Message from Councilmember Ellen Zimmerman | March 3, 2022
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, I am so pleased to congratulate two terrific women from Scotch Plains who are making a difference in the lives of so many.
The “Union County Women of Excellence Award” is being bestowed upon Deputy Mayor Elizabeth Stamler and Sylvia Hicks, a longtime community advocate and member of the Preserve Shady Rest Committee.
Of the eight women in the county receiving this award in 2022, it is with pride that two of them hail from Scotch Plains. Both Elizabeth and Sylvia are long-time, local leaders. They serve the community, willing to give their time and experience at every turn. They inspire us. And their work raises the awareness, yet again, about the importance of women in every part of our lives.
According to the Union County commissioners, there were 55 nominations for the award this year, all of whom are deserving in their own special way. I hope you will join me in the virtual awards ceremony, to be held Friday, March 25 at 5 p.m., as we celebrate Elizabeth and Sylvia. You can pre-register here.
Women’s History Month is a special time of the year. In addition to celebrating our tremendous local achievers, it is an important time to mark the major contributions women have made to the United States and their communities, taking place each March by Presidential proclamation.
This year, the theme is “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” as a tribute to the caregivers and frontline workers during the two long years of COVID-19 response. This month is also a time to recognize women’s contributions to healing and hope across all cultures, and throughout the history of our great country.
As part of the celebration, the county is offering a free lecture on Zoom titled, Caring Cures: The importance of women’s nursing work from the flu pandemic through COVID, on Tuesday, March 29 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Join me and register here.
We all know the COVID-19 pandemic has been a history-making challenge for women on the front lines of health care. This presentation raises awareness about the importance of caregivers in times of crisis, and every day.
The featured speaker is Dr. Patricia D’Antonio, the Carol E. Ware Professor of Mental Health Nursing and Director of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, and the author of American Nursing: A History of Knowledge, Authority and the Meaning of Work and Nursing with a Message: Public Health in New York City, 1920-1940.
We have all learned during this multi-phase pandemic about the critical role of nursing. Just remember – at the height of this public health emergency – how we all relied upon nurses for feeding, cleaning, maintaining hygiene, and monitoring other patient conditions of patients with a highly-contagious disease.
I can think of no profession more deserving of celebration and study during Women’s History Month. This is the ideal time to express our appreciation, marvel at achievement and inspire the next generation to soar to higher heights.
