It’s always exciting when hometown kids make good in the music business. Many a Princeton kid has gone on to jazz or rock fame, often from the legendary Princeton High School Studio Band.

Wendy Zoffer, a musician whom I met through the Princeton chamber, wrote to tell that her son (Dylan Cohen, lead guitarist of Mad Cats and Beehives) just finished a gig at the Stone Pony and their next will be at Finnegans on February 20. He’s a senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro South. Also in the rock band are Keith Lalley, (trombone/vocals), Meggen Greenberg (bass), and Mike Cintron (drums).

Then I heard that Jesse Fischer is bringing his Brooklyn-based band, Soul Cycle, to Small World on Friday, January 29 to play what is billed as “an infectious blend of jazz, funk, and world music.” I know Jesse through his brother, Ezra, who worked at U.S. 1 for awhile. Both their parents (Ilene Levine and Richard Fischer) are teachers, he at Princeton Friends School, she at Roosevelt Public School.

Jesse Fischer has been performing at Small World, in various bands, for 15 years. While at Princeton High School, Fischer played with the Studio Band for all four years, 1994 to 1998, under the leadership of the late Tony Biancosino. “Dr. B was a huge influence on me,” says Fischer, “in terms of leadership style and musicality.” Fischer also studied jazz piano with Princeton-area teacher Laurie Altman and with Stanley Cowell at Mason Gross School of the Arts, but considers himself mostly self taught.

His current band includes sax player Brian Hogans, bassist Josh David, percussionist Shawn Banks, and drummer Corey Rawls. Rawls also teaches privately in the Princeton area. They just finished their third CD, Mosaic, described as capturing “the intimate energy of a live performance, resulting in honest music that ranges broadly from contemplative to joyous, from searching to playful. Overflowing with memorable compositions, dynamic group interplay, and raw soul, Mosaic is a bold statement in support of real music.”

I was interested in his account of a typical work weekend: a singer- songwriter showcase Friday evening, a late set with an R&B; cover band Friday night, a bar mitzvah Saturday morning, a jazz gig Saturday night, sit in with an African band after-hours, and then play in church Sunday morning.” He created his latest CD to reflect this mix.

Two programs, five days apart, attempt to make the case that volunteering for no money can help you make money – in your business or by helping you get a better job.

Jerry Fennelly, Karen Jezierny, and Adrienne Rubin are panelists for the Princeton Chamber’s program, “Volunteerism: Its Importance in Building a Strong Business Community” on Wednesday, January 20, 7:30 to 9:15 a.m. at the Nassau Club. Rubin is executive director of Volunteer Connect, Jezierny is Princeton University‘s director of public affairs and board chairman of the chamber’s foundation, and Fennelly is the well-known commercial real estate broker who puts his money, and his time, where his mouth is. Cost: $25 for members including breakfast. Call 609-924-1776 or click here.

Rubin will also be a presenter at Princeton Community Works, a grassroots organization, which stages its 13th annual conference on Monday, January 25, 5 to 9:15 p.m. at the university’s Frist Center on Washington Road. From 20 workshops, you can choose two, and they start at 6. Cost: $29 including box supper. Click here.

Because I am engaged in my own volunteer opportunity (ask me later) I’ll miss the chamber breakfast. But I hope to get to Community Works. Every year I am enticed by the array of workshop titles because they have value both in volunteer efforts and in the workplace. Last year I sat at the feet of Ralph Serpe and Nancy Kieling of the Princeton Area Community Foundation. This year the witty Serpe will teach “Building and Cultivating Donor Relationships” and Kieling joins J&J;’s Michael Bzdak and consultant Jamie Sapoch to discuss the grant-maker’s perspective.

