Around The Town Now through Dec. 15 LBIF Hosts Holiday Market Exhibit TIME: All day LOCATION: 120 Long Beach Blvd., Loveladies, NJ DETAILS: We will showcase unique, handmade artwork all at affordable prices for those buyers who are looking for those very special artisan gifts during holiday season. More than fifty artists and vendors will be selling their work. A Marketplace style environment will be inside the main building from Nov. 16-Dec. 15. Proceeds from the sale of works benefits the educational programs at the LBIF.
Saturday, Nov. 30 Surflight Theatre Presents ‘The Diamonds: Bandstand Boogie’ TIME: 7:30 PM LOCATION: 201 Engleside Ave, Beach Haven, NJ 08008 DETAILS: In 1957 The Diamonds released an instant million selling hit called Little Darlin’. The song continues to sell worldwide and has been dubbed “The National Anthem of Rock and Roll”. Through the years since the release of Little Darlin’ The Diamonds have learned one important lesson — the durability of this classic rock-and-roll music is as much about the future as it is about the past. “We’ve been pleased to find a growing audience among all age groups. They love songs they can understand, remember and actually sing the words to — today, tomorrow, or even 20 years from now.” The cost is $37.50.
Saturday, Dec. 7 Pet Photos With Santa Claus TIME: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM LOCATION: Petsmart, 219 Stafford Park Blvd., Manahawkin, NJ DETAILS: The Friends of the Southern Ocean County Animal Shelter sponsor the event. Donation: $5, benefits the shelter and FOSOCAS’s mission to serve animals.
Tuesday, Dec. 17 Adult Video Gamers Club TIME: 6:00 PM LOCATION: 290 Mathistown Rd, Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08087 DETAILS: Are you an adult who is interested in video games and making new friends to game with? Do you want to discuss and play classic and contemporary games? Join the Little Egg Harbor Video Gamers Club. This eclectic group of people range from hardcore gamers to the weekend warriors. Please register in person, by calling 609-294-1197, or online at www. theoceancountylibrary.org. Full calendar at: thesandpaper.villagesoup.com
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Causeway Gazette The
www.CausewayGazette.com
Proudly serving Manahawkin and surrounding communities
Number 67
FAMILY PROMISE OF SOUTHERN OCEAN COUNTY RECEIVES CAUSEWAY’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY GRANT By Elizabeth Golla In Celebration of The Causeway Family of Dealerships’ 50th anniversary, we continue with our yearlong campaign - Causeway’s 50 Golden Acts of Good - to help our neighbors and positively impact Ocean County. Anchoring this campaign is the Grant Giveaway program, through which Causeway awards a $10,000 grant to one Ocean County nonprofit every month, from January through November of 2019, culminating next December with a New Ford Transit Connect Van. We are proud to announce our November $10,000 grant winner, Family Promise of Southern Ocean County. Imagine a happy family: Mom, Dad, and two young daughters who have been renting their home locally in Southern Ocean County for over 10 years, establishing roots in the community; creating a home for their family. One day, they come home to a notice on their door stating the home has been bought in a sheriff sale and they have 30 days to vacate the property. Their entire world is about to be thrown upside down. They never missed a rental payment, no problems with the landlord. Their daughters have only known this as their home. What you don’t know is that their landlord did not pay the mortgage and let the house go into foreclosure, allowing it to be sold while this family was none the wiser.
David Wintrode General Manager, Corey Gellis General Sales Manager, Chris Varner Used Vehicle Merchandising Manager, Joe Stroffolino Director of Advertising and Marketing, Elizabeth Golla Executive Director of Family Promise of Southern Ocean County, Eileen Hepp Board Member, Tammy Staub Office Assistant, Kate Krier Board Member Secretary, Sarah Campbell Family Consultant, and Dave Wintrode President of Causeway Family of Dealerships.
