Still Time for Joy

Tina Coetzee was looking for a way to keep her 77-year-old father, Chris Taylor, who lives with Alzheimer's disease, happily occupied. She handed him a paint brush and changed his life. Taylor, who had been struggling with severe emotional outbursts in recent months, now paints every day, and, with the help of new medications, is feeling much better.
     Taylor's vibrant paintings are attracting a lot of attention, w...

There's a movement underway to educate homeowners and landscapers on the benefits of leaving leaves, rather than removing every leaf that falls from trees. Decomposing leaves improve soil health, and a vast array of plants, insects, birds, and mammals depends on leaf litter to survive. 
Jean Epiphan holds a Master of Science degree in Ecology from Rutgers University in New Jersey. She is an agriculture and natural resource...

A Need We Feed is a small, but mighty nonprofit at the New Jersey Shore whose volunteers bring meals to Ocean County residents living at the federal poverty level, who don't qualify for help from other programs.  Many of the organization's clients are veterans, homebound elderly, and families living in motels. 
From local restaurants, A Need We Feed purchases boxes of individually packaged meals which volunteers then ...

Caregiving for a loved one with a serious, longterm illness can be stressful, isolating, and overwhelming. The Caregiver Action Network, or CAN, provides a wealth of free resources, including webinars and a helpline. 
CAN is the lead organization celebrating National Family Caregivers Month in November.
Caregiver Action Network https://www.caregiveraction.org/
Sandra Levine Productions  https://sandralevine.com/

Watch &q...

Thomas "Tommy Duck" Lewis, who began carving wooden objects as a very young boy, today is an award-winning decoy artist. He creates wooden decoys as well as nautical folk art from his studio near the Delaware River in New Jersey. He carves decoys in both the Delaware River and Barnegat Bay traditions.
Lewis has volunteered or been employed as a first responder for more than 35 years; today he is a corporal in the Moor...

On Halloween,1999, Sandra Levine's husband, Michael, was rushed by helicopter to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania due to Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, or ADEM. Michael nearly died -- twice. His recovery was long and very difficult, lasting many years.
And while Michael eventually made a remarkable recovery, even after 26 years, challenges remain. Both Sandra and Michael say while some of the memories ...

Staying active and exploring the arts is good for the mind, body, and spirit for people of all ages. Sherri Ehrlich, founder of Vibrant Activities, brings creative programs into senior facilities in several New Jersey counties, keeping residents engaged, and boosting joy.
Ehrlich is an accomplished singer and artist, who encourages seniors to let go of judgment and enjoy the process. In this interview, she also provides great s...

The annual Pine Barrens Jamboree was held in Wells Mills County Park in Waretown, NJ, October 11, 2025. The joyful day was filled with old-time music, canoe trips, nature walks, arts and crafts, and informational displays about the history and culture of the Pinelands. Visitors learned about the restored "Piney Queen" boat, and an old, working train, while children tried archery and painted pumpkins.
Wells Mills is Oc...

With his owner and handler, Mark Stanish, who works part-time as a community service aide for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office in Toms River, NJ, K9 Jager provides comfort and calm during crises. Stanish and K9 Jager also assist in crisis intervention training, wellness programs, and attend veterans' support groups, and many community events. 
Through the volunteer group, Crisis Response Canines, Stanish and Jager...

Waterfowl hunting displays, skeet shooting, decoy carving, duck calling, retrieving contests, and more drew crowds to the 43rd Annual Old Time Barnegat Bay Decoy & Gunning Show in Tuckerton at the New Jersey Shore, held at the end of September 2025.
Visitors to the two-day show saw carvers creating decoys, listened to duck calling competitions, tried skeet shooting, and enjoyed watching exuberant dogs who - usually, but not...

Just looking at beautiful sunflowers bursting with vibrant colors can boost happiness and joy, and conventional wisdom says the plants are easy to grow. But if you live in an area with birds, chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels, plus cutworms or other pests, that's actually not true. Suburban wildlife often eats the seeds as soon as you plant them, or mows down young seedlings before they have had a chance to take root.
In t...

HOPE Sheds Light was born out of the tragic loss of three young men to addiction at the New Jersey Shore. The three families banded together to start a nonprofit that provides help and hope to people looking for answers and resources.

CEO Pam Capaci talks about the origins of the group, the need to reduce shame and stigma around addiction, and trends like "sober curious", that are gaining traction after research has shown ...

The beloved, iconic monarch butterfly is in serious trouble; its population has plummeted in recent decades due to pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change.
For five years, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County has held a butterfly tent event in Toms River, NJ, to teach visitors about the importance of pollinators-including monarch butterflies-and the benefits of growing more native plants in your yard.
Susan...

In the United States, the beautiful, pink and white roseate spoonbills typically live in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. In mid-July of 2025, three of the birds were spotted along the shores of Forked River, New Jersey. Since then, throngs of birders and photographers - dubbed the Pink Paparazzi - have flocked to a salt marsh, to admire and photograph the stunning birds.

Josh Gant, president of the Atlantic Audubon Society, explains ...

The 85-foot-long AJ Meerwald is New Jersey's official tall ship, whose home port is in South Jersey. In July, the Meerwald embarked on a two-hour environmental educational sail around New York Harbor, during which passengers learned about the history of the oyster schooner, trawled for fish, and helped hoist the sail.

Captain Fern Hoffmann talks about the importance of exposing people to the marine environment and its life, to ...

Spending time in nature on a short hike in the woods brings many physical and mental health benefits, but it's smart to prepare first, so you don't get lost in the woods.

Rebecca Fitzgerald, administrator of the New Jersey State Park Service, and Chief George Fedorczyk, of the New Jersey State Park Police, provide tips on what to do before you go for a hike in the woods to stay safe. Packing essentials, like a cell phone a...

For two days in early June 2025, the nonprofit, A Walk On Water, once again brought its California-based surf therapy program to Spring Lake, New Jersey. Dozens of children living with autism, Down syndrome, and other challenging conditions, had a chance to experience the thrill of riding waves on the ocean with trained surf therapists. The program also provides respite for parents, many of whom rarely get a chance to relax.

Renowne...

If you're caring for a loved one with dementia, you've probably run across some resistance to bathing or showering. There are many reasons for this including a desire to maintain privacy, lack of trust, fear of falling, problems with depth perception, feeling cold, and more.

Deb Hallisey, a certified dementia practitioner, provides some helpful tips to make showering easier, and even more fun, for both caregiver and the pe...

The Delaware Bay is known as the horseshoe crab capital of the world. In May and June, millions of crabs come onto the beaches to spawn, and each female lays thousands of eggs. 

While the horseshoe crab has existed for some 400 million years, more than once their population has been decimated by overharvesting. In turn, other species have been severely impacted - including the threatened red knot - that depend on horseshoe crab eggs...