Monmouth County News Briefs, Oct. 13

New Jersey Blood Services (NJBS), a division of New York Blood Center, which provides blood for local patients, is looking for a few good volunteers.

The blood drive volunteer is an integral member of the team whose tasks include assisting donors with registration and/or at the refreshment area. No medical background is necessary to become a volunteer, according to a press release.

Volunteers should be outgoing to provide friendly customer service and be able to perform tasks as needed. Must have transportation.  All training is provided, including additional precautions for the safety of the team and blood donors.

For additional information, call or text Sharon Zetts at 732-850-8906, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County presents 19th Century Photographer: Gustavus Pach, a Zoom talk by Gary Saretzsky on Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. Admission is $5 for museum members and $7 for non-members; students are admitted free, according to a press release from the museum.

To make a reservation and to receive the Zoom link, call 732-252-6990 or visit http://www.jhmomc.org

The most successful 19th Century photographer in Long Branch was Gustavus Pach (1845-1904), one of several brothers in the Pach Brothers, a prominent firm with more than a dozen branch studios in the northeastern United States, according to the press release.

Gustavus Pach began photographing in Long Branch from a mobile wagon in 1866 and opened a gallery the following year. He is highly regarded for hundreds of scenic stereo views of Monmouth County.

Saretzky is the retired Monmouth County archivist, and an author and photographer, according to the press release.

 

The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County presents Haym (Chaim) Salomon: Financier of the American Revolution, a Zoom talk by William Agress, on Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. Admission is $8 for museum members and $10 for non-members. To make a reservation and to receive the Zoom link, call 732-252-6990 or visit www.jhmomc.org

Salomon was a Polish-born Jewish businessman and political financial broker, who along with English-born Robert Morris, was a prime financier of the rebel American side during the American Revolution, according to a press release from the museum.

Having immigrated to New York City from Poland, Salomon aided the Continental Army and helped convert French loans into ready cash by selling bills of exchange for Morris, the superintendent of finance.

Agress is a long-standing re-enactor of Albert Einstein, among others. For more than 30 years he has been re-enacting Revolutionary period characters, and as an actor, he has appeared at the Bucks County Playhouse and at McCarter Theatre, according to the press release.

 

The Monmouth Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced the finalists for this year’s Athena Leadership Award and Athena Young Professional Leadership Award.

A luncheon is planned for Nov. 5 at Jumping Brook Country Club, Neptune, during which the 2021 Athena Award recipients, selected by community leaders, will be announced.

This will be the 36th year the Athena Leadership Award will be presented by the chamber. It will be the seventh year the chamber will present the Athena Young Professional Leadership Award, which recognizes emerging community leaders between the ages of 24 and 40.

The 2021 Athena Leadership Award finalists include: Lisa Ascolese – CEO and founder of Inventing A to Z and the nonprofit Association of Women Inventors and Entrepreneurs; Roe Couture DeSaro – founder and president of Gutsy Gals Get More, LLC, and executive managing director for eWomenNetwork Inc.; Jodi Grinwald – certified professional coach, co-founder and CEO of Zzak G. Applaud Our Kids Foundation, and founder and host of Today is the Day Changemakers Podcast; and Michele Lawson – owner of Hair & Company Salon and founder and president of Wig Warriors: The Maureen S. Konopko Foundation.

The 2021 Athena Young Professional Leadership Award finalists include: Amanda Deltuvia – spiritual healer, psychic, and certified life coach; Kristina Henderson – co-owner and CEO of Henderson Promos, LLC, and 2020 Mrs. New Jersey American; and Danielle Ippolito – CEO of D Fitness Studio.

Tickets for the awards luncheon are $60 per person through Oct. 22 and $70 per person from Oct. 23 through Nov. 1. All community members are invited to attend the luncheon. For tickets, sponsorship opportunities and additional details, visit https://www.monmouthregionalchamber.com/athena/