Drop off Donations for Oklahoma Tornado Victims at Cinderella Bridals, All About Fun

Operation Jersey Shore Santa plans to drive a truck full of donations down to Oklahoma.

Matawan businesses Cinderella Bridals and All About Fun will serve as a donation collection center for the people of Oklahoma who were devastated by a two-mile wide Tornado. The collection is being orchestrated by Operation Jersey Shore Santa (OJSS), a charitable organization that was launched by Brick resident Jackie O'Leary to collect toys and clothes for families who lost everything during Hurricane Sandy. They will accept donations through Sunday and plan to pack a moving truck full of donations on Monday, according to the OJSS Facebook. They suggest donating: Cinderella Bridals is located in The Marketplace at 443 Route 34 in Matawan. Items can be dropped off during the following hours: All About Fun is located in Park Plaza at 343 …

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proud

9:15 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Can't hurt.   more ›

This Inspiring Story Brought to You by Grape-Nuts

'Oh Sandy' Anthology Uses Humor to Examine Seriousness of Historic Storm

A Matawan man with close ties to Union Beach was one of several Sandy survivors to be published in the collection titled "Oh Sandy: An Anthology of Humorous Stories for a Serious Cause."

Hurricane Sandy was no laughing matter for those people displaced from their flooded homes, for those throwing out hundreds of dollars worth of food after losing power or for those who lost their homes entirely.   However, they say laughter is the best medicine. "When you are gutting people's houses, you either start laughing or start crying and don't stop," said James Butler, a former Union Beach resident who continues to coach youth soccer there. "When you are dealing with tragedy there is at first shock and then you kind of move on to the gallows of humor." Each day after the storm, Butler, now a Matawan resident, visited Union Beach to help his parents, his childhood friends and his soccer players' families clean up and rebuild.  He …

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Hurricane Sandy

Michigan Volunteers Helping Shore Recover from Sandy

A group of 30 is volunteering their time for Sandy relief

When it comes to disasters, Scott Harding has seen his fair share.  As the CEO of National Relief Network, Harding has helped to get eager volunteers to the devastated areas where they're needed. This week, they're at the Jersey Shore, helping locals recover from Superstorm Sandy.  "It's about as bad as it gets when you're talking about a hurricane," Harding said.  A group of 30 volunteers from Michigan is staying at the Silverton Emergency Medical Services building while they help out. The 30 students, faculty and staff from the University of Detroit Mercy was organized by Mike Rogers, a group coordinator who works with the ministry there.  Organizers had considered an overseas relief project this spring, but ultimately decided to help …

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Patricia Johnson

12:45 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013

Thank you for you hospitality and service.   more ›

Volunteers Flock to Cattus Island for Sandy Cleanup

Cattus Island Park in Toms River devastated by flooding and wind from October storm

When Joanna Marino organized a cleanup of Cattus Island Park in Toms River, she worried the only volunteers who might show up would be her own family.  But this past Saturday, more than 250 volunteers donated their time to remove debris from the Ocean County park that had been ravaged by Hurricane Sandy. "The volunteers come from every background you can think of," said Marino, the AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador for the Barnegat Bay area.   Marino has devoted a year of service to the watershed management area, conducting classroom programs for school students and organizes events like the Cattus Island cleanup day. "There are groups of people from the Barnegat Bay Partnership, NJDEP, Environment New Jersey, and Jersey Cares, along with …

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Hurricane Sandy

"I Only:" It Means A Lot More Than You Think

What you think isn't much means the world to those struggling in the wake of Sandy

While friends and family at the Jersey Shore were still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, they sprang into action. Volunteers from across the nation started collecting items to help people devastated by the storm. People without homes. People they'd never even met. Often, they heard the phrase, "I only." But as Debbie Nelson, one of those who rallied friends and communities to help those of us here will tell you, "Every 'I only' is like a penny: put a bunch of them together and they add up." *** Debbie Nelson watched the reports about Hurricane Sandy with concern. The mother from Dallas had one son living in the Belford section of Middletown, and the grandfather of her older children lived in Barnegat. She had been struggling …

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Local Volunteers

VIDEOS: Volunteering in Toms River After Hurricane Sandy

Local donations and national relief

From around the country and next door, so many have pitched in to help Toms River since Hurricane Sandy hit Oct. 29. National organizations, local churches and neighbors are volunteering after Hurricane Sandy here in Toms River. Here's another collection of videos on the volunteerism that abounds throughout Toms River over the past few weeks. More videos here and here.

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Hurricane Sandy

Volunteers - Local and Nationwide - Rally To Aid Sandy's Victims

People from Maine to Hawaii and all points in between join with local volunteers to restore the shore.

Even before Sandy’s first gusts reached our shores, volunteers from the entire United States were on their way to southern Ocean County and all East Coast areas soon to be devastated. Many of them are still here or have rotated out to be replaced by others from their organizations. Members of the Fraternal Order of Police had arrived from as far away as Missouri and Louisiana at the Long Beach Township Municipal Complex. They set up a kitchen and for the next two weeks as the building served as the command center for LBI’s Emergency Management Operations and the National Guard, they fed the police, first responders, National Guard and EOC personnel. As the storm passed, more FOP members fanned out with cleaning supplies, equipment and …

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Kudos

Resident Honored as Role Model for Hospice Volunteers

Helen Oster receives Hospice Volunteer of the Year Award

Helen Oster of Toms River, NJ, a volunteer with Van Dyke Hospice and Palliative Care Center at Community Medical Center, a Barnabas Health facility, was the recipient of the Hospice Volunteer of the Year Award given by the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NJHPCO) at the Fifteenth Annual Awards Program. Each year the NJHPCO presents Hospice Team Awards to recognize outstanding hospice professionals as role models for their counterparts statewide. In nominating Helen, Volunteer Coordinator for Van Dyke Hospice and Palliative Care Center at Community Medical Center, Lee Polese, applauded her commitment to hospice, noting that she visits patients, provides transportation, helps with seminars and training, works in the …

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Local Volunteers

Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey Seek Help With Programs

Looking for a Toms River organization to volunteer at? Here's the latest in our ongoing look at local groups in need of volunteers.

Today, we highlight Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey (CVCJ).  We asked Executive Director and volunteer Lynette Whiteman to share information for the community about CVCJ where their many services; including the Canine Program, reaches out to the areas senior citizens. How long have you volunteered with this organization? I am the Executive Director and also a volunteer with our Caregiver Canines® Visiting Dog Program. I have been with this agency for 10 years. Describe a typical day as a volunteer for this organization. Volunteers help us out in a myriad of ways. They can drive someone to the doctor or to get lab work, they can go grocery shopping, make a friendly visit, phone call or visit with their therapy dog. What activities/…

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Local Volunteers

PTA Focuses on Special Education Students

Group on the third Thursday of every month at Cedar Grove Elementary

In our regular look at local volunteer groups in Toms River, we're looking at the Toms River Special Education Parent Teacher Association, a PTA who meets regularly to discuss and hold events for the special education students of the Toms River Regional School District. Here is more about TRSEPTA, as discussed by volunteer Ashley Gawlik. How long have you volunteered there for? This is my second year working with SEPTA. Describe a typical day as a volunteer for the organization. What sort of activities do you do?     In order to provide a higher quality education for students with special needs, we host meetings to address issues, organize fundraisers to purchase assistive tools and technology, host relevant guest speakers and allow …

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