Breakfast with Santa

We hosted our annual Breakfast with Santa Sunday morning (Dec. 13) at the Whitesville Fire House. Great turnout! We had at least 200 people and 35 "good" students redeemed their certificates.

We created another You Tube video (4:30) and you can see it:

KCOJ helps out at the Lakewood library community dinner

The Kiwanis Club of Jackson assisted the Lakewood branch of the Ocean County Library the Thursday before Thanksgiving by donating time and food at the library's community dinner. Members helped prepare the food (3 turkeys, 40 pounds of mashed potatoes and 20 pounds of sweet potatoes)and serve it alongside the library staff and the branch's Teen Advisor Board (TAB.)

We served about 175 people in an hour and a half.

Thanks to Fran Polito, Laura Johnson, Al Manus, Lois Kapp, Dan Black, Donna Corman, Dolores and Larry Meegan.

A slideshow (with audio) can be viewed on You Tube @
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqw52KmAu2U&feature=player_embedded

Operation Highway Cleanup complete!

We completed our five months of highway cleanup yesterday morning. West Veterans Highway hasn't looked that clean in years thanks to the work of about a dozen members and friends during that time. One member, Stan, attended all five cleanups (what a glutton for punishment!) and he earned a gold star from Donna. Michael, Donna and I were there for four of them.
As a result the club will add $500 to its service account, enabling us to do more for the community.
Thanks all!

Big winner!

Here's a little game. Guess who the first prize winner was in the district foundation's 50/50 Saturday evening. Okay, let me think of a couple of clues...
If I told you he was our club's incoming president, that would be too easy. And if I told you he joined our club directly from Circle K, well, that would be too easy, also. Hmmm...
Okay, let me go and think up a good clue. But till I do, keep guessing.

Oh, oh...I have one. His mother is a member of our club!
Congrats Floyd!

August Highway Cleanup

Thanks to Stan, Michael, Donna, Melissa and Larry for doing a highway cleanup along East Veterans Highway this morning. I must always pick the trashy side because once again the other "team" finished before us and came to our side of the roadway to help us finish up.

There were lots of motoercycles on the road today. I'd bet there were at least 200 of them in packs of 8 to 12, roaring down the road.

Nothing much of note picked up today but we did play a little. I brought my video camera and I recorded "interviews" with our street walkers. Here is the link to You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUO0dKK6qGs (You may have to copy and paste it into your browser.)

And as Melissa said in the video, one person actually cme out of his house to say, "Thank you." Now that was first.

Enjoy!

Night Out Against Crime

KCOJ once again assisted the Jackson Police and PBA by cooking at the annual Night Out Against Crime. I would say that attendance at the event gets bigger and bigger each year. And with that, so does the line for our hotdogs and hamburgers.

We had two grills and I would be we cooked about 800 hamburgers and 1200 hot dogs. This year we didn't have to worry about cheeseburgers, thank goodness. They take longer and make quite a mess.

We used the new grills again this year and compared to the charcoal grills, they were a breeze to clean up. And we didn't have to worry about taking a long time to cool down like the coals required.

Thanks to all who helped: Dan Black, Carol Hordichuk, Michael and Ingrid Rice, Lois Kapp, President Fran Polito, Stan, Paul Tarantino. And I helped a bit, too.
Hey, isn't that paint job on the trailer great? Thanks Glen. And thanks to you and Lou for bringing the trailer to the ShopRite location. BTW, ShopRite provided the food. Thanks ShopRite.

Liberty Key Club car wash

Okay, it's all my fault. I take full responsibility. If I didn't stop by and get my car washed by the Liberty Key Club yesterday I am sure we wouldn't have gotten all this rain. And the lightning! As Phil Rizzuto used to say, "Holy cow!"
It was nice an sunny around 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. I read Donna's reminder about the carwash and thought the car needed some attention, and it would be a great photo op. But this rain! Just think, though, if I waxed it we'd probably be in the middle of a full blown hurricane.

The Key Club had a great turnout. About a dozen people participated. And the Italian-American club had a flea market going on at the same time.

