Help the Strand Theater with Your Contribution
The Strand Theater Board of Directors need your help to keep the doors of the Strand open.
Four reasons why you should support the Strand Theater, listed on both the N.J. and National Register of Historic Places:
1. Your contribution is tax deductible.
2. You will have a feeling of satisfaction that you have helped preserve a local, historic landmark.
3. You would be able to enjoy quality entertainment without traveling to New York or Philadelphia.
4. You would be considered a champion to all those who are fighting so hard to keep the Strand open.
We really need your help now. Can we count on you?
Please don’t wait.
To maximize your tax benefit for this year, please make a generous donation before December 31, 2013. (We would also welcome your donation in the New Year.)
Send your donation to:
Strand Ventures
400 Clifton Avenue
Lakewood, N.J. 08701
You make a contribution—we’ll keep the lights on!
The historic Strand Center for the Arts, Ocean County’s premiere entertainment venue, is operated by Strand Ventures Inc., a 501(c)3, nonprofit. You can also visit www.strand.org or call us at 732-367-7789.
Thank you for your generosity.
Lakewood Woman Promoted to Vice President of Sales
Hindy Weiser, Lakewood, has been promoted to vice president of sales for Lakewood Wholesale Blinds. Weiser’s duties include working with residential and commercial customers, advising them about the 100 plus possible window treatments her company offers throughout New York and New Jersey.
Before joining Lakewood Wholesale Blinds, Weiser worked in the carpet industry for seven years, specializing in residential sales, marketing, and commercial estimates. She later worked with private groups, training women how to create and perfect window treatments, including draperies, valances, throw pillows, and more. She also taught sewing at a private school in Lakewood.
Weiser said, “Because window treatments are so diverse and there are so many options in ideas and budgets, it’s the type of business that requires a lot of attention to detail.” Weiser offers free in home consultations.
One of the newer products includes cordless window treatments for wood and faux wood blinds, cellular blinds, and pleated and bamboo shades, among others. “This means no cords, which makes it safer for pets and children,” said Weiser.
The company deals with a variety of suppliers, including Hunter Douglas, Lafayette, and Graber & Comfortex. For more information, call 732-886-2546 or email hindyweiser.lwb@gmail.com
Breakfast with Santa This Saturday in Lakewood
P.A.L.S. (Pupil Assisted Learning Services) students at Lakewood High School (LHS) and their coordinator Gay Huggins-Dickey, are sponsoring Breakfast with Santa, Saturday, December 14, 2013, in the LHS Cafeteria, 855 Somerset Avenue, Lakewood, from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. The cost is $5.00 per breakfast, including pancakes and sausage, fruit, coffee, hot chocolate, tea, or milk.
Purchase tickets at LHS; Clifton Avenue Grade School, 625 Clifton Avenue; the Lakewood Early Child Center, 100 Linden Avenue; the Spruce Street School, 90 Spruce Street; or the Oak Street School, 75 Oak Street. Proceeds from Breakfast with Santa will be used for PALS’ projects.
Santa is expected to arrive at 9:30 a.m. and will take photos with the children. Other activities include face painting, pin the nose on Rudolph, coloring, and other games. Jimmy Givens, a local DJ, is providing music. (http://www.jimmygivens.com).
PALS is an elective class in which the students learn about civic duty, citizenship, responsibility and caring for others – the world outside of their own lives. Huggins-Dickey also teaches the students project management during which they take a project from its beginning and see it through to its end. For example, the students are now focusing on the holiday wish lists for children staying at Dottie’s House, a home for women and their children who have suffered from domestic violence.
Other PALS’ projects have included almost filling a food pantry from a food drive they conducted, and dressing as elves recently for the Lakewood Santa Parade after which they assisted Santa in giving out toys.
Proceeds from Breakfast with Santa will be used for PALS’ projects. For more information call Gay Huggins-Dickey at 732-901-5724.
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OHI to Sponsor Open Enrollment Help Days This December – Open to the Public
If you need health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, you must enroll by December 23, 2013, for the insurance coverage to begin by January 1, 2014. OHI (Ocean Health Initiatives), a federally qualified health care center, with locations in Lakewood, Toms River, and Manahawkin, is offering to help the general public and its patients, by appointment only, at three Open Enrollment Days this December.
Bilingual Certified Application Counselors in the OHI Health Exchange Marketplace department will be available Saturday, December 14 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Toms River at 301 Lakehurst Road; Tuesday, December 17, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., in Manahawkin at 333 Haywood Road; and Saturday, December 21 in Lakewood at 101 Second Street. Open enrollment closes March 31, 2014.
