Preferred Home Health Care Presents Free Elderfest Expo
Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, Inc. (PHHC), with headquarters in Eatontown, is presenting Elderfest, a free expo sponsored by New Jersey Natural Gas, on Thursday, November 7, 2019, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Clarion Hotel, 815 Route 37, Toms River, N.J.
Elderfest highlights 40 vendors, free health and wellness screenings; BINGO with prizes; a Pet Contest* sponsored by Rose Garden Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Toms River, with a grand prize of $500, Second Place prize of $200, and Third Place prize of $100; plus a $100 gift card giveaway every 30 minutes, and more. The public will also have a chance to meet syndicated radio hosts Joel and Fran, heard live on WOBM and WCTC – AM!
*The Pet Contest is open to any type of pet—bird, cat, dog, ferret, snake, etc. The pet can be cute, pretty or even silly, according to the judges’ choice. A Pet Contest entry card can be picked up any day between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the front desk of Rose Garden Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 1579 Old Freehold Road, Toms River, 08753. Winners will be announced at 3:00 p.m. at Elderfest and must be present.
For more information about Elderfest or Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, contact Lisa Gallicchio, director of community relations, at lisa@preferredcares.com or call 732-547-9886 or visit PreferredCares.com.
*Pet Contest Rules: Contestants must be 18 years old to participate; use the designated entry card; submit only one entry card per pet. A pet can only be entered one time (Multiple entries of the same pet will be disqualified). Entrants cannot submit multiple pictures of the same pet.
About Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, Inc.: Since 1993, Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, Inc. (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. PHHC is accredited by CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Partner), 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.
PHHC has 15 locations. New Jersey locations include corporate headquarters in Eatontown; and branches in Elmwood Park; Galloway; Jersey City; Mt. Laurel; Neptune; North Brunswick; Robbinsville; South Orange; and Toms River. Pennsylvania locations include Allentown, Bala Cynwyd, Bensalem, and Pittsburgh. Delaware location: Claymont. Visit Preferred at PreferredCares.com for more information.
Finding, Engaging and Hiring Workers with Disabilities – HR October Meeting
The Diversity Committee of JSAHR (Jersey Shore Association for Human Resources) is presenting a panel, moderated by attorney Jennifer Meyer-Mahoney, to discuss how to find and recruit the relatively untapped pool of candidates who have disabilities at the October 24, 2019, JSAHR breakfast meeting, open to the public, from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., at Jumping Brook Country Club, 210 Jumping Brook Road, Neptune, N.J.
The panel will focus on a practical approach to remove barriers in the recruiting process, how to decide whether a job is best filled through a supported job program, and ways to reach the disabled population in recruiting and eliminating barriers employers may not have thought of previously.
The registration fee, including a full buffet breakfast, is $30.00 for JSAHR members; $40.00 for nonmembers; $25.00 for guests and those in-transition, and $10.00 for full-time students. Sponsorship for this meeting is still available. The business meeting, including a legal update and sponsor presentations, will begin promptly at 8:15; the presentation begins at 9:00 a.m.
Register online at jsahr.shrm.org/events or email admin@jsahr.org or call Christine Higgins, JSAHR chapter administrator, at 732-701-7155.
The three panelists include Millie Gonzales, Ms. Wheelchair NJ 2019. She is a communications strategist and event planner with Kean University, the chairwoman of the board of directors of the Spina Bifida Resource Network, a dancer, and a board member of the disability pride parade steering committee. She has an MA in communications from Kean University. Heather Cavise, DBA, MHRM, SHRM-CP, CELS, the director of HR at Ladacin Network, which provides supported work programs for the developmentally disabled and multiply handicapped in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Janet Mills, supervisor for business relations who works with employers looking to connect with the population that N.J. Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired serves.
The meeting sponsor is Kathi Evans, Toms River, owner of both All the Best Weddings & Celebrations and Personal Travel Concierge for Sandals and Beaches Resorts – Best Travels to Paradise.