Highway cleanup - part 3

Okay, for the third consecutive month we cleaned a portion of East Veterans Highway (the former Lakewood-New Egypt Road for you old timers) Sunday. With six of us it took about an hour. Even after spraying myself (Danny told us it was prime chigger time) I ended up bringing a tick home. I hate ticks.
So here's a photo of the motley crew, taken by our drill sergeant Donna who handed us our marching orders. Up to Meadowbrook Village and back.
Thanks Glen, Mike, Dan, Mary Jo, and Stan.
Larry

Harbor House heroes

Everybody returned safely from the Harbor House 400-mile bicycle fundraiser.
The 5 day ride, which began in St. Al's parking lot 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, went throughout western NJ and eastern Pa. and ended this afternoon at Windward Beach in Brick. Congratulations to our club's heroes Denis, Pat & Lois. Thank you for making that sacrifice to go out and help that great cause. And here's a shout out to Jackson's Kathy Maletti who has been involved with the rides since it all began 13 years ago. Way to go!

Melissa inducted

Congratulations Melissa.
Melissa was inducted into the Kiwanis Club of Jackson Thursday. We still have to induct Manny & Angie. They are still members, they just need to be formally inducted.
In the photo, Floyd presents a member's pin to Melissa.

Jackson Day triumphs!

Hey all,

Donna & I attended the Jackson Day food drawings Friday night. Good thing I attended. While in the past the organizers let a person represent multiple groups, they didn't allow that this year. So if Donna went alone we'd have only been able to "win" one item. As it is we stretched it a wee bit and got three things.

There have been some other changes to note, too.

Jackson Day will be held Saturday Sept. 26, rain or shine. It will begin 11 a.m. and run only till 6 p.m. The parade will start at 11 a.m. and all vehicles will have to be removed and in the parking lot by 10 a.m. No exceptions and the police said they will tow away any vehicles parked in the area. This is a safety concern and is in response to the death last year.

Obviously, since it will end early there will be no fireworks.

Unlike the past, only non-profits will be able to sell food during Jackson Day.

It's theme is the Classic 60s. Ther will be a car show organized by Fossils. There will be at least 2 musical performers. Th eopening group is Smooth, a 10-piece Motown revue group. The second also plays music from the 50s & 60s.

They are negotiating with a circus to set up that day. And they are looking into having a beer garden on tap. (Yes, pun intended.) They are still working out the details.

As in the past year or two, all vendors will be able to sell soda and water at a common price: $1 for a can of soda.

Also, for safety concerns, they will not permit vehicles in the area until after 6 p.m. to break down the stalls.

What's that mean to us? Bye-bye to tradition. We won't be doing funnel cakes this year. The KCOJ board agreed that most of our funnel cake sales did not pick up until early evening, and since there will only be an early evening and no night it decided to look for more lucrative items.

So what do we have? Hot dogs! Walking tacos! And sand art!

And you know what else that means? We need people to help! And while we're at it, if everyone could donate a 12 or 24 pack of soda that they find on sale between now and Jackson Day, that could translate to us raising hundreds of dollars in profit.

So clear the date: Sept. 26 and volunteer to help.

Relay 4 Life

What a long day! Thanks to Floyd, Donna, Angie, Al and Doug & Devon from Key Club who attended the Plumsted Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society last night and early, early this morning.
Floyd was there from the start at 11 a.m. and was still going strong when I left him at 3:50 a.m.
It was a fun filled event. There were prizes, contests and games to keep everyone active. And of course there was the oval to walk around. Doug & Devon did 25 laps at one shot. I did 19 but in stages throughout the night. I just kept going around and around and around...
It was a fun event and an inspiration to participate in it.
Towards the end the kids were still going and going and going. It was fun to think back (40 years back!) on those days when I could run all night and not stop.
Floyd and Donna took some photos and I will add them to my collection. But for now here are my 8 photos. http://www.flickr.com/photos/22036136@N07/sets/72157618970286837/

An Interclub with Daybreak at Laurita Winery

We had a great visit with the Daybreak club this evening at Laurita Winery. Nick led us on a tour of the winemaking process and Fran presented a check from our club to Kimball Medical Center's Craig for the second chair we committed to. Not to be confused with Monty Python's comfy chair ("Nobody can resist the comfy chair!"), the chairs we donated funds for will be used by patients undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Puma's Kitchen

