Community Bulletin Board
JCC slates workshop, movie, lunch, trips

The Jewish Community Center of Western Monmouth has scheduled the following events and activities.

A women’s workshop, “Evaluating Retirement Today,” will be presented by Evan Levine, 7-9 p.m. March 21 at the JCCWM office, 100 Route 9 north, The Galleria, Manalapan. The cost for JCCWM members is $18 in advance and $25 at the door; for nonmembers, the cost is $25 in advance and $32 at the door.

Movie and lunch will be offered at 11 a.m. March 8 at The Brookside assisted living community, Freehold Borough. The movie is “Tevye,” starring Maurice Schwartz, and the kosher lunch will be served at approximately 12:45 p.m. The cost is $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

A trip to the Brooklyn Museum of Art is scheduled for May 31. The cost is $46 for JCCWM members and $56 for nonmembers. The bus will leave The Galleria at 8:30 a.m. and leave the museum at 3:15 p.m.

The JCC’s Small World Jewish Singles, for ages 35-55, will host a bowling and pizza night, 6-8 p.m. Jan. 15 at Howell Lanes, Route 9, Howell. The cost is $18 in advance and $25 at the door. Bowlers and non-bowlers are welcome.

A singles shopping night at Wegmans, Manalapan, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21. The cost is $5 in advance and $11 at the door.

Coffee and conversation at the Cornerstone Caffe, Freehold Borough, is set for 7:30 p.m. March 21. The cost is $12 in advance and $19 at the door.

The Sunday Soccer League for grades K-6 will begin in April. Games will be played after 1 p.m. in the Marlboro-Manalapan area.

For more information or to register, call the JCCWM at (732) 683-9300. For the soccer league, call Jack at the JCC or e-mail him at jack@jccwm.com.

Optimist Club brightens holidays for families

The Noontime Optimist Club of Freehold collected gifts for three local families to help them celebrate the holidays.

The club, in collaboration with the YMCA of Western Monmouth, Freehold Township, collected Christmas gifts for two families with a total of seven children.

The families were identified by Mel O’Neal, director of the YMCA Commun-ity Center, Freehold Borough, and Annie Stattel, director of development for the YMCA of Western Monmouth. Both families have experienced the loss of parents during the past year and were in need of assistance. Club members as well as staff from the YMCA donated gifts of clothing and toys for the children, and the Target store in Manalapan donated a gift card.

The club also adopted a family of a mom and her 9-year-old son for Hanuk-kah. Club members bought clothes for the family as well as toys for the youngster, and Old Country Buffet of Freehold Township donated a gift certificate. The gifts were delivered to Jewish Family and Children’s Services in time for Hanukkah.

The mission of the Noontime Opti-mist Club of Freehold is to support youth in the community. For more information, call (732) 409-1251; write to the club at P.O. Box 52, Freehold 07728; or e-mail CDRPPR@aol.com. The club meets every Wednesday at noon at the Portobello restaurant in Freehold.

Kwanzaa celebration scheduled in Freehold

The red, green and black colors of Kwanzaa will be on display at the Elks Lodge, Throckmorton Street, Freehold, for a Kwanzaa celebration from 1-4 p.m. Dec. 29, hosted by the Freehold Center Partnership. The event is open to the public and will feature traditional entertainment, food and crafts in keeping with the African-American cultural festival of Kwanzaa. Tickets are $7 each for adults, $3 for children, or $15 for a family of five, including two adult admissions. Cele-brated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, Kwanzaa means “first fruits” in Swahili, and originates from the African celebration to mark the first harvest.

“The holiday celebrates the African-American family, community and culture,” said Lillian Hendry, of the Court Street Community Center, who is working with Freehold Center Partnership Executive Director Jayne Carr to plan this year’s event. “Kwanzaa is an opportunity for people in the community to gather together and celebrate their African heritage and values. It reaffirms and reinforces the bonds between them, and it’s a wonderful way for people — especially children — to learn about our African roots, culture and traditions.”

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Freehold Center Partnership office, 17 Broad St., Especially for You Florist, 37-39 W. Main St., Busy BBB’s Florist, 560 Park Ave., Confection Connection, 26 W. Main St., and at the Elks Lodge on the day of the event.