Beatriz C. Patino, the coordinator of the Health Exchange Marketplace Department, and Carmen E. Lopez and Sasha Andino, associates, and other qualified staff will answer questions, explain any changes, and help individuals sign up for health insurance. Free gift bags and light refreshments will be available.
For Open Enrollment Day appointments and questions, call Health Exchange Marketplace Department at 732-363-6655.
About Ocean Health Initiatives
OHI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) federally qualified health center (FQHC) with locations at 101 Second Street, Lakewood; and; and 333 Haywood Road, Manahawkin. OHI provides comprehensive preventative and primary health and dental care to Ocean County uninsured and underinsured populations on a sliding-fee scale, based on an individual’s or family’s ability to pay.
Services include pediatrics, maternal and child health, prenatal, WIC, universal immunizations behavioral health, dental, family medicine, internal medicine, OB/GYN, podiatry and social services.
OHI has a bilingual staff available to assist patients and callers. To become a patient of OHI, call a representative in the Call Center at either 732-552-0377, Toms River, or 732-363-6655, Lakewood. Visit www.ohinj.org. for further information.
Stybe Named Personal Training Manager for New Lacey Retro Fitness Gym
Kyle Stybe, Jackson, has been named the Personal Training Manager for Retro Fitness in Lacey, a new facility that opened recently at 410 South Main Street, Forked River, N.J. Stybe will be overseeing all personal trainers, including personal training production and sales, hiring new trainers, and maintaining the quality of the gym and the staff.
Prior to working at Retro Fitness in Lacey, Stybe was the personal training manager for Retro Fitness of Brick. His experiences as a personal trainer manager in the health and fitness industry for the past seven years include positions in EFT (Effective Fitness Training), Work Out World, Supergym, and other local businesses.
Stybe, a graduate of the Health and Fitness program of the Vocational Technical School of Ocean County, Toms River, was filmed in a recent segment of Undercover Boss, featuring Retro Fitness CEO Eric Casaburi. He is a ’08 graduate of Jackson Memorial High School, Jackson.
For more information, call Kyle Stybe at 732-546-2139.
About Retro Fitness: Retro Fitness is a gym with muscle building, exercise and physical fitness machines; cardio equipment, such as treadmills with LCD screens; health and fitness classes; personal trainers; a theater that features popular movies; and a juice bar. Hours of Operation: Mon.-Thurs., 4:00 a.m. to midnight; Fri., 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Sat. and Sun., 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
December Meeting of HR Group – Your Professional Presence and Brand: Building Impressions and Connections
Have you thought about how your presence affects your ability to influence business decisions? Do you want to increase your effectiveness in business partnerships and employee relations? Your ability to deliver depends on your likeability and credibility. It’s your “brand” at work!
Michelle Tillis Lederman, author and founder of Executive Essentials, will present Your Professional Presence and Brand: Building Impressions and Connections, Thursday, December 12, 2013, at the monthly meeting of The Jersey Shore Association for Human Resources (JSAHR), a Silver Excel award winner of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., Jumping Brook Country Club, 210 Jumping Brook Road, Neptune, N.J.
Lederman will show attendees how small tweaks make a big difference, create a presence that stands out in a room by determining your brand attributes, and demonstrate how body language and word choice impact your professional presence. Attendees will also learn how to strengthen the relationships in their network, expanding upon lessons from her book The 11 Laws of Likability.
The registration fee, including a full buffet breakfast, is $30.00 for JSAHR members; $40.00 for nonmembers; $25.00 for those in-transition, and $10.00 for full-time students. This program is pending HRCI credits. To register, call Kathi Evans, JSAHR administrator, at 732-270-5204 email jsahr.shrm@gmail.com.
Attendees are encouraged to bring prizes, such as baskets or gift cards, for the annual holiday business card and gift exchange. In addition, JSAHR is accepting nonperishable food items for the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean counties.
About Michelle Tillis Lederman, PCC: Michelle Tillis Lederman, the author of The 11 Laws of Likability and Heroes Get Hired, is the founder of Executive Essentials, a training company that provides communication and leadership programs. She has appeared on CBS, Money Watch, Fox 5, and over 100 radio shows nationwide, including Gayle King, NPR, and Martha Stewart Living. She has been quoted in the New York Times, Working Mother, US News & World Report, and Monster.com, among others. Lederman has been featured on USA Today, AOL, Forbes, CNBC, and About.com.
