mattersmagazine.com 15 music and watching television ,as  powerful  antidotes.  Higgs hopes to get more involved with the Jespy  House and teach photography to other clients.   H i s a r t h a s   b e c o m e his burning passion. His work is currently featured at Rutgers Medical School, the Arts Unbound gallery and he hopes to see it someday in notable collections and in museums. Higgs has proven not only to himself but to everyone else around him that we can overcome any struggles that come our way if we rely on our spirit. “If I put my mind to it, I can achieve anything.”    Chris Gennone is a freelance writer and musician who is currently attending college and working in Maplewood.   and helps them sell their work at shows held every six weeks. For Higgs, it became a comfortable environment that allowed him to be himself and enabled him to continue his work.   A resident of the Jespy House in South Orange, a community for people with disabilities, Higgs enjoys his independence; he has his  own apartment.  “Many psychiatric organizations are tough and usually have too much or too little supervision,” he says. “It helps with my  well-being.”  It is also the place where he met his girlfriend of three years and fellow artist,  Katherin  Klein. Though Higgs still experiences visions and hears  voices, he credits his relationship, listening to “Undone Together” by Alex Higgs. 145 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood Office: 973-378-8300 Susan Blodgett Broker / Sales Associate Cell: 973-214-4636 Susan.Blodgett@cbmoves.com Virginia "Ginny" Spiegel Sales Associate Cell: 973-219-8865 Virginia.Spiegel@cbmoves.com ©2014 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC. Property Experts. Neighborhood Enthusiasts. Contact Susan or Ginny at The Blodgett Group Selling Lifestyles through Real Estate CLASSES • SUMMER CAMPS • PARTIES Fencing Experience the exciting and rewarding world of fencing in our state-of-the- art, climate controlled facility with nationally and internationally recognized coaches and fencers. New Jersey Fencing Alliance 50-58 Burnett Avenue • Maplewood 973.763.5728 www.njfencingalliance.com