Situations like this have become more common. The perceived face of homelessness is not a scary person. It is your neighbor. They are children and families in our community. In our schools and churches. Your coworker. Your child’s teacher. Never being in this situation before, they quickly pull together all their money and look for a new rental. Mom is 9 months pregnant. During their 30 days of trying to find a new rental, scramble money for a new security deposit and first month’s rent, finding a storage unit to hold all their belongings, having to let some go, still getting one daughter on the bus, keeping a toddler occupied and deciding what to do with their sweet lab mix dog, Mom went into labor, giving birth to a beautiful baby boy. Upon being discharged from the hospital, they find that they are now officially homeless. They reach out for help and are told they are not eligible for assistance because Dad has a job and an income. While trying to navigate this chaotic situation, Dad loses his job and the family was placed in emergency housing
Family Promise of Southern Ocean County Board members
in a motel 45 minutes away from where they used to reside. The motel was also housing drug addicts, criminals, and not a safe location for them. This family, with a baby only days old, was now about to spend Thanksgiving living out of their car and the floor of this tiny scary motel. They had to give up their beloved dog, who had grown with their family, to a friend; fearful to have to surrender the dog to a shelter and lose her forever. The next day someone gave this family information about Family Promise of Southern Ocean County. The family was skeptical. Is this a shelter? Will it be safe? Will they have food for all of them? Will it be another dead end? Family Promise staff conducted an intake with them and was quickly able to discuss, then bring them into the program. Family Promise, partnered with PetSmart, allowed the family to keep their beloved dog by placing them into our “Pets with a Promise” program. They got settled into the homelike day center and then transitioned in the evening into our host site with their own private room to sleep. They were greeted with smiling faces and a hug. The volunteer at the host site got down on her knees and started playing with the children. She grabbed a cup of coffee for Mom and Dad and assured them to have a seat and relax. The family could finally breathe and know that they were safe. Elizabeth Golla, Executive Director of Family Promise of Southern Ocean County shared her conversation with this family’s father and shared in his pain. He said “We have never been in this situation before. I feel like I failed my family. How could I let this happen to my wife and kids? When we went to get help we got turned away. Everywhere we tried said they couldn’t help. I lost all faith in humanity. In my community. Then I come into this program. And I have never seen or felt love like this before. The staff and volunteers are like family. They didn’t know about my whole situation, but they were there to make sure my kids and my family were safe and that we were taken care of. My community really did care about my family. I just never knew people could care so much”, she recalls.
WHAT'S INSIDE SEE PAGE 2 Sports In Review SEE PAGE 3 More Sports SEE PAGE 4 Edge Earns Top Safety Award SEE PAGE 5 Causeway sales consultant’s son helps break steals record SEE PAGE 6 Pre-Owned Car Specials SEE PAGE 7 Maxima, Altima Rated Top Performers In Crash Test SEE PAGE 8 Lincoln Corsair Arrives With Whisper-Quiet Ride SEE PAGE 9 Honda CRV Gets Upgrade SEE PAGE 10 Celebrating Our 1-Year Anniversary At Hyundai Facility SEE PAGE 11 Kid’s Page SEE PAGE 12 Recipes For Your Thanksgiving Menu
The
Causeway Gazette For information or to advertise in The Causeway Gazette please call 609.713.6706 or visit www.CausewayGazette.com email: CausewayGazette@gmail.com
Editor: Joe Stroffolino Assistant Editor: Kaitlyn Strohmeier Publisher: Melissa Hill Creative/Comp: Keith Stewart, Amber Leto, Theresa Maye, Ben Tomlin, Andy Rosenthal Marketing: Melissa Lynford © 2019. All rights reserved.
The family worked the program and everyone watched that little baby start to grow. They successfully found employment, worked on budgeting and moved into their home. They came back from time to time to visit, sharing how they were doing and we watched their children grow. Mom now is planning on going back to school to get a degree in counseling, so that she then can get a job helping others in ways she was able to receive help. “We are all family now.
Ways you can help! • Family Promise of Southern Ocean County offers many meaningful opportunities for volunteers. Prepare a meal. Read a story to a toddler. Help write a resumé. Donate furniture, clothes, supplies or just offer compassion and support. Our program offers many ways to get involved. You can make a difference for neighbors in need. • For more information about how to get involved in any of our programs, please call the office (609)-994-3317 or email FPSOCstaff@gmail.com • If you are a student interested in internship opportunities, please contact us! We will be bonded forever. We will always be so grateful for all of the volunteers and staff that helped our family”. There are no existing shelter facilities in the region, leaving homeless families with no options. Many are hardworking, educated people who are faced with sudden job loss, a major illness or a tragic accident. They find themselves spiraling into debt and unable to make ends meet. Others are courageous victims of domestic violence, forced to flee their homes. More than half are women and children. Family Promise of Southern Ocean County (FPSOC) is a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, providing temporary shelter, meals, supportive services and intensive programming for families experiencing homelessness. This is accomplished with the participation of local congregations, community organizations, dedicated staff, and hundreds of volunteers. Through community involvement, FPSOC helps Ocean County families achieve sustainable independence, regain their dignity, and find a place to call home. Family Promise of Southern Ocean County was established in 2009 to address the crucial need for family emergency housing in Southern Ocean County, New Jersey. They are an affiliate of the national Family Promise organization, founded over 30 years ago by Karen Olsen.
See FAMILY PROMISE on Page 8