The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The Township Council at its Oct. 1o meeting awarded commendations and proclamations to Franklin residents.
The first commendation was given to Jeff Baumley, a longtime member of the township Shade Tree Advisory Committee.
Baumley, who was a member of the committee for 15 years, said the current committee is “doing a great job. I wish them luck, and if there’s anything they ever need, I’m here for them.”
A proclamation recognizing October as Dyslexia Awareness Month was accepted by Board of Education president Ed Potosnak, who is dyslexic.
Potosnak noted that 1 in 5 people have dyslexia.
“It’s easy, once it’s diagnosed, to deal with it,” he said. Potosnak said he was diagnosed later in life.
Mayor Phil Kramer in an emotional address said that he, too, is dyslexic, but did not let it stop him from becoming an Air Force pilot or a neurologist.
Kramer said that dyslexia has enabled him to approach problems differently.
“There are problems I can solve that are difficult for other people,” he said.
“There’s some mother out there who learned about her son (being dyslexic) two months ago and went home and cried, ‘what are we going to do?’” he said. “Don’t worry, celebrate, because you have a special child who can grow up to do something special.”
Valerie King, representing the Sisters Network of New Jersey, accepted a proclamation recognizing October as Breast Cancer Month.
The Sisters Network, she said, continues “to strive to educate and empower women regarding breast health.”
“I know that when I present this tonight at the survivors’ meeting, it will be well-received,” she said.
The council also issued a proclamation recognizing Diwali, the Hindu “Festival of Lights,” which was accepted by township resident Chandrakant P. Desai.