JSAHR, a SHRM affiliated chapter, is a Platinum Excel award winner of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management.) This program is pending one (1) SHRM and one (1) HRCI (Human Resource Certification Institute) recertification credit. www.hrci.org
Lakewood Halloween Fun Festival and Parade Announced
The Lakewood Township Committee in conjunction with the Lakewood Police Department, the Lakewood Fire Department, the Lakewood EMTs, and the Lakewood Recreation Department are inviting Lakewood residents only, ages 1 to 12, to enjoy Halloween with them on Thursday, October 31, 2019, at the Lakewood Town Square, Clifton Avenue and Third Street, Lakewood, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Halloween the festivities include candy and treats, face painting, music by D.J. Jimmy Givens, pumpkin painting, and a costume parade. Everything is free.
The rain site is the Lakewood Municipal Building on Third Street. For more information, call the Lakewood Recreation Department at 732-905-3405 or visit www.lakewoodnj.gov.
The Santa Parade take place Saturday, December 14 at 1:00 p.m. in Lakewood Town Square.
Soiree and Talent Competition to Raise Funds for Free Performing Arts Lessons for Children
The parents of many talented children simply cannot afford performing arts lessons for their children. Through The Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation talented children have a way to take free ongoing lessons.
The Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, was created by Jodi and Melissa Grinwald to provide free ongoing vocal, dance, acting, and instrumental music lessons for children with financial barriers, ages 7-18, in Ocean and Monmouth counties, making children’s dreams a reality.
To raise funds for the free lessons, The Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation is holding its 2nd Annual Step into the Spotlight Soiree and Talent Competition, Friday, November 1, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. at Jack Baker’s Lobster Shanty, 83 Channel Drive, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742.
Sponsored by the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation, Investors Bank, and other supporters, The Step into the Spotlight Soirée features local adult talent, ages 21 and older, vying for the Zzak G. Spotlight Awards, and the Audience Choice Award. The contestants to-date are Brian Siekerka, Emily Eleton, Justin Daniels, Rashad Davis, Domenick Carino, Somasonder Dance Project, Hasseim Bey, and Divinity.
For the major impact they have had in helping children and the Foundation in its first two years, Heather Barberi, executive director of the Jay and Linda Grunin Foundation will be honored with the 2019 Spotlight on Kindness; Shawn Michaels and Sue Moll from Townsquare Media’s Ocean County Breakfast Show on 92.7 WOBM FM will receive the 2019 Media Spotlight; and Investors Bank will receive the 2019 Corporate Spotlight.
Working through local schools and community organizations to identify students with financial needs, The Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation pairs scholarship students with local performing arts studios to take free weekly or bi-weekly lessons for an entire school year and/or during summer workshops. If a student needs supplies, such as dance shoes or instruments, the foundation makes every effort to provide these items depending on available funding.
For students who have no way to get to lessons, this year the Foundation will provide funds through a new Community Outreach Program so performing arts teachers can teach a group of students in a community center or in an after school program.
Jodi Grinwald, co-founder and CEO said, “We are so proud to honor the incredible people of our community who have had such a profound impact on our Foundation. In addition, we have amazing individuals who will perform in front of ‘celebrity’ judges and share their talent for a cause that means so much to them. This is a night you don’t want to miss.”
Local “celebrity” judges to-date for the Soirée are Colleen Finnegan Kahl, Brick, president, Actors Connection, NYC; Anna Mastroianni, Westfield, a stunt woman in such movies as Independence Day, Bourne Ultimatum, and TV shows the Sopranos and Owner of Sole Shoes, among others; Topaza Watkins-Edmond; and honorees Heather Barberi, Shawn Michaels, and Sue Moll.
Tickets are $115 each and include dinner, a two-hour open bar, a silent auction, dancing, and talent competitions. Call 732-773-8970 or email jodi@applaudourkids.org for sponsorships, digital ad opportunities, tickets, or more information. To purchase tickets online visit https://aokstepintothespotlightsoiree.eventbrite.com.