We had a great time at Hope Presbyterian Church's community hall Saturday afternoon as we listened to Mbuyu "Puma" We Mbuyu, Rebecca Rowles and Jim Carpenter explain what their foundation ("Able and Willing") is doing for education in The Democratic Republic of Congo.
Puma was born in Lubumashi, The Congo in 1962 and immigrated to the US in 1992. He recognized the gift education was and determined to bring that gift back to the Congolese people. He cofounded a group to do just that and since then they have built one school compound Myrt 1 (400+ students) and it is building another (already 155 students.)
The school not only prepares students academically, it also works to help villagers improve their standard of living by building wells and providing health education to the villagers.
More information about the foundation's work can be found at the foundation's Web site: www.ableandwilling.net .
Besides explaining the logistics of the school (it is run democratically with an elected board) the trio explained several dishes that are similar to food served in the Congo. Those dishes were served Saturday. The presentation was a slideshow the group took during various visits to the school.
Photos taken during Saturday's dinner can be found on my Flickr account:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22036136@N07/sets/72157618637667645/
Many thanks to Al Mannus for having us partner with this program, to Fran for having the vision to include us and to the members of Hope Presbyterian Church (Lakewood) for having us.
BTW, way to go club! We had 8 members (Laura Johnson, Kathy Johnson, Fran, Al, Donna, Mike and Ingrid, and me) and their 9 guests attend. That's 17, about one-third of the people who attended the event.

Raindrops were falling on our head...

The streets of Jackson are just a wee bit cleaner today thanks to the efforts of our club. Five of us became street walkers for about 2 hours as we pulled trash from alongside West Veterans Highway. (It's so hard not to call it Lakewood-New Egypt Road, you know?) At first, I figured God answered my prayers when it began raining just before we went garbage picking but that Donna, she's a hard task-master, and at 9 a.m. we were out there, picking away.
So what did we find out? The Jackson trashers are a cheap bunch. With one exception I found the beer bottles were all low class stuff and the whiskey bottles were either pint flasks or those little "airline" bottles. I mean, if you're going to drink, drink respectable. Another clue that it wasn't top-shelf? The "bottles" were all plastic, not glass.
Okay, next highway clean up is a Sunday in June, date to be determined.
Thanks Stan, Michael, taskmaster Donna and President Fran.

CSH Carnival

Thank you to all who helped out at Saturday's Childrens Specialize Hospital carnival. We had three Kiwanis clubs (Toms River, Daybreak & Jackson) and a few Key Clubs (Manchester, TRHS North, Jackson Memorial & Liberty, and Mon Don) helping out. They had a great turnout and for once (hah!) the weatherman was wrong with his prediction. The sun was shining. It was a beautiful day.
Photos from the event can be found on my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22036136@N07/sets/72157618000262239/ As always, I suggest you hit the "slideshow" icon on the upper right and watch them scroll by.

Daybreak's river to Bay 5 K

We almost had an Interclub at Saturday's River to Bay 5 K. Fran, Diane, Pearl and two of her friends were there. Diane was the athlete amongst us running the whole length of the course.

It was a runner's day - a light drizzle kept the temps down.
Daybreak had a great turnout for the run and walk that followed. More than 330 registered. I guess the way they distinguish between the runners and the walkers is the runners are timed with a watch, the walkers are timed with a calendar.
It was a great event. Congratulations to Daybreak for a great community event.
PS. Photos can be viewed on my Flickr account - http://www.flickr.com/photos/22036136@N07/sets/72157617661276050/

Tri-K officer installation

The Kiwanis Club of Jackson conducted its second annual Tri-Key Club officer installation Thursday (April 16) at the Whitesville Firehouse. President-elect Floyd emceed the installation and made many of the arrangements for the event. Thanks to Ted for picking up the pizzas and to Lois for opening up the firehouse.
We had a pizza dinner prior to the installation and capped the evening off with coffee & cake.
About a dozen club members attended. We also had a nice turnout of Key Club officer's family members there.
Photos from the evening can be seen on my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22036136@N07/sets/72157616932254995/

Captain Floyd

Two weeks ago we had a guest speaker, Anita Pfefferkorn, tell us about Relay for Life. It will be held May 30 & 31 in Plumsted. And President-elect Floyd has offered to be our team captain.
The two-day event will be held at the Plumsted Township Recreation Park.
The New Egypt Relay for Life has a Web site: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=14163
Check back here. Floyd will have more information for you.