Dorothy Eckes, an evolutionary coach, teaches the theme workshop “Are You Listening? How relationships can grow and benefit from skilled listening.” From this list of other presenters, I recognize a half-dozen names who are chamber members, but for fear of leaving someone out I won’t designate them: “Forty Practical Fundraising Ideals for Survival and Success,” Les Loysen, President, Consulting Services for Non-Profit Organizations; “Welcome Aboard: Roles and Responsibilities of Board Members,” Jane Silverman, President, Jane Silverman Associates, LLC; “You-Turn: Positive Organizational Change,” James Davy, Principal, James Davy Associates; “Legal Aspects of the Non-Profit” Nancy Eberhardt, Executive Director, ProBono Partnerships; “How to Run a Workshop,” Elizabeth Casparian, Ph.D., Executive Director, HiTops; “Everyday Ways to Recognize and Motivate Your Staff, Volunteers and Board Members,” Sandy Lopacky, MPH, Consultant to Philanthropy and Non-Profits; Amelia Willson, Principal, AMW Consulting; “The Art of Delegation,” Marge Smith, Chair, Community Works; “Give and Take: Giving and Receiving Feedback Across the Organization Chart,” Robin Fogel, President, Robin Fogel & Associates, LLC; “Budgeting for the Rest of Us,” Jack Fein, Managing Director, The Mercadien Group; and Sherise Ritter, Managing Director, The Mercadien Group; “Dashboards: A Tool for Measurement and Management,” Nancy Daneshgar, First Vice President, Merrill Lynch; and Ryan Larkin, Vice President, Merrill Lynch; “Stretching Your Marketing Dollars,” Gloria Nelson, President, Afton Marketing Group; “Public Relations: Crafting Your Message,” Ted Deutsch, Principal, Deutsch Communications; “Put on a Happy Facebook: Using Social Networking Sites to Boost Your Organization,” Alicia Jones, President, Strategy Solutions; and “Ten Ways to Improve Your Web site,” Loan Nguyen Liu, Consultant, WSI Internet Consultant.

As is obvious from this lineup, one of the benefits of going to this conference is the networking opportunity.

Information on this program got buried in my email and I am late sending it out, but here goes

If you know a biotech or pharmaceutical professional who lost a job in New Jersey, that jobseeker may qualify for up to $4,000 in tuition payments under a special program from the US Department of Labor grant known as “Bio-1.

To qualify, he or she must live in Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Somerset, or Hunterdon counties.

One place to take these classes, perhaps even online, is the New Jersey Institute of Technology, which was the source of this information. From the release: “NJIT provides single graduate classes, certificates and MS degrees for professionals in this industry sector in areas such as biomedical engineering, pharmaceutical technology, pharmaceutical management, biostatistics, physiology and human computer interaction, computing and information systems, project and technology management, engineering, technical communication and the sciences.”

There may still be enough time to qualify for these classes through the county One-
Stop Career Center, but the classes begin next week (the week of January 19). Many classes are fully online.

For more information about NJIT programs, contact Matthew Kitchen, by telephone toll-free at 800-624-9850 or by email kitchen@njit.edu.

Can these funds be used at another institution, perhaps one with classes that start later in the month? I don’t know and frankly have not had the time to find out. If somebody does find out, please let me know.

You may know David Sandahl as the former deputy mayor in Hopewell, or as the board chairman of the Princeton YMCA. Maybe you heard that he just came back from the white House, where he attended the Forum on Job Creation and Economic Growth, or that he’s helping keep watch over New Jersey’s share of recovery dollars, serving on the New Jersey Recovery Accountability Task Force.

You might not know that his father, working at Bell Labs, was a fiber optic pioneer or that he double majored in econ and government at Bowdoin. That’s when his internship with then Senator Walter Mondale’s office led him to take a master’s degree in organizational management from Yale. His adventures in government include coordinating the security part of the federal budget for President Carter and saving $1 billion in health care costs while retaining benefits for federal employees.

For 17 years he was at Kepner Tregoe, the world-renowned management training and consulting company located just off Route 1. He honchoed the pharma practice, building 7 figure account relationships with the likes of J&J; and Merck, and leading several of the projects for the successful turnaround of a medical device company. For the past five years, at his private practice, Decision Consulting, in Pennington, he has been a strategy advisor. Now he is leading a grass roots effort, the Princeton Job Creation Forum, which promises to hold a “speed dating session” on January 26 for funders and entrepreneurs.