For more information, email jodi@applaudourkids.org. visit www.applaudourkids.org. or call 848.333.2819. Donations can be mailed to Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation Inc., P.O. BOX 994, Barnegat, NJ 08005.
How Applaud Our Kids Began: Jodi and Melissa Grinwald’s dad loved to sing; but when he was a child, no one could pay for young Zzak Grinwald to take voice lessons. Finally, he took his first lesson when he was in his 30s. His teacher said he had the voice of an operatic tenor! He sang, he wrote music, and he composed songs, and was passionate about the performing arts until his death in 2015 at age 68 from ALS. To honor his legacy, his daughters created the Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation in 2017.
Some students receiving lessons are dealing with difficult situations, such as a loss of a parent among other problems. The only constant they have in their life is the lessons Applaud Our Kids funds. Jodi Grinwald said, “We are a kids-helping-kids organization. The Applaud Our Kids Performance Group performs at corporate and nonprofit events to bring awareness about how important the performing arts are to kids. These talented kids help fundraise for their peers who want to take lessons just like them.”
Some facts: Students who take four years of arts and music classes average almost 100 points higher on their SAT scores than students who take only one-half year or less. Low-income students who are highly engaged in the arts are twice as likely to graduate college as their peers with no arts education. Arts students are more likely to attend secondary schools than those who do not participate in the arts. Low-income students who are highly engaged in the arts are twice as likely to graduate college as their peers with no arts education.
Visit www.applaudourkids.org for more information about the Foundation. Visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/applaudourkids/.
Monmouth Day Care Center to Name Library in Memory of Child Cancer Victim Jack Perry
On October 12 at 5:00 p.m., Monmouth Day Care Center (MDCC), 9 Drs. James Parker Boulevard, Red Bank, will be rededicating its children’s library to Jack William Perry, a student at MDCC who lost his life to cancer in 2001 when he was almost 5 years old. Recently the Junior League of Monmouth County made it their project to redesign the staff lounge and the Jack William Perry Children’s Library.
Amy Thomas, the MDCC development coordinator, said, “Jack made quite an impact on the staff at MDCC. On any ‘good day’ he was having while he was going through treatment, he came to MDCC to be with his friends.
“There was an overwhelming sense of community when Jack was battling his illness. Staff and families even organized meals to go to the Perry’s house while the family focused 100 percent on Jack.”
Immediately following the rededication, Jack’s mom, Rosaleen Perry will host a Paint & Sip fundraiser for the MDCC scholarship fund. Tickets are $45. For more information, contact Rosaleen Perry at 732.687.6737 or use the Venmo app @Rosaleen-Perry to purchase tickets.
Monmouth Day Care Center serves families with diverse socio-economic backgrounds from more than 25 local communities. MDDC offers scholarships and fees on a sliding scale for families who qualify. Families who do not qualify for government support but cannot afford the full cost of care receive tuition assistance based on a sliding scale fee due to substantial community fundraising efforts of the Board. Call 732-741-4313 with questions or for more information.
About Monmouth Day Care Center: Monmouth Day Care Center, a nonprofit licensed by the State of New Jersey, is open from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., has eight classrooms; two playgrounds; a multi-purpose room that also serves as an indoor gym; a library; and provides breakfast, lunch and snacks. Children from two months to five years old, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, who come from families with diverse socioeconomic backgrounds can attend full- or part-time. Contracts for tuition are maintained with the Division of Family Development, including Work First New Jersey Program and New Jersey Cares for Kids.
Visit www.monmouthdaycarecenter1969.org. for more information.
History of Monmouth Day Care Center: MDCC began with just one class of children in 1969. It was the first Monmouth County School to be accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and star-rated by Grow NJ Kids. It was established under the sponsorship of the Revitalization Corps, National Council of Jewish Women, Greater Red Bank Section, Junior League of Monmouth County, Council of Churches, and Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club of Central New Jersey.
