Count Basie Field (above) is the setting for a day of “play ball” and picnicking organized by Lunch Break this Saturday…while Middletown’s New Monmouth Diner calls in the classic cars (below) for a Monday evening fundraiser.
From the files of redbankgreen‘s All Good section come several reminders that the season for doing good doesn’t take a vacation during these dwindling doggy days of summer — and that the mornings and evenings ahead continue to offer still more ways to walk, run, cruise, or even head-first slide into serving the greater good.
It begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at Red Bank’s Count Basie Field, where the borough-based nonprofit Lunch Break invites all ages to enjoy a morning of good food, live music (courtesy of Asbury Park’s Lake House Music All-Star Youth Band), fun games and fellowship — followed in the afternoon by a weather-permitting, just-for-fun friendly game of softball on the diamond. It’s a chance to get acquainted with your neighbors, and a great opportunity to meet the hard-working volunteers of Lunch Break, the dynamic organization that has provided so many in the community with nutritious food, clothing, job training, counseling, services and so much more. There’s no charge to take part, but donations (of dollars, food, clothing items or hours) are welcome — and anyone interested in sponsoring the event (or joining in the game) can call (732)747-8577 or email [email protected].
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Since first hitting the pavement with their inaugural 5K Walk/Run event in 2011, the folks at the nonprofit NJ Sharing Network have raised nearly $4 million via similar events in locales around the Garden State — with the goal of saving lives through research, donor family support, education and public awareness about organ/ tissue donation and transplantation. On Sunday, August 21, the 5K Celebration of Life comes to the Lincroft campus of Brookdale Community College, for a fleet-footed fundraiser that starts at 10 a.m. (with on-site registration beginning at 7:30).
Whether you’re among the walkers and runners taking part in the day’s friendly competition — or there to cheer on a participant and enjoy music, snacks, prizes and kid-friendly activities — you’ll be among the thousands who each year “honor those who gave, pay tribute to those who received, offer hope to those who continue to wait and remember the lives lost while waiting.”
There’s still time to take it here and sign up online as a participant, with a registration fee of $20 per adult ($15 for age 14 and under), and fees increasing by $5 after the closing of the online registration period at 12 noon on Friday. Go there as well for additional details that include a course map, parking info, and early pickup of race bibs and t-shirts on August 20.
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A Middletown landmark if ever there was one, the New Monmouth Diner (remembered also for many years of service as the Town & Surf) on Route 35 North has often been known to embrace its Jersey-cred and diner destiny as a welcoming venue for displays of vintage vehicles. On Monday, August 22, the classic chrome, fins and hood ornaments assemble in the parking lot, when the Central New Jersey Classic Car Association returns for an evening of show-quality automotive design and musical memories (purveyed by DJ Flash) that gets underway at 6 p.m.
It’s an event that offers up food, kids’ games and prizes, with all proceeds dedicated to a pair of nonprofit organizations based up the road apiece in Middlesex County: the Boy Scout encampment at Camp Dill, and the summer day camp program operated by the Sayreville Association for Brain Injured Children. The CNJ car club returns to the diner on the evenings of September 13 and 27, for a pair of post-Labor Day events that are also dedicated to raising funds for area nonprofits.
