Monmouth County News Briefs, Dec. 22

The Rite Aid Foundation has awarded CASA for Children of Monmouth a $10,000 grant as part of its 2021 Giving Tuesday grant award. The grant will support CASA of Monmouth’s program of advocacy for the foster children they serve, according to a press release.

CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates.

“CASA of Monmouth is thrilled, once again, to receive a grant from the Rite Aid Foundation for Giving Tuesday,” said Cindi Van Brunt, executive director CASA of Monmouth. “We are so appreciative of the support and generosity of Rite Aid. This allows us to reach even more children in foster care who need a CASA by their side to speak up for their best interests in court.”

CASAs are trained volunteers from the community who work with children in the child welfare system who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect.

CASAs are assigned to foster children by a family court judge to be the children’s voice in court to ensure the children’s needs are being met and to work toward a permanent, safe home, according to the press release.

CASA for Children of Monmouth is one of nearly 500 partner charities across the country receiving a Giving Tuesday grant from the Rite Aid Foundation. The grants are funded through the KidCents customer fundraising program. This year’s total foundation grant allocation was $4.8 million, according to the press release.

 

The Monmouth County Park System is seeking entries into its upcoming “The Silence of Winter” exhibit.

The exhibit, to be held from Feb. 4 through March 26 at the Gallery in the Thompson Park Creative Arts Center, Lincroft, will feature works inspired by the serenity and stillness of winter, according to a press release.

This theme is open to any work that captures the energy of the season, whether through color use, aesthetic choice, or subject matter. Non-traditional and traditional renderings of winter are welcome.

Additional information and an entry form are available on The Gallery at Thompson Park page at www.MonmouthCountyParks.com. The entry deadline is Jan. 14.

 

Philip R. Sellinger has taken the oath of office as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Sellinger was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Sellinger took the oath of office on Dec. 16.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Sellinger was the co-managing partner of the New Jersey office of an international law firm, an office he founded in 2002. He previously served as co-chair of the firm’s Global Litigation Practice Group from 2013-17.

From 1984 to 2002, Sellinger worked at a New Jersey law firm, where he held several leadership positions, including co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Department and member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Sellinger previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey from 1981-84. Sellinger served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Anne E. Thompson for the District of New Jersey from 1979-80.

As the 62nd U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Sellinger is responsible for overseeing all federal criminal prosecutions and the litigation of all civil matters in New Jersey in which the federal government has an interest.

Between offices in Newark, Camden and Trenton, Sellinger supervises a staff of approximately 155 federal prosecutors, and approximately 130 support personnel, according to the press release.