Community Building

CELEBRATING WOMEN – Township Councilwoman Kimberly Francois, Somerset County Commission Director Shanel Robinson, Somerset County Surrogate Tina Jalloh, and Township Deputy Mayor Shepa Uddin (left to right) talk to attendees at the March 7 Thinai America International Women’s Day celebration at the Township Library. Celebrating the successes of local women in politics was the theme of the International Women’s Day …

SINGING FOR RAMADAN – Members of the Little Nasheeds Girls of New Jersey sing during the annual Ramadan Lighting Ceremony held February 23 at the Township Senior/Community Center. The Township’s fifth annual observance of the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan was held on February 23 at the Franklin Township Senior/Community Center. The highlight of the observance was …

STARTING THE EVENT WITH SONG – Jamar Anderson sings “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to begin the Franklin Township Cultural Arts Commission’s Black History Month BASH at the Senior/Community Center. Dance, singing and poetry were the focus of a Black History Month celebration held February 22 at the Franklin Township Senior/Community Center. Sponsored by the township Cultural Arts Commission, the …

MOTHER LANGUAGE CELEBRATION – Performers from the S&R Band & Friends prepare for a song during the International Mother Language Day celebration on February 22. The 25th annual International Mother Language Day was celebrated with speech and song February 22 at the Franklin Township Library’s main branch on DeMott Lane. Created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization …

The Somerset Community Action Program (SCAP) and Franklin Township are offering a construction and carpentry certification training program to Franklin Township residents affected by the Covid pandemic. The program begins March 3, with courses offered 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays at the Franklin Township Board of Education administration building, 2301 Route 27. The Civil Construction Program is …

CLOTHING FOR A CAUSE – FHS students collect clothing donations February 8 at FMS-Sampson G. Smith campus. Dozens of bags of gently worn clothing were dropped off February 8 at the Franklin Middle School’s Sampson G. Smith campus for the semi-annual clothing drive to benefit Project Graduation. The drives are held in the Winter and Spring, and are among the …

TACKLING FOOD INSECURITY – Sami Shaban, head of the Food Insecurity and Safety Coalition, speaks at the January 29 meeting in the Community/Senior Center. Work by the Franklin Township Food Insecurity and Safety Coalition begun in 2024 resumed on January 29, with representatives from various walks of township life meeting at the Community/Senior center to lay out strategies to end …

VET HELPING VETS – State Assemblyman Joe Damielsen (D-17) welcomes attendees at his veterans’ information program on Jan. 22. Representatives from a host of social service organizations were on hand January 22 as part of an information program for military veterans sponsored by state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen. The event, held in the Municipal Building on DeMott Lane, was the first …

KEYNOTE SPEAKER – U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman speaks to attendees at the 28th annual Franklin Township Community Breakfast, sponsored by the Franklin Township Dr. Martin Luther King Community Foundation. Efforts to erase Black history, to ban books and to stifle discussions of racism must be resisted, in the spirit of the teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, …

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 Martin Luther King Foundation Community Breakfast. The breakfast is set for 8:30 a.m. January 20 at DoubleTree by Hilton, 200 Atrium Drive. The event is a fundraiser for scholarships awarded by the Foundation to Franklin Township graduating seniors. Early bird tickets, available until December 31, are $50. …