This article orginally appeared in The Star-Ledger.

Kindergartners have brought library books back into the borough schools' fold.

Every other week, each of the 220 kindergartners attending the borough's Kindergarten Success Academy for the last two years have taken a walk over to the municipality's public library on West Fourth street to get their imaginations churning.

Since only the borough's high school has a fully functional library, the partnership has proved crucial in developing reading habits, the KSA's principal, Nathan L. Fisher, and the library's director, Tammy Lee, said.

"We call it our little fitness walk," Fisher said of the program, which is in its second year. "Everyone of our children get their very first library card as result of this experience as well."

This article originally appeared in The Star-Ledger.

In a matter of days, a stately colonial mansion on rolling green acres in horse country will go on the auction block. When the gavel bangs and the bidding ends somewhere above $1 million, someone will be the proud owner of a grand manor on 128 acres.

At the same time, real estate watchers will be taking note.

Houses of this caliber that don't take the normal route to sale — being posted with a multiple-listing Realtor — help measure the health of upper-end real estate pricing.

"In good times, properties we represent are never brought to market," said Max Spann, owner of Max Spann Real Estate and Auction Company. "From the seller's perspective, competitive bids allow them to control the timing, terms and conditions of the sale without the back-and-forth negotiations of a normal transaction."

This article originally appeared in mycentraljersey.com.

Nearly 6,000 people, all touched in some way by organ and tissue donation, walked or ran through the streets of New Providence Sunday in the 3nd Annual NJ Sharing Network 5K Walk &USATF-Certified Race.

Just under 300 teams participated. Each team, united by matching T-shirts, told a poignant story.

Some teams walked to honor the legacy of a loved one who became an organ donor. Others walked as a tribute to someone whose life was saved by organ and tissue donation. And others participated to give hope to those waiting for a life-saving organ, or to remember someone who died while waiting.

This article originally appeared in The Star-Ledger.

It took a long time for Mark Reagan to pen the right words.

What do you say to someone who lost their son? How do you say thank you to his mother for the heart he donated to keep you alive?

Three years after receiving 19-year old Jorge Gonzalez's heart, Reagan, of Basking Ridge, and the Gonzalez family agreed to meet at their Maimi home. Reagan wasn't sure what to expect. Would it be bitter? Sweet? Would he see tears of sorrow or joy?

Jorge's mother Magaly ran to the door and threw her arms around him. She asked if she could put her head to his chest. Reagan said yes.

This article originally appeared in The Daily Record.

For 11-year-old Emma Navarro of Parsippany, taking part in a 5K fundraising walk Sunday for organ transplant operations will have special significance.

"I want people to sign up for our fundraising walk and to sign up to be organ donors," said Emma, who received a life-saving heart in November. "I'm the proof that organ donation is important."

She will be one of an estimated 5,000 participants in the third annual 5K Walk and USATF Certified 5K Race of the NJ Sharing Network in New Providence. The walk and run events will begin in front of the NJ Sharing Network headquarters, 691 Central Ave.

The event raised more than $1 million in the past two years, and organizers expect to raise $750,000 this year.

The N.J. Sharing Network says the 5K honors the legacy of donors and supports their families. Some teams also participate to remember those who died waiting for an organ.

This article originally appeared in The Jersey Journal.

A group of residents in Hudson County have been sharing a connection that they call "something good out of bad situations," and will join Sunday for the third annual NJ Sharing Network 5K Walk and USATF-Certified Run in New Providence.

Members of the New Jersey Sharing Network work as a support system for one another and promote awareness about organ donation. "Being part of this group has been so rewarding," said Barbara Kuzminski of Bayonne, the leader of Donate Life Hudson and member of the Donor Family Council Board at NJ Sharing Network.

Kuzminski joined NJ Sharing Network after her 20-month-old grandson Jonathon Kuzminski died two years ago of "severe brain hemorrhaging" and the family decided to donate his organs.

This article originally appeared on The Star-Ledger.

Devin was barely a year old when Colleen McQueen first saw him in December 2004. As a nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit at Newark Beth Israel Hospital, McQueen regularly treats very sick children, but Devin was different.

"He didn't have a blanket," she said. "He didn't have an article of clothing, he didn't have a toy, he didn't have anything for comfort."

Devin was a ward of the state, his parents having abandoned him into the hospital's care. Devin also was suffering from a rare and potentially life-threatening disorder called short gut syndrome.

McQueen swore if the baby survived three more weeks, she would bring him home for a real Christmas.

This article originally appeared on mycentraljersey.com.

The second gathering of the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce's four-part Meet the Mayors series took place May 23 at the Woodbridge Community Center. Click here to watch video. 

Photo by Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal This originally appeared in The Jersey Journal.

The Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen and the NJ Sharing Network held a flag raising ceremony on Wednesday, May 1, 2013, to celebrate the gift of life through organ and tissue donation. Here, CEO of the NJ Sharing Network Joseph Roth thanks donor families, organ and tissue donation recipients, the hospital, corporate and community partners.

This article originally appeared on takepart.com

Sylvia Blain, a mother of two sons, knows the opportunities that come with charter schools.

Blain, who lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas, sent her sons to a local charter school for several years before transitioning them into traditional public schools. Both children, however, had vastly different experiences at the charter school.

"One child was very geared to the math and science focus of the school," Blain told TakePart. "The other child found that his creative needs were not met. I did feel like the smaller student-to-teacher ratio was a plus for us and the relationships we made with the staff were more personal. The school went out of its way to learn as much as they could about the individual child in order to cater to their academic needs."