Maury Lonergan, Scott Van Cleef, Mayor Gloria McCauley, Paloma Amar Coleman

November 21, 2011–Hillsborough,NJ– The Resource Center of Somerset, located onHomestead Road in Hillsborough, held a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the newly renovated Annex.  Mayor Gloria McCauley was joined by several Township officials including Chief of Police Paul Kaminsky, Director of Building Ron Skobo and Business Advocate Gene Strupinky to celebrate this accomplishment of improved business expansion and community service.  The guests of honor were Todd Van Cleef, President and Scott Van Cleef, Vice President of Country Classics at Hillsborough who donated the renovation project. 

The Resource Center of Somerset was founded in 1978 by concerned citizens desiring to provide safety and shelter to victims of domestic abuse. Over the years, the Resource Center has gone through many transitions as client needs grew and services expanded. The locations of our  outreach offices changed along with the expansion of services;. In 1996, the offices were moved into our present location at Homestead Road in Hillsborough. By 2005, we were operating at  capacity and the Development offices were moved into the annex building, which was also occupied by Belle Mead Physical Therapy.

Jeff Coe - Project Manager, Scott Van Cleef, Todd Van Cleef, Paloma Amar Coleman

            When  the physical therapy group moved out  in 2009, there were plans to renovate the building and relocate all our administrative offices to the annex.  However, budgetary constraints and a lack of available funding meant those plans were but a dream.  Todd and Scott Van Cleef of Country Classics at Hillsborough recognized the needs of our agency and knew what they could do to help. Country Classics has a long history of providing support to groups and organizations in the community. Their proposal was to renovate the previously occupied offices at their own expense as a donation to improve the lives of victims and survivors of domestic abuse.            

Todd and Scott developed a design plan and worked with the officials in Hillsborough Township to make this dream a reality and most of our administrative offices, including Development, Community Affairs, Finance and Facilities Management, are now operating out of  the newly renovated surroundings.

The pride in achievement, professionalism and generosity exhibited by everyone involved in this project is testament to the spirit of community caring that allows our agency to provide the critical services so vital to the empowerment of survivors of domestic abuse.

Special recognition must go to Jeff Coe and Kathy Crosby for their dedication and focus to complete this project in a timely manner along with Maury Lonergan who coordinated the work schedules and kept the operations and facilities of the Resource Center  functioning throughout the construction.

The Resource Center of Somerset would like to extend our thanks to the Riverside Grill in Hillsborough for their generosity and community minded spirit as they help improve the lives of people affected by domestic abuse in Somerset County.

Small businesses make up the backbone of our communities providing us all with the local convenience of specialty goods, services and entertainment.  In a tough economy, every dollar earned is important to the growth and survival of those businesses.  John and Alyse Prudente, owners and operators of the Riverside Grill, located in the KMART shopping center on 206 in Hillsborough, have added one more element to their business; social consciousness.

The Riverside Grill specializes in burgers, and during the month of January, they are donating one dollar for each burger served to the Resource Center of Somerset to help support the programs and services offered to victims and survivors of domestic violence.  Despite having faced the ravages of Hurricane Irene last August when their former location in Manville was devastated by flood waters, they place value on helping others.

In their few short months of operation, they have become part of the fabric of the community in Hillsborough.  We applaud their efforts and encourage other businesses throughout Somerset County to follow their lead and help support the Resource Center of Somerset to provide essential services to our friends and neighbors in need in Somerset County. For more information please contact Anthony Winchatz at (908)359-0003 ext 223  And by the way, stop in at the Riverside Grill for a burger, you won’t be disappointed!