The Red Bank Regional High School Choir, above, and the Red Bank Charter School 2nd & 3rd Grade Choir, below, performed at the event. (Photos by Millie Jeter. Click to enlarge)
Press release from Pilgrim Baptist Church
On Monday, January 16, Pilgrim Baptist Church of Red Bank hosted the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Commemorative Celebration. More →
Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago with a guest, above, and festival volunteers, below. (Photos by Naomi Porter & Lisa Henry)
Press release from Pilgrim Baptist Church
On Saturday, December 17, the Salvation Army of Red Bank hosted the 2022 “Wishing On A Star” Community Christmas Festival.
Laurie Goganzer, below, will lead the merge operations.
Press release from The Community YMCA
The Community YMCA and YMCA of Western Monmouth County are uniting on Sept. 1 to become the “YMCA of Greater Monmouth County” with funding from the Jay & Linda Grunin Foundation and the state of New Jersey.
The Community YMCA’s Aquarockets swim team celebrates their second place finish at the 2017 YMCA Long Course National Championship meet.
Press release from The Community YMCA
The Aquarockets swim team of The Community YMCA captured second place overall in combined team standings at the 2017 YMCA Long Course National Championship, which took place from July 31 to August 4 in Greensboro, NC. The men’s team took fourth place, and the women’s team finished in fifth place.
“We are so proud of the team’s outstanding efforts,” said Head Coach Jack Caucino. “This was our best finish ever at the national long course championship,” he added, noting that 20 swimmers earned All American status by placing in the top 20 of an event.
In all, 45 swimmers on the team, which practices both in Red Bank and Wall, qualified to compete at the YMCA national meet. They are: Hunter Adams, Ryan Burke, Caylie Cardona, Leo Carnevale, Matthew Chang, Nicole Dado, Gabriella DeVirgilio, Ben Dupree, Ryan Foreback, Morgan Fuerbacher, Ginger Hansen, Natalie Heim, Joseph Huber, Victoria Ireland, McKenna Johnson, Megan Judge, Shannon Judge, Arabella Lee, Mary Mahoney, Mitchell Malakhov, Dimitri Maldonado, Taylor Marjamaa, Kaitlyn McCarthy, Caroline McGann, Ryan Meng, Caroline Monaghan, Maile Mora, Brianna Mulcahy, Julia Nappi, Madelyn Piasecki, Sammy Rennard, Theo Rennard, Paul Retterer, Meghan Schienvar, Marie Schobel, Skylar Shafritz, Emma Shaughnessy, Abigail Shaw, Haley Stamberger, Richie Trentalange, Max Walther, Joseph West, Katie Wright, Connor Wright and Jessica Zebrowski.
Laurie Goganzer has been named new president and CEO at The Community YMCA, succeeding Rhonda Anderson.
Press release from The Community YMCA
On July 19, after an extensive nationwide search, the Board of Directors at The Community YMCA unanimously appointed Laurie Goganzer of Chula Vista, CA, as the new president and chief executive officer for the 143-year-old nonprofit organization, which serves 20,000 people in Monmouth County.
Press release from The Community YMCA
In an annual meeting that took place on June 14 at the Monmouth Boat Club in Red Bank, The Community YMCA named several Red Bank area residents to official positions, and elected Jennifer Lakefield as chairperson and chief volunteer officer of the Shrewsbury-based nonprofit’s Board of Directors.
A resident of Colts Neck and managing director of Red Bank-based ZAIS Group, Lakefield will provide leadership to the 20-member board, which sets strategic direction and policy to guide the Y’s work of strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. She succeeds Joseph Oriolo of Shrewsbury, and will serve a two-year term ending in 2019.
Press release from The Community YMCA
This coming Saturday, April 29, marks the the annual appearance of Healthy Kids Day, a free community event, hosted by The Community YMCA, to inspire more kids to keep their minds and bodies active now and all summer long hosting.
Between the hours of noon to 3 p.m., the Y’s Family Health and Wellness Center (166 Maple Avenue in Red Bank) will be the scene for a fun afternoon in which families will enjoy face painting, Kids Hip/Hop and Zumba, a Teddy Bear Clinic led by Hackensack Meridian Medical Health and Riverview Medical Center’s ER staff, race relay and free throw contests, Giant Jenga, a gift card raffle to local businesses, and more.