Sandahl will present “Getting It Right This Time: Accelerating Economic Sustainable Growth” on Thursday, January 7, at 11:30 a.m. before the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce at the Princeton Marriott (www.princetonchamber.org).

Perhaps the best description of what Sandahl does, to quote the U.S. 1 article, is to be a sherpa, helping people who want to climb the mountain by telling them which paths to take and which to avoid. I’m looking forward to hearing what he has to say about the job creation mountain.

Jobs, jobs, jobs. The shrieking call is getting louder, to the point where new groups are gathering tinder to cook up their own versions of job expansion programs.

#1. At the bidding of the USDA, farmers and other ag types will meet on Tuesday, January 5, 1 to 4 p.m., at the Rutgers Eco Complex in Bordentown. Call Howard Henderson 856-787-8700. Bankers will be there.

The feds are trying to stir the agricultural pot in each state. Maybe they’ll find a new byproduct for cranberries here in New Jersey.

#2. On Thursday, January 7, David Sandahl, of the new Princeton Job Creation Forum, will address the Princeton Regional Chamber at a luncheon at the Princeton Marriott. His topic: “Getting It Right This Time: Accelerating Economic Sustainable Growth.” Cost: $50. Call 609-924-1776 or sign up here.

#3. NetWork, a part-time and work from home expo with nearly 100 exhibitors will be held Sunday, January 10, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Doubletree, 200 Atrium Drive, Somerset. The $5 admission will be waived if you mention this blog or any media source or preregister at Net-WorkExpo.com.

The Sunday expo is the brainchild of two entrepreneurial women who have “vetted” the exhibitors (“it’s more than just Avon and Amway” they say), have assembled take-home bags, and are even providing professional babysitters.

#4. Or go to the pre-session for a 10-week business plan course on Tuesday, January 12, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at the Suzanne Patterson Center in Princeton. Isles Inc. sponsors this and the Tuesday session is free. Call Norma Diaz or check the website. The class is right here in downtown Princeton. Free parking.

Of these opportunities, I can go only to the January 7 lunch with Sandahl speaking. I’m among those gathering tinder (and beating the drum) for the Princeton Job Creation Forum. Sandahl is looking for entrepreneurs with viable business plans to meet lenders, angels, and venture capitalists in a novel speed dating opportunity on Tuesday, January 26, at Princeton University. (Look for details at http://pjcf.org/) on the registration page.

The other opportunities are intriguing too. And they’re so different. Start your new and more profitable year by deciding to be entrepreneurial — or to be public spirited and support an innovator/entrepreneur.

As 2009 closes, my husband and I are grateful to the doctors who have taken care of us so well. Our health is good but the list is dauntingly long; it includes Chandani Fernando of Princeton Primary & Urgent Care, Barbara Berko, Peter Yi, Charles Wightman, Michael Ruddy, and more. Kudos to all!

What triggered this post is an honor that went to Bruce Cole, of Princeton Primary & Urgent Care. He recognized cardiac symptoms in a patient who arrived in his Alexander Road office late in the day; he pulled strings and got her in touch with doctors who could perform an emergency angioplasty and save her life. The grateful patient, Llura Gund, donated $5 million, in tribute to Dr. Cole and two other doctors, to enhance the ICU of the new hospital in Plainsboro.

We hope we won’t have to make many trips to that ICU but we’re glad it’s there. Happy New Year!

By nature — and by way of repeated exposure to the ugly side of seemingly pleasant things — newspaper writers reflexively gag whenever anyone speaks about his own good deeds. We are built to find the Botox behind the easy smiles, and we know most people will go to great lengths to hide the needles

This is the intro written by Scott Morgan, one of the editors of U.S. 1 Newspaper, on a “doing good deeds” roundup that he commissioned from various writers, including me. I thought he — and the others — were worth reading, so here is Scott’s intro and a link to the rest of the story, As written by Scott Morgan:

But here’s a secret most newspaper reporters would rather you not know: We are usually very nice people. We’re not cynical because we’re jerks, we’re cynical because we’re idealists. And this is not a kind world to idealists.