Winetasting went GREAT!

Thanks Paul for doing what you do so well. Last night's wine tasting went very well. We had nearly 80 people attend. There were about 10 wine stations. And the food was great!
Everybody had a great time.
We were even joined by KI Trustee Ed Hutchinson and Cape May member Charlotte Groome.
And the recurrent phrase? "Let's do it again."
Proceeds from last night's event went to our committment to help furnish Kimball Medical Center's new care wing and to high school scholarships.

We were mentioned in the press

Hey all, The Asbury Park Press (APP.com) had a story about the holiday basket collection and we got top billing as the groups that donated. Here is the link: http://www.app.com/article/20090408/GETPUBLISHED/904080397/1004/NEWS01

Spring baskets were delivered

Hey all,

I just want to say thanks to everyone who participated in our donation of holiday baskets to the annual United Way drive: Dan, Mrs. Johnson, Carol & Ted, Paul, Donna, Fran, Floyd & Carmela, Melissa, Lois & Tracey. Your generosity will brighten a lot of kid's faces next Sunday.

I delivered the 20 baskets yesterday on my way home from work. It was a full car. I had them in the front and back seats and in the trunk. The photos show some of the baskets in the back seat and at the United Way collection center. Our baskets were going to children of single Moms who are back in school to get themselves out of poverty.

Blessings on you all.

KCOJ is 5-0 in Dodgeball tournament!

The Kiwanis Club of Jackson was perfect in Dodgeball Friday night. No blemish on our record, we were 5-0. That is 5 defeats and no wins. As I pointed out, our team has a lot of potential. No skills, but lots of potential.
It was a fun night with more than 100 participants including 3 Kiwanis teams (ours, Daybreak and the new Young Professionals club), three teams from Jackson Liberty High School Key Club and a team from the Biotech High School Key Club. And Doug from Memorial was there, too.
While we didn't win we sure did have a fun time losing, and it actually was part of our strategy. You see, early elimination meant early time to go off and celebrate.
From a personal experience I have to admit, not playing dodgeball in 40 years is an eye opener. If this were big league baseball the scouting report would have been something like: no stick, no glove. At one point I went chasing after a ball and couldn't stop, well - you'd be hard pressed to call it running. I was like a freight train, baby, and by the time I stopped I was just about in Monmouth County. But that wasn't the worst of it. A couple of games later, on the other court I went chasing after a ball and my shorts fell down. Now I thought I could have gotten away with it but my "friends" from Daybreak said they caught the whole thing on video.
People had different ways to prepare for the games. Melissa mentioned yoga. I saw Lo stretching on the sidelines. My? I was popping high strength Advil all day at work. Too bad they didn't help.

Thanks to my team mates who showed up: captains Lois & Melissa, sluggers Michael, Donna and Floyd. And thanks to our cheering squad Fran & Mary Jo.
I posted about 60 photos from the night onto my Flickr account. Here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22036136@N07/sets/72157615918906171/ Just click on the slideshow icon on the top right, sit back and enjoy the show.

Alex Murdocca honored as "Girl Scout of the Year"

Our very own Alex Murdocca was recognized as the Freemason's "Girl Scout of the Year." Congratulations Alex! She was one of the co-founders of the Liberty Key Club.

The following story appeared on APP.com:

The Freemason's Grand Lodge of New Jersey has named Alexandra Murdocca its Girl Scout of the Year. The Jackson resident was chosen for this statewide honor because she lives the Girl Scout mission daily as a girl with courage, confidence and character.

“Alexandra is an outstanding choice because she is always looking to help others through Girl Scouts and her other extracurricular activities,” said Berenbroick. “She clearly is a role model for all youth, especially younger girls.”