Healthy snacks from Wegmans and giveaways will be available. Families interested in a healthy start to summer can sign up for a special priced three-month membership.
Press release from The Community YMCA
“Helping Kids Soar to New Heights” is the theme of the 2017 Annual Campaign, coordinated by The Community YMCA and launched with a Wednesday evening event at the nonprofit organization’s Family Health and Wellness Center on Maple Avenue, Red Bank.
The April 5 public event served as the official kickoff to an 8-week community fundraising initiative that seeks to generate $550,400 in support. The funds will help children and families who are in need of financial assistance to take advantage of such Y programs as affordable childcare, swim lessons, counseling and summer camp. Funds will also help underwrite mission-driven and community initiatives such as the Y Achievers college-readiness program, water safety programs and free memberships to Red Bank children in grades pre-K-8.
Community YMCA President-CEO Rhonda Anderson and Rotary Club of Red Bank President Ken Scaggs prepare for the 17th annual Two Rivers Food and Wine Tasting to be held at Navesink Country Club.
Press release from The Community YMCA
On Monday, April 24, the Rotary Club of Red Bank will present its 17th annual Two Rivers Food and Wine Tasting event, hosted at the in Middletown and dedicated this year to The Community YMCA.
Scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m., the fundraising event will recognize the work of the Shrewsbury-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization CYMCA, and its mission to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to access life-changing Y programs and services.
Special guest speakers, music, prayer services, a walk and a talk with local law enforcement professionals are all on the agenda, during an extended Social Awareness Weekend keyed to Martin Luther King Day, and hosted by Pilgrim Baptist Church and Monmouth Reform Temple.
While the calendar of federal holidays marks just one official day to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — this coming Monday, January 16 — Red Bank’s Pilgrim Baptist Church believes that King’s work is too important, and still very relevant to our time, to be encapsulated within one 24 hour period. That’s why, beginning on Friday evening and following through the next three days, the Shrewsbury Avenue congregation sponsors a “Social Awareness Weekend” that carries forward a special collaboration with another long-established house of worship: Monmouth Reform Temple of Tinton Falls.
It’s a relationship that’s formed the foundation of a local tradition in recent years; one that continues for a third annual edition on January 13 with a Friday evening Shabbat service at MRT — a 7 p.m. all-welcome observance that features special guest speaker Diem Jones, executive director of Voices of Our Nations (VONA) Arts Foundation.
Press release from The Community YMCA
It seems nearly everyone has a “New Year’s resolution,” but statistics indicate that less than a quarter of these resolutions are kept. To help keep those personal goals real, The Community YMCA will join YMCAs across the state in hosting Open House events on Saturday, January 7.
All are welcome to participate from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Community YMCA’s Family Health & Wellness Center, located at 166 Maple Avenue in Red Bank.
Press release from The Community YMCA
High school students who are currently participating in programs at The Community YMCA or the Western Monmouth County YMCA are invited to enter an essay contest honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The contest, which has an entry deadline of Thursday, January 5, will present its winning entries at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast on Monday, January 16.
Hosted at Branches Catering in West Long Branch, the 28th annual event co-sponsored by the Shrewsbury-based CYMCA will include readings by the two winning essayists, each of whom will be awarded a $500 scholarship sponsored by Investors Bank and Monmouth County Chiefs of Police Association. Richard T. Smith (pictured), President of the New Jersey State Conference of the NAACP, will be the keynote speaker at the breakfast, scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m.
Press release from The Community YMCA
Local residents and businesses are invited to help make the holidays brighter for struggling families in Monmouth County, by giving to The Community YMCA annual holiday gift drive.
Coordinated by the Y’s Counseling and Social Services branch, the gift drive helps to ensure that many of the county’s neediest children and their families can experience the joy and surprise of the holiday season, said Colleen Verriest, Vice President of Counseling and Social Services.