Local Jewelry Merchant Donates Electric Bike to Lakewood Police Department
Tom Calabro, the owner of Twin City Jewelers, 36 Clifton Avenue, Lakewood, has donated a Giant-brand electric mountain bicycle, valued at $2100, to the Lakewood Police Department to help revitalize its bicycle patrol.
Calabro said, “Lakewood is a wonderful town. A police bicycle patrol in downtown Lakewood adds an extra element of support while making the officers more visible and approachable. This helps develop positive relationships between the downtown merchants and police.”
Police Captain Steven Allaire, Patrol Commander, said that the electric bicycle donated by Calabro was the department’s first electric bike. Since then, the department has purchased a second electric bike to add to its fleet of six regular bicycles that are used for special events, such as patrolling around Lake Carasaljo on the Fourth of July and Night Out against Crime.
Officers from the patrol division, who want to work downtown, volunteer for bicycle patrol, working 10-hour shifts. An electric bike makes it a lot easier for bicycle patrolmen.
Captain Allaire said, “We have had excellent feedback from residents and businesses who have seen the police back on bikes downtown and sometimes in the Senior villages during the summer over the last two years. Electric bikes are easier to ride and a lot faster, easily doing over 20 miles an hour, which shortens response time.”
Retired Police Chief Rob Lawson said the Police Department didn’t have any electric bikes when he was chief. “The bike patrol goes back more than 20 years. We had three or four officers on bikes who had been assigned foot patrol. Having electric bikes is an advantage for the police, business owners, and residents.”
About Twin City Jewelers and Tom Calabro: Twin City Jewelers was started by Joseph Sgro, Tom Calabro’s uncle, in 1979. Calabro, who started working in Twin City in 1980 became a master goldsmith and stone-setter. When Sgro died in 1993, Calabro purchased Twin City. For 25 years, Calabro has supported local law enforcement. For more information, email Calabro at tom@twincityjewelers.com or visit twincityjewelers.com. Find Twin City Jewelers on facebook.com/twincityjewelers.
N.J. Health Care Networking Group to Meet October 2
The monthly meeting of N.J. Health Care Networking Group, a free organization for anyone in the health care industry, including those who provide ancillary products and services, is Wednesday, October 2, 2019, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at CareOne, 1660 Whitehorse-Hamilton Square Road, Hamilton Township, N.J. 06690.
The N.J. Health Care Networking Group provides an opportunity to build relationships among health care professionals, market events, and promote business. Membership is free; however, register to take advantage of member benefits, such as posting to N.J. Health Care Networking Group’s website all health care and marketing events, training information, employment listings, and access to a member directory.
For more information about N.J. Health Care Networking Group, email Lisa Gallicchio, director of community relations for Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, Eatontown, at lisa@preferredcares.com, call 732-547-9886, or visit www.njhcnet.com for the monthly location and member events. Meetings take place in a different New Jersey county each month.
Monetti and Standard Merge to Form a CPA Business Advisory and Support Firm
CPAs Ernest Standard, Jr., and Frank Monetti, both of Toms River, have merged their practices to form MonettiStandard PC, Accountants and Advisors, 1861 Hooper Avenue, Suite 8, Toms River.
Standard said, “Frank and I often found ourselves consulting. With the synergy we had, it was easy to see that together not only as CPAs but also advisors we could help a lot of small businesses grow successfully.”
In keeping with their goal of being CPAs AND valued business advisors, for a limited time MonettiStandard is offering, free of charge, a mini analysis of local businesses. Standard said, “We want to do things a little differently. We want to be more involved in businesses, more engaged in their management. For example, how do you determine your prices? How do you collect your money? Wouldn’t it be better to have advisors on your business team who would prevent problems before they occur?”
Before forming MonettiStandard, Standard was a tax expert and advisor at Standard and Associates, Toms River, N.J. He has worked as a public accountant since 1974 and a certified public accountant since 1980. A graduate of Toms River High School, Standard earned his B.S. in accounting at Rider University, Lawrence Township, N.J.