Murdocca recently put the leadership skills she learned during her 13 years as a Girl Scout into practice through the implementation and completion of her Gold Award project “Supporting Our Veterans.” She collected sleeping bags and clothing for homeless veterans; created a You Tube video about the needs of veterans, and worked with younger Girl Scout troops to make approximately 1,000 thank you cards which she then distributed to local veterans.

“Through your dedication to the Girl Scouts, you were able to go ‘above and beyond' and bring some relief to homeless vets who often go unnoticed,” wrote Michael Kafton, Jackson Township Council president in a commendation letter. “Congratulations for your accomplishments and all the good that you have brought to these very needy people.”

“Alexandra looked in her community and her heart to see what action was needed,” added Jenny Cody, senior director of program. “She saw the veterans suffering and she took action to help them in every way she could and raised awareness of their plight.”

Because of her life-long dedication to Girl Scouts, Murdocca was chosen to serve as a girl representative to the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore's board of directors, which represents the 16,000 girl members of the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore.

“I always ask the girl representatives to take part in various aspects of board meetings with little notice,” said JoAnn McCann, president of the Board of Directors. “Alexandra is confident and steps right up to the task; she has an understanding of the democratic process in Girl Scouts and has been an outstanding representative of the council.”

Murdocca says confidence and independence are the two most importing things she's discovered as a Girl Scout. With those skills, she has learned to be herself and has the courage to stand up for what she believes in. She believes these skills prepared her well for college.

Murdocca began classes at Ocean County College in January after graduating a semester early from Jackson Liberty High School. She plans to major in political science and attend law school.

During high school, she was a charter Key Club member and served as the group's president, organizing fundraisers that benefiting organizations such as Children's Specialized Hospital and the Red Cloud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. She also served her classmates as freshman class president and organized school fundraisers and helped organize a group to create a mural.

Kiwanis Night with the BlueClaws, annual tradition

Barney has reserved Friday July 17 as our Kiwanis Night at the BlueClaws. Tickets will be available to the clubs at $6 each. This is a great way to join a fun evening with Kiwanians from all over the district. It is also a great way to help others. For instance, the Jackson club purchases a bunch of tickets and gives them to the Challenger League to distribute to their athletes and parents. Other clubs have sold the tickets and applied the money they raise to scholarships.
We will have more information in the next week or two, but I wanted to give you a head's up to let you know what's going on.

United Way Basket Drive

I finally heard from United Way about their annual Spring Basket Drive.
We requested 20 children and I have the list below in a spreadsheet. It is first come, first served so tell me your first, second and third preferences and I’ll let you know right away if that child is available.
The goal of the drive is to provide baskets, filled with goodies and personal items, to children who would not otherwise receive a basket due to the family’s financial status.
The baskets must be delivered to the United Way drop off location at the Dover Mall (Rt. 37 & 166) Friday, April 3 between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. We will try to collect our club’s baskets and I and maybe another one or two can probably drop them off at the mall.
You can provide either a traditional or customized basket.
Suggested basket items include (but are not limited to):
• bath supplies and toiletries
• candy
• coloring books or reading books
• crayons
• hair accessories
• pencils
• small toys, stuffed animals and puzzles
• socks

Gender Age Donor

girl 1
girl 3 Dan Black
girl 4 Laura Johnson
girl 4 Carol Hordichuk
girl 4 Paul Tarantino
girl 5 Donna Corman
girl 5 Donna Corman
girl 5 Paul Tarantino
girl 5 Fran Polito
girl 6 Melissa Santoro
girl 6 Melissa Santoro
girl 6 Floyd/Carmela
girl 8 Larry Meegan
girl 9
girl 10
girl 11
girl 12 Fran Polito
boy 1 Larry Meegan
boy 7 Lois Kapp
boy 8 Lois Kapp

KCOJ hosts "Puma's Kitchen" for education aid to Africa

The Kiwanis Club of Jackson and Hope Presbyterian Church will host “Puma’s Kitchen” and serve a meal of unique Congo foods 4 p.m. Saturday May 23 to benefit educational efforts in Africa.