“Strengthening families is at the heart of all we do at The Community YMCA,” Verriest said. “The donated gifts bring great happiness to the children and families who we serve, many of whom are victims of abuse, neglect, in the foster care system, or who have special needs.”
Press release from The Community YMCA
On Saturday, November 19, the Shrewsbury-based Community YMCA invites the public to attend a Community Employment Fair, sponsored by CYMCA’s Bayshore Family Success Center. This free event will be hosted at the Middletown Library, located at 55 New Monmouth Road, just east of Route 35 North.
Scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Community Employment Fair will feature over 25 employers from all different departments in retail, healthcare, customer service, food service and more. Job seekers are encouraged to bring multiple resumes and to dress to impress.
“The Women” by Ellen Gavin (above) and “Pear Box” by Mary Beth Ober (below) are among the works represented at the annual Canterbury Art Show, the three-day “Tapestry of the Arts” that returns to St. George’s Church this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
It’s a local tradition of relatively recent minting, despite the historic setting and a name that evokes the lore and legend of centuries. But when the Canterbury Art Show…a Tapestry of the Arts event returns to St. George’s by the River Episcopal Church in Rumson for a fifth annual edition (the third since making a well-received move to Labor Day weekend), it will take its place as one of most eagerly anticipated harbingers of “local” summer on the Greater Red Bank Green.
Left to right: Citizens for a Diverse and Open Society founders Gilda Rogers and Sid Bernstein were joined by performing artist and writer Lorraine Stone as special guests of the Summer Slam program at Red Bank Regional High School.
Press release from Red Bank Regional High School
During the height of summer, the Red Bank Regional High School building is a busy place, with a myriad of educational programming designed to better prepare its students for September. As the largest of those activities, Summer Slam saw 110 students attending a four-week session (operated by school-based youth services program The SOURCE) which infuses academic topics (Math, English, Science, Global Studies) with special events like an athletic team-building challenge coordinated by The Community YMCA, as well as visits from influential community members.
This summer’s two-time guest speaker was educator, author and community activist Gilda Rogers of Red Bank, who during her first visit introduced the students to the ongoing project to renovate the historic T. Thomas Fortune House. She returned the next day to discuss ways students could combat racism; accompanying Gilda for that second meeting was Sid Bernstein of Lincroft, a retired businessman with whom she co-founded the group Citizens for a Diverse and Open Society (CDOS).
Press release from The Community YMCA
In the spirit of an old-fashioned barn raising, friends and supporters of The Community YMCA will gather at Stillwell Stables in Colts Neck on Saturday, October 15 to raise support for the nonprofit’s charitable mission.
Long-time YMCA Foundation Board Trustee Benedict J. Torcivia, Jr., Co-President of Torcon, Inc., will be honored at the Y Cares Annual Benefit with the Distinguished Citizen Service Award for his outstanding community service.
Proceeds from the event will benefit The Community YMCA’s YCares financial assistance program for kids and families in need of free and reduced membership and program fees, as well as such community initiatives as water safety for at-risk youth, and childhood obesity prevention.
Press release from St. George’s Episcopal Church
Presenting its fifth anniversary edition in 2016, the annual Canterbury Art Show…a Tapestry of the Arts returns to St. George’s by the River Episcopal Church for a premier local exhibition and sale of juried and non-juried artwork.
The three-day event will take place Labor Day Weekend at the historic church property, located at 7 Lincoln Avenue in Rumson. Event dates are Friday through Sunday, September 2-4, with a preview and Meet the Artists reception on Thursday, September 1 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Hundreds of attendees and art patrons have enjoyed the Canterbury Art show since its inception in 2011. Each year, over 600 works by artists from all over New Jersey and beyond (including Fair Haven favorite Mike Quon, whose “Sailing Out to Sea” is pictured here) are featured, with 38 new artists participating for the first time this year, according to event chair Coni Lefferts. Proceeds from the sale directly benefit St. George’s-by-the-River and its outreach grants to more than 30 local agencies serving the needy of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
Press release from The Community YMCA
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 24 — and here in Monmouth County, The Community YMCA is taking the lead in a coalition aimed at preventing youth suicide.