Standard served as a Major, now retired, in the New Jersey National Guard and a full-time accounting instructor at Ocean County College. He is a trustee of Renaissance Homeowners Association, Manchester; chairman of the Toms River Township Rent Leveling Board; and a member of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).
Having graduated from Christian Brothers Academy (CBA), Lincroft, Frank Monetti earned both his B.S. in accounting and his MAcct, Taxation, from the Virginia Tech, Pamplin College of Business. For 13 years, he was the owner of his Toms River CPA firm. Prior to that, he was a supervisor at Holman & Frenia, PC for six years, supervising individual and small businesses.
Monetti was a mentor of SCORE of Ocean County and part of a team that provided free, confidential business advice to entrepreneurs. He is a member of COBA (Central Ocean Business Association), and a member of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).
Monetti said, “I see every business and nonprofit organization as a puzzle. My goal as a CPA and advisor is to help people involved in small businesses and nonprofit organizations make sense of that puzzle so everything fits together as well as possible. That way, everyone is more likely to meet personal and financial goals. The businesses I can help the most are those who want focused, in-depth advice.”
The firm MonettiStandard is a member of the Greater Toms River and Southern Ocean chambers of commerce. For more information, contact Ernest Standard at Ernie@MonettiStandard.com and Frank Monetti at Frank@MonettiStandard.com.
About MonettiStandard PC, Accountants and Advisors: MonettiStandard PC, 1861 Hooper Avenue, Suite 8, Toms River (next to New Jersey Motor Vehicle Agency in Village Square Plaza), focuses on advising and helping businesses minimize tax burdens; staying in compliance with 1040s; financial reporting; examining internal controls, cash flow management, reviewing financial needs; pricing, collection, and succession plans; and goal review and analysis, among other services. Visit MonettiStandard.com. or call 732-255-3585.
Passions Lead to Awards – Pat Mayer Named Five Star Realtor and American Cancer Society 2019 Hope Award Honoree
Although Patricia Mayer, Sea Girt, has many interests in her life, she has two passions. One is being a licensed realtor and the other is supporting the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Mayer, a realtor with Diane Turton Realtors since 2003, specializes in residential real estate in Monmouth and Ocean counties. She finds her heartfelt dedication and commitment to each client extremely satisfying. That mindset resulted in Mayer being named a FIVE STAR REALTOR for nine years in a row and earning a place in the NJ REALTORS® Gold Circle of Excellence Sales Award, an achievement for excellence in salesmanship in the state. Among other awards, Mayer was named Top Producer, Top Salesperson, Top Selling Agent, and Top Listing Agent in the Sea Girt office of Diane Turton for five consecutive years — 2014 through 2018.
But Mayer’s passion is not just real estate. As a cancer survivor since 2008, she is determined to help others and raise funds for cancer research. For her efforts, Mayer received The ACS Hope Award, established three years ago, and presented to a remarkable professional who has shown outstanding dedication to the American Cancer Society and its mission. The Hope honoree exemplifies someone who has not only conquered cancer but has also used his or her experience, as difficult as it was, to help others.
Mayer’s cancer journey began with a misdiagnosis in 2008. Although she received an “all clear,” she knew something was very wrong. Her persistence led to a breast cancer diagnosis and a double mastectomy, followed by chemotherapy.
At an ACS program Look Good, Feel Better, she gained confidence to publicly take off her wig. Inspired by the support and generosity of those in ACS, she has actively participated in ACS’s fundraising efforts ever since, for the past 10 years.
Mayer says, “I am so grateful to have the opportunity to pay it forward by helping others who are living with a cancer diagnosis, as the good people at the American Cancer Society helped me through my own journey. I feel so blessed to have found life-long friends along the way.”
This year the 2019 Golf Classic and Party on the Patio*, a fundraiser for the ACS at the Hollywood Golf Club, Deal, N.J., raised $150,000. Mayer, who was on the golf committee and a volunteer at the Golf Classic, also held a fundraiser at her home the end of August and raised another $2500, bringing the total donation to $152,500.
