Buzz, Woody and the gang are back for one more big-screen adventure, when TOY STORY 3 returns for a special showing at Clearview Cinemas to benefit Bridge of Books.
While wobbling and shivering across the frozen tundra of what can only be called Red Bank Greenland, you’d do good to bear in mind that in the Caribbean, the sun is shining and the thermometer is expected to hit the low to mid 80s. And you’ll have Done Good to bear in mind that in Haiti, the hard-hit victims of last year’s earthquake are still in need of a helping hand.
One is being extended to the beleaguered nation from Red Bank’s own Pilgrim Baptist Church. From now until Wednesday, February 16, the Haiti Relief, Recovery and Restoration Initiative of Red Bank (in partnership with Aslan Youth Ministries) is seeking donations of school supplies — everything from pencils, erasers, crayons and rulers to composition books and solar calculators — for distribution to elementary school students in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. The small northeastern city will be the site of a groundbreaking for a new community medical clinic, and a Mission Work Team from the Initiative will be delivering the school supplies when they travel to Ouanaminthe on the week of February 21-27.
You can drop off donated items at Pilgrim Baptist (172 Shrewsbury Avenue); you can learn more about the Mission Work Team trip by calling Bernadette Marshall or Pastor Terrence Porter at (732)747-2348 — and you can brace yourself for another seasonal blast of Done Good action, right around the corner.
From left to right: Theresa Manning, Maggie Simon, Maureen Collins, Lucy Bogdon, Pat Geiss, Eileen Caruso and Gail Van Winkle are the ladies of the RBRPTO, and they’re inviting you to a Ladies Night Out at the Shadowbrook tonight.
THURSDAY: Red Bank Regional PTO Ladies Night Out. Each year, the ladies of the Red Bank Regional High School Parent Teacher Organization raise funds for the school building and staff, award thousands of dollars in scholarship money to graduating seniors, sponsor all manner of programs and special events — and, on occasion, get together for a hard-earned Ladies Night Out. This Thursday from 7 to 10p, the RBR PTO is kicking it first class all the way, with an event at the ever-elegant landmark Shadowbrook in Shrewsbury. Tickets ($50, or $40 for senior citizens) can be reserved by contacting Maggie Simon at (732)741-5223 — or feel welcome to drop in and purchase your ticket right at the Shadowbrook’s formidable door.
SATURDAY, February 5: Polar Bear Plunge in Sea Bright. Just when you thought it was safe to stay out of the water ’til Memorial Day — they keep pulling you back into the brr-rr-riny surf, for another Polar Bear Plunge and another worthy cause. This Saturday afternoon, the Sea Bright Municipal Beach is the scene for a frostbit frolic of a fundraiser hosted by Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch. Seventeen- year-old Junior Board Co-Chairs Sarah Delaney (Rumson) and Elise Keale (Fair Haven) describe the Bath Avenue landmark as “an awesome nonprofit” that provides “a home away from home for families of seriously ill children who receive medical care at nearby facilities.” Registration fee is $30 (cash or checks made payable to Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch), and home base will be Cono Trezza‘s Sea Bright Pizza (1066 Ocean Avenue), where sign-up commences at 11:30a — and where bravely bathing participants are invited to return for post-plunge refreshments and oven-toasty warm-up. It’s everybody into the water at 1p, and special commemorative T-shirts and bracelets will be sold as keepsakes to be cherished long after the last goosebump fades. Best of all, that warm feeling is bolstered by the knowledge that all of the proceeds will be dedicated to Ronald McDonald House. More info on the area chapter of the international org can be had at (732)222-8755.
SATURDAY, February 12: CHICKS WITH PICKS at NovelTeas. They’re “women with a passion for music” — and even the most casual observer of the Shore soundscape would know Aster Pheonyx, Jo Wymer and Laura Crisci as three singer-songwriter-guitarists who stand out from the packed field of homegrown performers, with confidence to burn and a set of skills that take command of a room with or without a band to back ’em up. On February 12, the women come to the Left Bank of Red Bank, as they turn Kim Widener‘s Novel Teas – Authors, Aromas & Gifts into a bluesy roadhouse for the hours between 7 and 10p. It’s presented by the locally based nonprofit Musicians on a Mission as a BYOB benefit for the Monmouth County family homeless shelter Family Promise; there’s a $10 suggested donation and light refreshments will be served up.
SATURDAY, February 26: Bridge of Books benefit screening at Clearview Red Bank. They may be in the business of supporting literacy and encouraging a love for reading, but the Rumson-based NJ chapter of the nationwide nonprofit The Bridge of Books Foundation knows that a Movie Day is “a great reason to get the kids out of the house on a winter morning.” For their fourth annual fundraiser screening event, hosted at Red BankÂ’s Clearview Cinemas, BoB has picked a good one — last summer’s blockbuster Toy Story 3, a Pixar production that proved the famed franchise to be immune from the ravages of Hollywood sequelitis. Doors open at 9:15a for the 10a screening — and there’s more in store, including face painting, temp tattoos and the opportunity to dedicate a gently used book to an underprivileged child in New Jersey. Tickets ($12.50 each, or five for $50) can be purchased in advance at River Road Books in Fair Haven, or by mailing a check to: The Bridge of Books Foundation, Inc., PO Box 39, Rumson, New Jersey 07760.
SUNDAY, February 27: Tim McLoone and the Shirleys at RBR. You’d think the guy’d be taking a well-deserved break from the humanitarian concert circuit in the months following another season of Holiday Express cheer — but on February’s final Sunday, the tireless Tim and his band The Shirleys perform in a special Sunday Showcase event that spotlights the talents of students from the Performing Arts program at Red Bank Regional High School . Admission to the 3p event (presented by the RBR Education Foundation as a fundraiser for its own programs) is $20 for adults; $10 for students/ staff/ seniors, with a special Gold Circle option available for $25. Purchase in advance right here or call (732)842-8000, ext. 227.