Trip to ‘Montel Williams Show’ slated for Jan. 11

The Business & Professional Women of Freehold Inc. will sponsor a bus trip to two tapings of “The Montel Williams Show” in New York City Jan. 11 from 11:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. The bus will depart from Brookdale Community College, Newman Springs Road, Lincroft section of Middletown.

Tickets are $10 and include two tapings and light refreshments at the studio. For tickets or more information, call (732) 224-2106.

Marlboro H.S. students win award for fundraiser

Marlboro High School’s peer leadership and psychology students were the winners of the Alzheimer’s Association’s School Spirit Award for raising the most money among schools that participated in the annual Southern Regional Memory Walk.

Peer leadership is a five-credit course that students enter through an application process. The students are taught effective communication, decision-making and leadership skills. There is a required 15 hours of community service each marking period.

Mensa foundation offering scholarships

The Mensa Education and Research Foundation is offering scholarships for post-high school education. Applicants do not have to be members of Mensa to apply. Entry forms with essay rules are available by sending a self-addressed, stamped, letter-size envelope to Mensa Education and Research Foundation, Attn.: Carole Kane, 54 Patten St., Freehold 07728, Requests must be postmarked by Dec. 31. To download an entry form, visit http://foundation.us.mensa.org/scholarships. Applica-tions must be postmarked by Jan. 15.

Applications for master gardener class due Jan. 3

Rutgers Cooperative Research & Extension of Monmouth County, in cooperation with the Monmouth County Park System and Brookdale Community College, is offering a 10-week Master Gardener course.

To qualify as a master gardener, the applicant must live in Monmouth County, be available to attend all the classes, held Tuesday and Thursday mornings and have a genuine commitment to providing gardening information and service to the community.

Classroom training covers a broad range of horticultural topics, form soils to lawns to composting and entomology. Instructors are extension specialists from all over the state, educators from Rutgers University and Brookdale Community College, and area experts.

In return for the 60 hours of training, the master gardener must volunteer 60 hours to the community in activities such as answering gardening questions from county residents at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension office in Freehold, giving presentations to groups on specific gardening topics, participating in the Monmouth County fair, instructing children at school gardens, and planning public garden areas.

To request an application or for more information, call Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County, (732) 431-7260. Classes will begin Feb. 23, and class size is limited. Applications must be received by Jan. 3, and applicants will be notified of acceptance by Feb. 1. There is a one-time fee of $200 to cover the cost of speaker fees, texts and materials.

Bereavement support offered for adults

HUGS (Help Us Grieve Someone) is a free, confidential, nondenominational bereavement support group for adults. The group meets at Old Tennent Presbyterian Church, Tennent section of Manalapan, two Mondays each month at 7:30 p.m. The loss can be recent or from years ago. For information or to register, call Rose Olson, (732) 845-9475.

Art show open to high school seniors

The Art Society of Monmouth County is sponsoring a Merit Award Show open to the high school seniors of Monmouth County. The receiving date for artwork is Jan. 11 from 2-4 p.m. High school seniors are asked to bring their art to the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center, 36 Ocean Ave., Monmouth Beach, where the show will be on display. The reception will be held Jan. 28 from noon to 2 p.m. For more information, call chairperson Lucille Dellert, (732) 229-3377 or go to the Web site, www.surfmen.com.

Borough library declares amnesty for its patrons

In celebration of its new automated circulation system, which should be up and running by the new year, the Freehold Public Library, Freehold Borough, has declared a fine amnesty for its patrons. From now through Dec. 31, patrons may return overdue materials belonging to the library, East Main St., and all fines will be waived.

Pennsylvania camp seeks alumnae for reunion

Camp Council, Phoenixville, Pa., is looking for women in the local area who were campers, counselors or other staff members at Camp Council anytime from the 1920s through the mid-1970s, before the camp turned co-ed.

A reunion is being planned for Memorial Day weekend, May 27-29. Alumnae are welcome to bring family members or come alone for a weekend of old, familiar camp activities.

The reunion will be held at Camp Council Village, which was created when Camp Council closed, at Camp Golden Slipper, Bartonsville, Pa., in the Pocono Mountains.

For more information, contact Emmi at ccgirls@gmail.com, or Tracy Traciakw@comcast.net, or call (610) 658-2336 for further information.