Mayer is a member of the Leadership Council of the ACS and a proponent for Mary’s Place by The Sea, Ocean Grove, whose mission is to support women during and after cancer treatment. Mayer has served as vice president of the Jersey Shore Chamber of Commerce (JSCC) and is a board member of the Women of Irish Heritage Jersey Shore (WOIHJS).
Prior to her career as a real estate professional, Mayer was director of operations at AT&T, Lucent Technologies/Bell Labs. A graduate of Taylor Business School, Plainfield, N.J., Mayer also attended Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University, studying human resources.
For more information, contact Pat Mayer at 908-308-9374 or pat@patmayer.com.
*The chairwomen for the Golf Classic and Party on the Patio event were Jennifer Noone, financial advisor at The Noone Group at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.; and Frankie Browne, Sales Director, The Atlantic Club, Manasquan
About the American Cancer Society (ACS): ACS attacks cancer from many sides. It offers free rides to treatment, free wigs, a live 24/7 helpline, and free lodging near hospitals. Funds raised for ACS are used for research, education, prevention, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. For more information, contact the American Cancer Society of Central NJ (2310 Route 34, Suite 1D, Manasquan, 08736 at 732-292-3112.
Since 1979, the event has raised over $6 million and continues to attract prominent participants and corporate sponsors across the Jersey Shore to help the American Cancer Society’s mission to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.
More about the Hope Award: The Hope Award honoree is successful in business, but also outstanding in creativity, innovative spirit, and community involvement. Honorees have provided hope for a world without cancer. Hope Awardees have pushed for collaboration and progress within their local communities and have demonstrated their relentless support and dedication to helping others battle the disease. Together we celebrate their hope and acknowledge the impact they are making in attacking cancer from every angle.
More about Pat Mayer: As a licensed, professional realtor, Mayer is a certified Accredited Staging Professional© and recently received her designations for Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) and Seniors Real Estate Specialist Designation (SRES), awarded to realtors qualified to specialize in the age 50+ buyers and sellers markets. She is a member of the Monmouth Ocean Regional REALTORS; both the National and New Jersey Association of Realtors; and the Elite Team of Realtors.
About Diane Turton, Realtors: Diane Turton Realtors, 512 Washington Boulevard, Sea Girt has been led by president and founder Diane Turton since 1985. Diane Turton Realtors provides complete residential and commercial real estate ownership services and support in 16 locations throughout the New Jersey shore. The Corporate Centre, Point Pleasant Beach, is staffed with nearly 425 sales professionals along with a full-time management and support teams. For more information call 732-974-8700 or visit dianeturton.com/patriciamayer
Join the Mayhem at the Strand for a Pre-Halloween Night of Mystery and Murder
The Strand Theater board of directors is hosting “Murder at the Juice Joint,” a Halloween interactive murder mystery with lots of Murder, Mayhem and the Mob!, Friday, October 25, 2019, at the Strand Center for the Arts, 400 Clifton Avenue, Lakewood.
Attendees MUST come dressed in 20’s era costumes and be 21 and over. The tickets cost $45.00 and include a buffet dinner catered by Shore Catering and one free specialty drink. The doors open at 6:30 p.m.; dinner begins at 7:00 p.m. The murder? Any time!
With the passing of prohibition and organized crime on the rise, The Juice Joint, a swanky speakeasy run by Rosie Marie, has been jumping. To celebrate its success, Rosie is planning a party to remember at the exclusive nightspot, and YOU are invited! However, one of the names on the guest list is also on another’s hit list. No one is safe from the consequences!
With murder on the menu, attendees are certain to find a medley of individuals to make the night most memorable from major mobsters and their molls to the swanky singer with her hopes at Hollywood. No one is safe from murder, but everyone will have a chance at solving it. With the recipe for murder, The Juice Joint will be serving up a night of mayhem to remember.
For more information or reservations, contact amy@strand.org. Purchase tickets at strand.org.