Hello New Jersey,
First and foremost, I am hoping that you and your loved ones are healthy, safe, and trying to find silver linings in this uncertain time.
NJ.gov has resources available for learning more about COVID-19, keeping healthy, monitoring symptoms, and other information for public health and safety.
The spread of the virus has put a lot of our lives, careers, and even our own optimism on hold, but I do want to share some positivity and updates for our community members.
The New Jersey Program Planning Committee had their first virtual round table! The event was held on April 3 during lunch, and had ten attendees sharing our “new normal” experiences (and grievances) with work and life. The committee would like to continue these programs and will announce the upcoming virtual round tables. Look out for more events similar to this one and find out how you can get involved or lead one of the discussions.
As our state is instructed to continue practicing physical distancing for the foreseeable future, many of our planned events will be pushed back into the fall. This includes the 85th anniversary celebration that was originally planned for later this April. The event will be held in late September this year at the same location, the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick, NJ. More details will follow as our state continues to slow the spread of the virus.
I know we’re all eager to leave our house, hug loved ones, run a quick errand, make plans (then cancel plans!), and just have our lives back but it’s going to take time. Being in the field that we’re in, I know we’ll be vigilant about following the best practices for keeping our community safe and healthy, while sticking to the facts and the new reality the virus has forced on us. We’ll get through it, and we’ll do so by supporting each other (and for now, keeping our physical distance).
If there are any resources you need, I encourage you to review the
New Jersey COVID-19 site. You can also find someone to talk to by dialing 1-866-202-HELP (4357) for free, confidential support. Of course, if you’re interested in getting involved in our SLA community, please feel free to reach out to me directly.
I like to take time to thank our program committee chair, Linda Salvesen on her flexibility and quick actions to create virtual programs this spring. I would also like to thank Julie Peters for her swift efforts to reschedule the 85th anniversary event.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay home, good things will come.
Thank you,
Angela Pagliaro