At the risk of triggering some hydrological holocaust, I decided to turn the spotlight on myself and my cache of regular — and supremely lovely — writers and my editor, Continuing… as part of the annual Helping Hands issue…

http://www.princetoninfo.com/index.php?option=com_us1more&Itemid;=6&key;=12-22-2009%20writers

When Wayne Cooke came up to me after church to offer a manuscript about his cancer treatment, my heart sank. Oh no. Not a would-be author. How could I let him down gently? Then I read his manuscript, in fact, I couldn’t put it down. It laced funny and poignant personal experiences with practical tips on how to be a patient and survivor.

I turned it over to my boss, Rich Rein, editor/publisher of U.S. 1 Newspaper, who declared it a compelling story. He made it the cover story of our end-of-year issue in 2007, entitled “Strength Renewed,” and Craig Terry did the photos. This 5,000 word first-person story may seem like an unlikely topic for a newspaper, but Rein has made other surprising choices.

So encouraged, Cooke reworked his material and has just published his book under the title “On the Far Side of the Curve: a stage IV Cancer Survivor’s Journey.” It’s available with excerpts at Amazon.com .

The first version, sans photos, is online in the archives of U.S. 1 Newspaper.

Even if you are not a patient, it’s a good read. If you know a patient, the tips in this book (“Lessons Learned”) could help them.

Please also consider encouraging your patient (or the caregiver) to become an informed “e-patient” and/or a believer in participatory medicine. A good way to start is with the blog “The New Life of e-Patient Dave,” who also finds himself “on the far side of the curve.” For instance, he just published “Advice to a Cancer Patient Facing News He Didn’t Want.”

Another excellent resource: Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR). Pick your diagnosis — there’s an ongoing conversation about every form of cancer and just “lurk” or ask questions. Five years ago ACOR was my lifeline. I recommend it.

Whew! I just crossed off two items on my Things to Do by the End of the Year push. Your list might include “sell stock to offset capital gains.” My big one was “buy windows to take advantage of the tax credit.” Now I won’t, and I can tell you not to rush.

Unless you manage to order and install those windows by December 31st, you can’t claim them on your 2009 tax return, so why rush?

I asked Gregg Semanick, the friendly IRS PR guy, about that. “Taxpayers must claim the credit on the tax return for the year that the improvements are made,” say the rules.

The 30 percent tax credit is worth looking at though, for certain income ranges. See Form 5695, Residential Energy Credits if you are interested for this year or next.

Maybe you can cogitate on some other kind of energy improvement to install by December 31.

Better idea: put that money in a Salvation Army kettle. My fellow Methodists and I have been ringing the bell at Palmer Square, at the Princeton Public Library, and in front of the church at Nassau & Vandeventer. Look for the kettle — and have a blessed holiday.

Goodness knows it’s hard enough for an adult to figure what job is best, even harder for a teenager, and even more difficult for an inner city teenager.

That’s why the Fresh Air Fund holds a Career Awareness Program, for nearly 300 6th to 8th graders. At a nearly month-long program in the summer, at a camp named after board member Mariah Carey (yeah, I succumbed to the lure of using an only tangentially appropriate picture) teens discover their strengths, practice critical thinking, and develop interpersonal skills.

Follow up sessions are held on weekends in spring and fall, and they get a chance to do job shadowing and attend a career fair.

One day of this costs $42 per camper and would be a great investment in some young person’s future.

Or you could help out by joining the runners at the NYC Half Marathon on March 21, or sponsoring a runner.

The line I like from the camp information is We encourage young people to face challenges and follow career paths that are in line with their skills and talents.. In other words, please be realistic. You may not be able to make a living as a shortstop or a sports writer or even a sports administrator.

Reality check for any young person, not just those from the inner city: just because you major in “sports management” doesn’t mean you’ll land a job in that field. So while you are in grade school and high school, develop additional interests beyond sports.

Parents: don’t let traveling soccer (or video games) supplant family trips to the Franklin Institute, Liberty Science Center, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, and on and on. The best “career awareness” program you can offer is to extend their horizons.

It’s harmless to let kids think they can be the next Derek Jeter or Mariah Carey. Or is it?