Lederman received her B.S. from Lehigh University and her MBA from Columbia Business School. For more information, connect with Lederman at www.michelletillislederman.com; Twitter.com/mtlederman or Facebook.com/MichelleTillisLederman.
Santa Claus Is Coming to Lakewood This Sunday!
As part of Lakewood’s annual holiday festivities, Santa Claus and his elves are parading from the Clifton Avenue Grade School, Lakewood, down Clifton Avenue to Town Square, Sunday, December 8 at 1:00 p.m. The holiday parade will be led by Lakewood Fire Department, Lakewood Police Department, motorcycle division; Emergency Medical Services, and the Lakewood High School Marching Band.
Students in the Lakewood High School PALS club, dressed as elves, will assist Santa in distributing gifts, donated by the Lakewood Recreation Department, to the first 2,000 children age 10 and under. The Wonderland Trio of New York City will perform holiday songs.
For further information, call Jeff Shapiro, Supervisor of Recreation and Special Events for the Township of Lakewood, 732-905-3405, Ext. 6017.
Lakewood Career and Volunteer Fire Fighters Protect the Town
Fire protection for the approximately 93,000 Lakewood citizens comes from the Lakewood Career Fire Department and the Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department, dedicated people who are always here for the town, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, holidays, weekends, and workdays; and like the post office through rain, sleet, or cold weather only in more dangerous circumstances.
Both departments recently participated in training at Ocean County Fire and First Aid Training Academy, Waretown, to hone their skills. Forty-two Lakewood volunteer and career firefighters worked with four instructors from the training company Fire Fighter University, made up of exchiefs and firemen from New York City, Newark, and Jersey City fire departments, who provide training seven days a week for fire departments, such as Lakewood.
Committeeman Meir Lichtenstein said, “Our Fire Department continues to pro actively train so as to be ready to protect our town. We are so grateful for their constant dedication.”
The Lakewood training session, which began at 8:00 a.m., incorporated the use of two ladder trucks, four engines, a salvage truck, and the fire police. It also included an interior attack evolution during which firemen bring hoses inside to fight the fire, ground ladder rescue from a window, a truck company search and rescue, and ladder tower operation and techniques.
Steve McNamara, # 7410, first assistant Fire Chief of both the career and volunteer fire fighters, said, “Our fire companies conduct drills once a month to keep our skills sharp. This particular training was an overall exercise in which all departments work together. The Ladies’ Auxiliary even brought us breakfast, lunch and water.”
Lakewood has a two-pronged approach to firefighting, a combination fire department made up of career firefighters and volunteers. The career firemen handle incidents, such as oven fires, CO calls, and smaller calls. When there is a more serious fire, the career fire fighters put out a General Alarm, and the entire fire department and all volunteer firemen respond.
“This works out well for the entire town of Lakewood, not only helping people but keeping taxes lower,” said Chief McNamara. “Most towns with 100,000 people have just a career fire department with a budget of around $25 million. We operate on an eighth of that, a $3-4 million budget. We owe a special thanks to our devoted and hard-working volunteers.”
According to Chief McNamara, about 50-60 active firefighters and fire police members make up the Lakewood Volunteer Department, founded in 1888. The volunteer fire stations are located on 119 First Street, 1350 Lanes Mills Road, 976 New Hampshire Avenue, 300 River Avenue, and 733 Cedarbridge Avenue. Fire Chief Todd Stark’s office and the Lakewood Fire Police are at 40 Clover Street. Two paid “Career” Lakewood Fire Stations, #74 at 735 Cedarbridge Avenue and #74-1 at 800 Monmouth Avenue, cover Lakewood, one on each end of town.
Chief McNamara says, “We can always use help.” To get an application go to www.lakewoodnjvolunteerfd.org and follow the link to apply.
Seven Preferred Home Health Care Aides Named Home Health Aide of the Year
Seven Home Health Aides from Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services (PHHC), Eatontown, a company that provides home care for individuals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, recently received awards for “Going the Extra Mile” at the 2013 Home Health Aide Recognition Day, sponsored by the Home Care Association of N.J., at the PNC Bank Arts Center, Robert B. Meyner Reception Center, Holmdel, New Jersey.
The Home Health Aide of the Year is awarded to certified home health aides (CHHA) who have demonstrated excellence, leadership and compassion throughout his or her career. The HHAs of the Year from PHHC are Marsha Ciali, Brick; Jen Blair, Eatontown; Princess Walker, Galloway; Roslyn Harris, Mount Laurel; Yina Charlot, North Brunswick; and Denise High, South Orange.
