The Ocean County Retired Educators Association is sponsoring an all-inclusive trip to see the Sight & Sound Production of the “Miracle of Christmas” in Lancaster, Pa., Dec. 8. The package includes roundtrip transportation by motor coach, the Millennium Theatre show ticket, a complete dinner at the Plain & Fancy Farms Restaurant, meal gratuity and taxes. The bus will depart at 8:30 a.m. and will return to Toms River at approximately 8:30 p.m. The package price is $115 per person. Reserve tickets ASAP. Contact 609-207-0038 or email langbi@verizon.net for tickets. Details: www.ocrea.net .
Ocean County College will offer Praxis I and II review sessions at the college’s main campus on College Drive in Toms River.
Reviews in reading, writing, mathematics, early childhood, elementary education, middle school math, social studies, general science, English language, literature and composition will be offered at a cost of $199 per course. Textbook must be purchased separately. For dates and information, call School Relations at 732-255-0477.
Bankers Life and Casualty Co.’s Brick branch sales office recently raised $7,605 for the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater New Jersey Chapter, as part of the company’s annual Forget Me Not Days fundraiser. The office ranked among the company’s top 10 fundraisers in the event, which raised money for local Alzheimer’s Association chapters.
Over 70 people from the Brick office joined volunteers from a local sales office in New Jersey and an affiliate office in Staten Island, N.Y., to collect donations. In exchange, each donor was given a packet of Forget-Me-Not seeds to plant in memory of the 5.3 million Americans who live with Alzheimer’s disease. For more information, call 800-883-1180 or visit www.alznj.org.
The Ocean County Retired Educators Association will host its Holiday Luncheon at the Quality Inn, Route 37 west, Toms River, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. Members and their guests will be treated to food, entertainment and prizes throughout the afternoon at a cost of $23 per person. The reservation deadline is Nov. 23. Details: www.ocrea.net.
Elizabeth Lawson Chermark, president of Smart Fleet, a vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions company, has moved the company’s headquarters to 2329 Route 34, Manasquan, from its Hasbrouck Heights location. She moved the company’s operations closer to her residence in Brielle, seeking to expand Smart Fleet’s business opportunities in central New Jersey. Before founding Smart Fleet in 2000, Chermark worked for AXA Financial in Secaucus, analyzing and redesigning retirement plans for clients based on business and legislative changes. She also worked for the Ernst and Young accounting firm in New York City for three years as an accountant and project consultant. Chermark graduated from Brick Memorial High School in l988 and attended William Paterson College in Wayne, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration in l992. Smart Fleet is a member of Corporation Resource Alliance; the Bergen County 200 Club, supporting public servants, EMS, fire, and police through donations of money, scholarships, and cash to fallen people; and BiState Truck and Motor Association. Chermark can be contacted at 866-477-6689.
In an effort to alleviate the financial burden of escalating college costs, the
Elks Foundation has launched a Most Valuable Student Scholarship contest.
This year, the Elks will award $2.296 million to 500 students. Awards to the 18 top winners will range from $8,000 to $60,000 over four years. The remaining 482 runners-up will receive $4,000 scholarships over four years.
The scholarship is available to all high school seniors who are U.S. citizens. Applicants do not need to be related to a member of the Elks. Males and females will compete separately and will be judged on scholarship, leadership and financial need.
Completed applications must be turned in to the applicant’s nearest Elks Lodge no later than Nov. 2. National finalists will be required to submit a secondary application. The 500 national winners will be announced by April 1.
Contest details and applications are available at Elks lodges, local high schools and at www.elks.org.enf/scholars.
Ocean County College, Toms River, will offer free classes for New Jersey businesses and organizations that are able to provide 10 or more employees to complete a program.
Preapproved course options include English as a second language, PC skills, Excel, Outlook, basic communications and basic math.
This project is open to all members of the Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJLWD) as well as nonmembers, and the grant also applies to nonprofit organizations. Participating companies do not have to pay for any of the classes, nor file any formal paperwork with NJLWD.
Courses will be scheduled at the business or organization’s convenience and can be conducted at the OCC Main Campus in Toms River, an OCC off-campus location or at the business’s site of the
Employees attending classes must be paid their regular wage during those hours. All classes must end by June 1, 2010.
The job training is funded by a literacy grant from the NJLWD and is a cooperative partnership of the NJLWD, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and the New Jersey Community College Workforce Consortium.
For more information, or to register, contact Kathy Baranowski, OCC Coordinator of Customized Training, at 732-255- 0509, or email kbaranowski@ocean.edu.
Ocean County College, Toms River, is offering the following day trips. All ages are welcome:
• Van Cortlandt Manor and West Point tour with lunch at Hotel Thayer, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 26. The fee is $129.
• New York City’s Chocolate Show with lunch at Max Brenner’s Restaurant (accessible by staircase only), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 6. The fee is $129.
• QVC Studio Tour with lunch at the General Warren Inne, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 15. The fee is $129.
• The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 3 or Dec. 15. Ticket is for the 2 p.m. show. Fee is $129.
• Philadelphia’s Fairmount Christmas mansion tour with a three-course lunch at the Water Works Restaurant, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 6. The fee is $139.
• New York City Holiday Lights Tour with a full-course Italian lunch at DaRosino, noon to 10 p.m. Dec. 7. The fee is $119.
• Christmas at Hershey: Lunch and Play, Christmas Lights Tour and Chocolate World with hors d’oeuvres, lunch and dessert, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 9. The fee is $139.
• Cape May Candlelight Christmas Tour with an early dinner at Oyster Bay, 1 to 10 p.m. Dec. 19. Fee is $129.
Registration is required. An adult must accompany children. Buses will leave promptly from Parking Lot No. 2, OCC Main Campus, College Drive, Toms River. Prices include motor coach transportation, driver’s gratuity, a trip leader and lunch or dinner as noted. A lavatory is available on all buses.
For further information, call Joanne Padrone at 732- 255-0469.