Lowe’s Home Improvement Center, Marlboro, and Safety Care will give free children’s official photo safety identification cards Oct. 3 from noon to 5 p.m. Each card will include the child’s photo, fingerprints and any medical emergency information parents wish to provide, such as allergies, medications, or special phone numbers to call. The cards will be laminated with vinyl for protection.
The Jersey Shore Public Relations and Advertising Association, Red Bank, will hold its 30th annual Jasper Awards and membership dinner Oct. 8 at the Robert B. Meyner Reception Center at PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel. Proceeds will benefit the James R. McCormick Scholarship Fund for area communication students. An R.S.V.P. is required by Oct. 1. Tickets are $85 per person for the event, which includes a cocktail hour and sit-down dinner. For reservations, call (732) 842-3111.
CPC Behavioral Healthcare of Middletown will host its “Culinary Adventure” Oct. 25 at Old Orchard Country Club, Eatontown. The event will consist of both a one-hour presentation by food critic and radio personality Arthur Schwartz at 5:30 p.m., and food tasting from 6-9 p.m. Tickets to the Schwartz presentation are $35 (limited number of tickets available), the tasting party $65, and a combination ticket is $90. Local restaurants contributing to the tasting are Angelica’s and McLoone’s Riverside, Sea Bright; A’Vanti Ristorante Italiano, Oceanport; Branches, West Long Branch; Clover Hill Coffee, Colts Neck; Edible Arrangements, Ocean Township; It’s Greek to Me, Holmdel; Joe & Maggie’s Bistro, Long Branch; Old Orchard Manor and SAWA, Eatontown; Pasta Fresca, Shrewsbury; Sickles Market, Little Silver; The Margarita Man, Monmouth Beach; and Topps Bavarian Restaurant, Red Bank. The event will also feature baked goods, a silent auction, jewelry from Gem of an Idea, Fair Haven, and furs and leather from Winters Furs, Red Bank. Journal ads will be accepted through Oct. 6. For ads or event tickets, call (732) 842-2460.
Freeholder Harry Larrison Jr., director of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, was honored at the Monmouth County Planning Board annual dinner held in mid-September in Aberdeen Township. Larrison was presented with the Planning Board’s Diamond Anniversary Planning Award during the dinner ceremony. The board chose Larrison based on involvement in advancing several county initiatives, including the Monmouth County Park System, Brookdale Community College, and the Belford Ferry.
Also honored for 19 years of service on the Planning Board was former county engineer Theodore A. Giannechini. George Illmensee was honored for his 13 years of service on the board.
Four 2004 Planning Board Merit Awards were also presented: County Bridge No. O-13 over Deal Lake in Ocean Township, for design that preserved the character of the area; Court Yard on Main Restaurant, Freehold Borough, for creating an attractive walkway that links Main Street with the Market Yard parking lot; Colts Neck Commons, for being the first property to implement the Route 34 access management plan by constructing the initial segment of the planned service road; and Wikoff Building, Red Bank, for adaptive reuse of a former fuel and feed building into an office building. Additionally, an honorable mention award went to the borough of Avon for the Route 71 traffic-calming and beautification project.
Primerica Financial Services, 3499 Route 9 north, Freehold Township, will hold an open house for women Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. The free event is designed to educate women on the fundamentals of how money works, as well as opportunities in the financial services industry. Refreshments will be served. Reservations are required. Primerica also has offices in Eatontown, Brick and Edison. To R.S.V.P., call Lynette at (888) 380-9356, or Tania (888) 471-9859.
CentraState Healthcare System, Freehold Township, has doubled the number of sleep study suites offered at its Center for Sleep Disorders, There are now four suites at the center.
Samuel Krachman, D.O., board certified sleep specialist, is the center’s medical director. The Sleep Center’s suites are used to conduct polysomnograms, or sleep studies, which records patients’ sleep patterns and monitor brain, heart, muscle and breathing activity to aid in diagnosis. Once identified, treatments include breathing devices, regular napping, drug therapy, relaxation exercises, surgery, dental devices, and treatment of underlying problems such as anxiety or depression. The home-like private bedroom suites for adults and teens include televisions and private restrooms.
ERA offices raised close to $600,000 nationwide, including $20,000 in New Jersey, for the Muscular Dystrophy Association during this year’s Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon held Sept. 5-6. On the second day of the telethon, Debra Campisano of ERA Justin Realty and Sue Danner, director of relocation for ERA Van Syckel, Weaver & Lyte, presented the ERA Brokers of New Jersey check for $20,000 to entertainer Tony Orlando on live television. The money raised by participating ERA offices throughout the state was earmarked for the Muscular Dystrophy Summer Camp located in Spring Valley, N.Y.
The Prudential Foundation issued $475,000 in Prudential CARES Volunteer Grants recently to 720 Prudential associates and retirees nationally and 48 associates across Canada, Japan, Korea and the Philippines. The grant program recognizes both individual and team volunteers based on a minimum of 40 hours of volunteer service per individual. Grants range from $250 to $5,000 for each award winner’s charitable organization. Eleven grants were issued to organizations in Monmouth County, including five from the local area.
John and Nancy MacKenzie, of Farmingdale, both Prudential Financial retirees, each received a $1,000 grant for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Freehold, in support of the church’s Outreach Community Supper. In 2003, John MacKenzie devoted 300 hours of service and has been involved in the suppers since 1999. Nancy MacKenzie has been a leader in the program for the past eight years and dedicated 500 hours to the supper in 2003. The mission of the supper is to serve those in need wholesome meals in an atmosphere of dignity and fellowship.
Ron Tornberg, of Marlboro, a premier agent for Prudential Financial in the Insurance Division, received a $1,000 grant for the Marlboro First Aid and Rescue Squad. He devoted nearly 400 hours of emergency medical service to the squad in 2003, and responded to more than 200 calls.
Robert Brown, a financial planner for Prudential Financial, received a grant for $250 for the Howell United Soccer Club. In 2003, he volunteered 45 hours of service to the soccer club.
Joan Williams, of Freehold, a senior statistical reporting associate for Prudential Financial in the Corporate Operations and Systems Division, received a $250 grant for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Freehold, in support of the Outreach Community Supper. She has been a member of the outreach committee for six years.