Mayor John T. Ryan and the Township of Lawrence Council celebrated longtime Lawrence Township volunteer Janet Bickal with a proclamation.
Lawrence Township Councilman Christopher Bobbitt read the proclamation at a September 20 meeting.
Bickal has been active in several groups ranging from recording for the blind and dyslexic to Friends of the Lawrence Library and the Lawrence Historical Society for more than 50 years, according to the proclamation.
“Volunteers are essential to the well-being not only of our community, but also of the United States and of society as a whole,” the proclamation reads.
“Volunteers provide a variety of services to meet the needs of our township, many of which cannot be measured in terms of monetary value.
“Persons who volunteer their time and services for worthy causes should be recognized for their selfless contributions to residents,” the proclamation reads.
Bickal, who has three adult children and taught English at Mercer County Community College, “devoted his time and talent to community service in many ways for half a century,” according to the proclamation.
She volunteered as editor of the Friends of the Lawrence Library newsletter; as a volunteer reader for Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic; and as a Medicare advisor for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).
Bickal is a former president and secretary of the Lawrence Historical Society, where she also established and led tours of the 1761 Brearley House for second graders, according to the proclamation. The house is owned by Lawrence Township.
She also served on the board of the Friends of the New Jersey State Museum.
The community of Lawrence is “far richer today because of Ms. Bickal’s dedication to preserving our vast historic culture. The City Council extends its best wishes and deep gratitude to Ms. Bickal for her many remarkable achievements,” the proclamation reads.
After Bobbitt finished reading the proclamation, Bickal thanked her for the honor.
“It has been 53 wonderful years at Lawrence. I enjoyed all of those things, once I retired,” she said.
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