Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
I rest my head in Connecticut but my heart will forever be with New Jersey. It is where I was born and raised, just a few miles from New York City. My summers, however, were a different story. I remember getting home from school on a Friday afternoon, packing my bag, and impatiently waiting for my parents to get home from work so we could quickly eat dinner and jump into the car to begin our weekend at the Jersey Shore. Once the school year ended, the shore and all of its magic became our home. It is where my most favorite childhood memories were made as we spent long days at the beach jumping the ocean waves, crabbed off our boat in Barnegat Bay, and spent what seemed like endless nights on the Seaside Heights boardwalk enjoying the games, rides, and food! It was a time when summers felt as though they would never end…we were making memories that would last a lifetime.
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made her debut as she slammed herself into the east coast. For the residents of New Jersey, especially those living at the Jersey Shore, devastation ensued. The boardwalk on which I once spent endless hours was ripped up and washed away. The top of the roller coaster I had ridden so many times was peeking out of the Atlantic Ocean. My favorite food stand right in the middle of the boardwalk no longer remained; it was as though it had never existed.
Thousands had to endure significant loss and destruction. My family was lucky. Our home in Toms River was significantly damaged outside and somewhat inside, but it could be fixed. My parents were safe and our home and most of our belongings were not destroyed. However, many of our neighbors, friends, family, and community had not been as lucky. Some lost their entire homes and every single one of their belongings. 
Living in Connecticut, my husband and I felt blessed only having to experience the loss of power and some trees. However, as someone who loved spending almost every summer of her life at the Jersey Shore, I needed to do something. One Saturday morning, after having a very emotional conversation with some childhood friends, I put a smile on and went to my boys’ hockey game. While watching the boys play I was talking with my friend Cheryl, and I asked her if she thought it would be okay if I asked each of the families on our hockey team to donate one case of water. Then, over the Thanksgiving weekend, I could bring the twelve cases of water to the Jersey Shore. It wouldn’t be much, but it would be something, and it would absolutely help someone who needed it. She suggested looking into having a fundraiser sponsored by the hockey league – I was intrigued – and that is when amazing things started to happen!
Over the next three weeks, we witnessed extraordinary compassion, generosity, and kindness. Family, friends, and strangers donated their time and money to help what began as a small gathering of needed items into a marathon of a fundraising event. The organization we chose to receive our donations was The Church of Grace and Peace. It is a non-denominational organization that provides food, shelter, and financial support to those in need throughout Ocean County, NJ. The Toms River Police Department assured me it is a legitimate organization that has always and continues to significantly help so many, not only when disaster occurs, but all through the year.
In addition to the boxes and boxes of donated items, we held a raffle which, in addition to monetary and gift card donations helped us to raise just over $11,000.00! We used every cent of that money to purchase items suggested by The Church of Grace and Peace such as… coats, clothes, pajamas, and undergarments for men, women and children; popular items such as diapers, peanut butter and jelly; garbage bags; cleaning products, and more! We also gave them $1000.00 in gift cards (in $25.00 increments) to CVS, Stop and Shop, Shop Rite, and Wawa (local gas stations).
Our efforts would not have been as successful without the tremendous support of our hockey league and all of its families, as well as local merchants, businesses, universities who donated thousands of dollars worth of items for our raffle. In addition, local schools, families, organizations, and fellow hockey teams and leagues throughout Connecticut donated time, food, and desperately needed items.
One of our biggest concerns became getting all of this to New Jersey, but once again a kind and generous soul stepped up! Someone who owns a local Connecticut trucking company gave us a 46 foot trailer to store the items and also volunteered to drive it down to The Church of Grace and Peace on the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend. The delivery to NJ went very smoothly; we were met by many of my family and friends who helped us to empty the trailer and place our donations in a warehouse for distribution. The workers and volunteers at The Church of Grace and Peace were amazed at the size of our donation and were incredibly grateful.
People I knew for years and strangers I only knew for a second unselfishly donated so much of their time, generosity, and compassion as they contributed to making a difference in the lives of so, so many. I don’t think I will ever be able to thank everyone enough for all of their help to make fundraiser become the huge success it was. It was very heartwarming and uplifting to know there are still people in the world who will absolutely give what they can when others are suffering and in need. Peace, Love, Health and Happiness to All.
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