Shopping for giftware handcrafted by members of Adler Aphasia are, from left, Ellen Cramer, Barbara Drench, Andrea Grover, Paula Gottesman and Sylvia Steiner.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Adler Aphasia Center, New Jersey’s premier provider of support services for those diagnosed with aphasia, hosted an open house on Oct. 22 to inaugurate and celebrate its new West Orange location at Congregation B’nai Shalom.
The event included a breakfast, meet-and-greet with Adler staff and members, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, giveaways, and a special presentation by guest speaker Alan Zweibel, original “Saturday Night Live” award-winning writer and bestselling author. Zweibel highlighted his own personal connection to the center, as a family member of his benefited from Adler’s therapeutic services. The event was co-chaired by Adler volunteers Jill Tekel, an Adler board member, and Barbara Drench, a board member emeritus.
“We have been serving this community for nearly 10 years and our dedication to this program was the impetus behind committing to a more permanent space found here in this most welcoming community,” Adler President and CEO Naomi Gewirtz said.
During COVID, most of Adler Aphasia Center’s programming had been taking place via Zoom — until Aug. 30 when its doors reopened in West Orange, as well as its other locations in Maywood and Toms River.
“We are excited to be in our new location at B’nai Shalom, which offers sprawling indoor and outdoor spaces for group sessions, recreational activities and caregiver groups,” said Sharon Glaser, West Orange program director and a licensed speech pathologist with more than 35 years of experience. “We hope that our West Orange presence will continue to flourish and help transform the lives of our members.”
For more information about the West Orange program, contact Glaser at 551-287-2237 or sglaser@adleraphasiacenter.org.
Photos Courtesy of Renee Glick
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