The meal will be served at the church, 617 Hope Chapel Road in Lakewood, at 5:30 p.m. Prior to serving the meal Mbyu “Puma” Wa Mbuyu, founder of the Able and Willing International Educational Foundation, will discuss the preparation of food used in the meal. He and volunteers will prepare a selection of dishes at the church.

The dinner will be followed by a discussion of educational initiatives in Africa.
Mbuyu “Puma” Wa Mbuyu is a master electrician in Washington, D.C. Every year since 1995 Puma has organized the AWIEF projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the summer while pursuing his job in the United States during the rest of the year.
The fourfold mission of AWIEF is:
• Build schools in areas where access to basic education is limited
• Establish income-generating projects that teach students life skills and allow the schools to be self-supporting
• Foster regenerative natural resource activities within the communities where the schools are located
• Educate the US public about other countries and culture and raise awareness of the interdependent nature of the world
The suggested donation for the event is $35. Tickets are available from Al Manus (732) 267-7266 or Fran Polito (732) 904-8341.

Able & Willing is a non-profit, IRS 501(c)(3), non-denominational, all volunteer run organization with headquarters in Frederick, Maryland. More information about the group is available from their Web site www.ableandwilling.org .

Another great KCOJ wine tasting

The Kiwanis Club of Jackson will host another great wine tasting Thursday April 9 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the View Restaurant, located at Eagle Ridge Country Club in Lakewood.
The cost is $50 per person and features over 90 different wines to taste. There will be carving and pasta stations along with fruit, cheese and bread.
We will also host a silent auction.
Tickets can be purchased at Plaza Wines & Liquors at the Jackson Plaza on County Line Road or from any member of the club. Call (732) 367-1199 for more information.
Proceeds from the event will support our high school scholarships and the purchase of special chairs for Kimball Medical Center, Lakewood.

Top Cop dinner dance

We had a great time last night (March 20)at Eagle Ridge for our annual Police Officer of the Year Dinner Dance. Thanks to Donna, Mike, Lois, Fran & Diane for all their hard work to make it a great success.
We honored Officers Derek Gorski, Dominic Manion, Joseph Oleksy and Detective Scott Conover. They received letters from Governor Corzine and proclamations from the Joint Legislature of New Jersey, The Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the Jackson Township Committee. They also received plaques from our club and their names will be engraved on the board we have hanging at the police station.
Fran did a great job with Chris Parisi as emcee. The ad journal turned out pretty well. And Daybreak's Jeri had us laughing.
Floyd and Donna received the Dave Stacy award for their superlative efforts to continue making our club great. They both deserved it.
Thanks all for making it a great night.
Photos from the night can be seen on my Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22036136@N07/sets/72157615737366938/ I suggest you hit the "slideshow" icon in the uppr right hand side, sit back and watch the photos.

Get on the bus!

Hey all, we are getting ready to beat Daybreak's butt at dodgeball Friday night, 6 p.m. March 27 at one of the Brick high schools. (I don't remember which one. I'll find out and put it in as a comment to this posting.)

We'd like everybody out there, even if you can't play - you can cheer!

Contact team captains Lois Kapp & Melissa Santoro.

Challenger League Basketball game

The Jackson Challenger League held their last game of the season last night, playing against the Jackson Liberty HS basketball team. There had to be close to 300 people there including a contingent from our club. Dan, Donna, Lois and her son Stevan & mom Mrs. Kapp,and me. And there were a lot of Kiwanis shirts out on the floor.

We were thanked for donating the shirts and supporting the league, but it's the people who day in and day out are there working with the group that really deserve the thanks of the whole community. Jim & Lori Smith, especially.

Thanks to the Jackson Lions basketball team and their coaches who were so gracious with their time and positive role models for the Challenger players.

I also want to thank the young folks who were out there helping, espceially Denis Galvin's daughter. Be proud of her Denis.

I took some photos. The lighting wasn't that good so some of the ones that look like good action photos were really due to a slower shutter speed than I'd have liked. The photos are one my Flickr account and can be accessed at When you get to the page you'll see an icon for "slideshow." Why not hit that and sit back?

One more note: Challenger Softball starts in about 3 weeks.