The Traumatic Loss Coalition for Youth is a year-round statewide program created to provide support for schools and communities who have experienced suicide or other traumatic loss, and to work together to prevent suicide. The Monmouth County coalition is made up of over 140 members, including school personnel, medical personnel, law enforcement officials and mental health providers.
The Shrewsbury-based Community YMCA was selected in November 2015 to lead the local arm of the statewide network. The program is operated by the Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, and funded by the New Jersey Department of Children & Families, Division of Children’s System of Care.
Community YMCA swim instructor Casey Mansfield (above right) helped third graders from Red Bank schools feels safe and comfortable in the water, including Madeline Ortiz-Morales of Red Bank Primary School (above) and Christopher Hernandez of Red Bank Charter School (below).
Press release from The Community YMCA
Third grade students of Red Bank Primary School and Red Bank Charter School gained valuable swimming and water safety skills in the annual Third Grade Swim program, presented by The Community YMCA.
The water safety initiative, which concluded this week, was developed to give all third graders the opportunity for no-cost swimming and water safety lessons as part of their school day. The Third Grade Swim program began in 2011, and has helped approximately 600 children learn how to be safe in and around water. This year’s program included four 45-minute swim lessons covering basic stroke development, paddling, treading and floating skills.
Press release from The Community YMCA
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death among children under the age of 14 — and, as swim season approaches, The Community YMCA encourages parents and guardians to take an active role in their children’s water safety. .
To help ensure safety around water, the Shrewsbury-based CYMCA invites local residents to participate in a Learn-to-Swim Week, taking place from Monday, June 20 to Friday, June 24. Offered to first-time participants who have little or no swimming ability, the water safety program includes five lessons, offered for a nominal fee and hosted at the organization’s Family Health and Wellness Center, located at 166 Maple Avenue in Red Bank.
Press release from The Community YMCA
On Saturday, April 30, The Community YMCA is hosting Healthy Kids Day, a free community event to inspire more kids to keep their minds and bodies active now and through the summer.
A national YMCA initiative to improve the health and well-being of families and kids, the Healthy Kids Day event will take place at the Y’s Family Health and Wellness Center, 166 Maple Avenue in Red Bank, from 1 to 3 p.m.
The Community YMCA’s Aquarockets swim team celebrates its NJ state championship at last week’s competition in Lancaster, PA.
Press release from The Community YMCA
For the first time, the Aquarockets swimmers of The Community YMCA won the New Jersey YMCA State Championships, an annual competition comprised of two meets. The swim team for ages 13 and up represents the membership of the Shrewsbury-based CYMCA organization and its Monmouth County facilities, which include the Family Health and Wellness Center on Maple Avenue in Red Bank.
A total of 139 swimmers from the Aquarockets team competed in the state championship meets. The competition for ages 13 and over took place March 10 through 13 at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, while the 12 and under meet took place February 26 through 28 at the Ocean County YMCA in Toms River.
The bagpipes will blow and the leprechauns will leap when the fourth annual Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade commences this Sunday afternoon.
It seems like one of those traditions that’s been a part of community life for generations, but the Rumson St. Patricks Day Parade is but a wee chiseler of just four years of age.
Still, the minty-fresh event has very quickly taken a place of prominence here on the Greater Red Bank Green as a signifier of a year-round local love affair with Celtic culture, even as those Shamrock Shakes may come and go. More →
Press release from The Community YMCA
Last Thursday, January 28, The Community YMCA Family Health and Wellness Center in Red Bank was the scene as the CYMCA kicked off its Annual Campaign with a little help from the good citizens of “Oz.” Dressed as characters from the classic movie The Wizard of Oz, employees and volunteers stressed the importance of working together to help others on their path, and encouraged the community to support the nonprofit charity so it can provide programs and services to families in need.
Annual Campaign Chairman Ed Zebrowski (pictured, dressed as The Cowardly Lion, with President and CEO Rhonda Anderson) said the nonprofit’s goal is to raise $512,200 during the seven-week campaign period, by reaching out to Y members, friends and the community. Zebrowski was pleased to report that volunteers and employees have already secured $272,591 in pledges, achieving 53% of the campaign goal.