing dialysis treatment. The student volunteers are able to use their volunteer hours toward meeting their graduation requirement. They also attend dialysis awareness programs and get trained on HIPAA and blood-borne pathogens before they start volunteering at the dialysis centers across the state.
Raman said she came up with the program after doing some research on dialysis after finding out that a family friend was receiving regular treatments.
“I learned that dialysis patients regularly need treatments for countless hours during which they are often lonely and feel abandoned by society due to their illness,” she said. “I also learned the sad truth that some patients even skip their treatments because of the dreary atmosphere of ill health and negative feelings.”
The program has more than 115 students who have volunteered at dialysis centers in Princeton Junction, Monroe, Holmdel and Edison. She said that by the end of summer, the goal is to install the program at centers in Perth Amboy, Lincoln Park and possibly neighboring states.
Raman said that once the program had a regular flow of volunteers, she decided to host dialysis awareness workshops to help people learn about kidney health issues and chronic illness in general. She also recruited more volunteers by participating in volunteer fairs.
Raman, 17, is a member of Girl Scout Troop 70165. She completed her Gold Award in March.
For more information on the project, go to artistichearts.org.
South junior to compete in chemistry olympiad
Shannon Weng, a rising senior at WW-P High School South has earned the opportunity to compete for one of four spots on the team representing the United States at the 49th International Chemistry Olympiad.
The 20 finalists emerged from a series of exams that involved more than 16,000 students across the U.S. Their next stop in qualifying for the U.S. team will be the Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from June 6 to 21. Weng attended the study camp in 2016.
During the camp, the students will receive college-level training, with an emphasis on organic chemistry, through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work and testing. At the conclusion of the camp, the top four students will be named as members of the team who will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, on July 6-15.
Biking for ALS
Princeton Junction resident Andrew Foster will ride in the 15th annual Tri-State Trek, a three-day, 270-mile charity cycling event that raises money for ALS research. This will be Foster’s second Tri-State Trek.
Beginning on Friday, June 23, Tri-State Trek participants will take off from Boston College and finish in Greenwich, Connecticut on Sunday, June 25. Organizers say proceeds will benefit the ALS Therapy Development Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which is actively working to discover and develop treatments for ALS. Last year, more than 270 riders took part in the Tri-State Trek and raised over $800,000 for ALS research, organizers said.
Foster said that he is participating in the race because a friend, Andy Martin, has had two family members die of ALS. “I would like to support both Andy and his family by riding in this year’s Trek.”
To support Foster’s efforts, go to his website. For more information on riding, volunteering or donating, call (617) 441-7200 or visit TriStateTrek.com.
Deaths
Maryanne Gawlak, 62, of Plainsboro, died on May 30. Born and raised in South Philadelphia, Gawlak had lived in Plainsboro since 1979. She was a member of St. Paul’s Church in Princeton and Queenship of Mary Church.
Survivors include her husband of 42 years, Richard Gawlak; her daughter and son-in-law, Nicole and Jeffrey Gorin; and son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Liza Gawlak.
Martin H. Spielman, 83, of Boynton Beach, died on May 27. A former resident of Plainsboro, Spielman was a graduate of the City College of New York, where he earned a BS and MS in education, and Brooklyn College, where he earned an MS in administration.
Spielman was a physical education teacher and head football coach at Boys High School, Brooklyn, NY, where he was voted the Journal American Coach of the Year by his colleagues and peers.
Spielman was the co-founder and co-director of Pine Grove Day Camp in Jamesburg and Wall Township.
Survivors include his wife of 32 years, Barbara Spielman; a son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Joanne Spielman, of North Potomac, Maryland; and a daughter, Laurie Spielman, of Washington, D.C.
Donald Becker, 78, of West Windsor, died on May 27. Born in the Bronx, he grew up in Brooklyn and Jackson Heights, New York. A graduate of the Rhodes High School, he attended Queens College and then served in the U.S. Army for three years. When he returned to New York he attended City College, residing with his wife in Forest Hills.
The two of them moved to Bergen County, eventually moving to Village Grande in West Windsor, where they resided for the past 17 years.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Ruth Becker; and two sons, Michael Becker and Steven Becker.
Gerald J. Spielman, 86, of West Windsor, died on May 19. Born in Brooklyn, Spielman earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brooklyn College and attended the doctorate program at Rutgers University in education. He was teacher, dean and school administrator for 30 years for the New York Board of Education.
Spielman later began a career as a real estate agent in Middlesex and Somerset before retiring. He was a member of the Village Grande Homeowners Association.
Survivors include his wife, Elle Dubow Spielman; a son, Jeff Spielman; a daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Gary Tilbor.
William Anderson, 62, of Plainsboro, died on May 15. Born in Paterson, Anderson was a resident of Clifton and Bushkill, Pennsylvania, before moving to Plainsboro in 2011.
He was a graduate of Parsippany High School and received his bachelor’s from Montclair State University. Survivors include his children, Katherine and Matthew Anderson; and his mother, Angela Castelluccio Anderson.
Katherine M. Coombe, 96, of Ewing, died on May 18. Survivors include her daughter Carol Massi and son-in-law, Paul, of West Windsor.
Harshini Raman,