PHHC aide Rubin Boamah, North Brunswick, was named Rookie of the Year, an award given to an individual who has been a certified home health aide for less than two years but has already exhibited excellence and growth in the role.
“I am so proud that we were able to recognize seven hard-working and caring home health aides,” said Jonathan Herman, Chief Operating Officer of PHHC. “Not only do they represent Preferred so well in the community, but I know they provide quality care to many clients and families in need.”
Each honoree received an award and a keepsake book with tributes about the contributions home health aides make to the care and safety of their clients.
Home Health Aides provide support and personal services, such as helping clients with bathing, dressing, and assisting patients with eating. They adhere to professional standards and maintain a safe, secure, and healthy client environment by following federal, state, and local requirements.
For more information about Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, contact Lisa Gallicchio, marketing executive, at 732-840-5566.
About Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services:
Since 1987, Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services (PHHC), 45 Main Street, Eatontown, N.J., has provided a wide range of medical and non-medical home health care services from pediatric to geriatric care throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. PHHC is accredited by CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Program), an accrediting organization for the home health care industry.
Preferred works collaboratively with physicians, hospitals, nursing homes and facilities to ensure a smooth transition to one’s home. In-house services include skilled nursing care for infants, children, adults, and seniors; personal care services, including bathing, grooming, dressing, feeding, etc.; private duty nursing services; and at-home physical therapy, among others. All of the care can be provided in-house and is coordinated by registered nurses, with clinical supervision available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Visit Preferred at PreferredCares.com for more information.
Winners Just Announced in Candy Buy-back Program – They Will “Pay It Forward”
Finally! A frightfully nice dry Halloween night filled with excited Trick or Treaters who could turn some of the candy they collected into cash in Dr. Ron Rotem’s ninth annual Halloween Candy Buy-back Contest. Everyone who donated the Halloween candy they collected received $1.00 a pound up to 10 pounds. The individual and the class that donated the most candy, however, received special prizes.
This year, both winners intend to “pay it forward” by helping others. Ten-year-old Cassandra Trentacosti, a student in East Dover Elementary, Toms River, won a $50.00 gift certificate by turning in 10 pounds of candy, the most collected by an individual. Cassandra plans to go shopping with her mom to buy items, such as shampoo, deodorant, hand sanitizers, and other sundries, that she will ship to an overseas military group.
Danielle Trentacosti, Cassandra’s mother, said, “Her dad served as a Marine. Now her uncle and her cousin are Marines serving overseas so she knows how much care packages are appreciated.”
The class that donated the most candy, 183 pounds total, was actually a club of fifth graders at the Herbertsville Elementary School, Brick. Ms. Sara Ball and Cherylan Shea, advisors to the Early Act Club, the youngest members of Bricktown Rotary Club, won $400.00 to use in the classroom.
Ball reported that the fifth graders decided to donate their winnings to buy supplies for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), which raises money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. They plan to use any money they have left to meet with some high school special needs students to play games and have refreshments.
Because no public or private schools were able to participate in the Candy Buy-back Contest last year due to Super Storm Sandy, Dr. Rotem donated $400.00 to the Toms River Regional Schools Hurricane Relief Fund.
As a father of three, Dr. Rotem began his annual Halloween Candy Buy-back program for children and schools nine years ago. “Obviously, the less candy kids eat, the better it is for them and their teeth, but other benefits can also be gained from this contest.”
Although Dr. Rotem’s practice at 355 Lakehurst Road, Toms River, focuses on cosmetic dentistry and conscious sedation for adults, he feels this annual contest reinforces a sense of civic duty and community involvement by sending the candy to our troops as well as an incentive to save teeth from decay.
For the first time this year, six members of the newly created Toms River High School North Military Club volunteered to help pack all the Halloween candy into a van, donated by Greater Media Radio Station WJRZ. The students delivered the candy to the Toms River Armory where members of ARMS (American Recreational Military Service), will package and ship the candy to our troops. http://www.supportarms.org/.
For further information, call Dr. Rotem’s office at 732-341-8500.
About Dr. Rotem: Dr. Rotem was graduated from NYU College of Dentistry in 1991. His practice focuses on cosmetic dentistry and conscious sedation for adults only. Dr. Rotem belongs to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is affiliated with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, NJ Chapter of the Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the Dental Organization of Conscious Sedation, the International College of Cranial Mandibular Orthopedics, the American Dental Association, the New Jersey Dental Association, Monmouth/Ocean Dental Society, and the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Rotem is an active member of the Crown Council. He is also a member of the Jersey Shore Business Network, Toms River, and the Toms River Chapter of Toastmasters.