MonmouthCares

With school starting just around the corner, we wanted to highlight some school supply drives happening in the community! 1. Red Bank Backpack Drive: August 17, 10am – 1pm at Count Basie Park, 11 Henry St. There will be food and activities for all ages from 9am – 2:30pm. Children must be present for backpack distribution, but registration is not required. Hosted by Lunch Break. 2. Salvation Army Backpack Distribution: August 18, 9am-2pm. This is only for residents of Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Avon-by-the-Sea, Bradley Beach, Deal, Interlaken, Loch Arbors, Neptune, Oakhurst, Ocean, Ocean Grove, Wanamassa, and Wayside. Please bring parent ID and children’s birth certificate on the day of pickup 3. Back to School Bash at Jersey Shore Premium Outlets: August 17th from 10am to 3pm. Hosted by Moms of Business. Thebacktoschoolbash.com

MonmouthCares wants to shout out and appreciate Interfaith Neighbors (IFN) for successful completion of their Community Resource Development Grant awarded for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. IFN worked alongside The Prosper Foundation and The CAZZEEK Brothers, two grassroots organizations in the Asbury Park community. Through their business coaching and organizational development IFN helped these agencies facilitate various mental and physical wellness programs for local youth and helped to raise both agencies’ abilities to grow their organizations and continue their wonderful work! Cazzeek Brothers https://lnkd.in/e5MhCDwK https://lnkd.in/enUBdsHF

This month we held our annual summer Staff Appreciation Event. We had so much fun celebrating our staff and their hardwork and dedication at MonmouthCares and in our community. MonmouthCares would not be the same without the unique talents and strengths of each of our staff members!

Meet Kiley Sherer, a bright addition to the MonmouthCares team. She is joining us from Monmouth University as part of her summer internship. Kiley is a diligent worker, and has quickly become a caring, thoughtful part of our organization! Thanks for joining us this summer, Kiley.

MonmouthCares had a great time at an informative sesssion where we learned about the extra benefits that come with our Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield membership! Afterwards, we watched a healthy cooking demonstration where we learned how to make black bean brownies, sweet potato brownies, peanut butter stuffed dates (pictured below), and poached pears. We also learned about some healthy cooking alternatives, like using unsweetened apple sauce as a substitute for oil and chia seeds with water as a substitute for eggs. At MonmouthCares we care about the health and wellness of our employees! Shout out to supervisors Victoria and Alyssa for attending.

MonmouthCares was thrilled to have Meredith Avakian from Project Write Now visit our staff! PWN has current openings for their free summer camp for rising 9th graders at Asbury Park Library from July 15-18. Students will engage in journaling, storytelling, art activities and creative expression alongside a free meal! Registration found here.   PWN also offers several workshops, classes and offerings for youth and adults alike. Several summer programs are getting ready to kick off, many for minimal or no cost. To learn more about how PWN is transforming individuals, organizations, and communities through writing, feel free to connect with them at projectwritenow.org, pwnteen.org or on social media.

MonmouthCares is a non-profit agency in Monmouth County, NJ providing care management for children and youth with complex needs. We are currently in need of an Executive Assistant to support our Executive Director and Leadership on a full time basis, assisting in all executive functions including liaising with the Board of Trustees, pulling data and running reports, coordinating agency meetings, taking and publishing minutes, handling emails and phone calls, sending/receiving communication, typing and mailing letters, as well as general administrative support to Executive Director, and 4 key organizational departments (Human Resources, Quality-Technology-Compliance, Care Management and Business). Responsibilities include: Organize meetings and take meeting minutes Support leadership team in various departmental activities Assist in planning and managing special projects Create internal & external communications Analyze performance data and produce reports for management & stakeholders (e.g. Board members) Assist the ED and Leadership Team in any ad-hoc need Perform administrative tasks in the office Skills Required: Microsoft Office applications – Word, Power Point, Excel, Publisher Computer and technology literate Analytical and logic reasoning Communication – written and oral Interpersonal skills Project management Critical thinking/problem solving Strong oral and written communication skills Power BI, Sharepoint preferred   Anyone interested in applying for this position, please apply via our portal: https://lnkd.in/graTnQNf

MonmouthCares wants to shout out PFLAG and our Your Authentic Self (YAS) group facilitators! Over 4 years ago we were approached by PFLAG about collaborating to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and adults to meet like-minded individuals and we are proud that our free support groups have been in-person for over 2 years! We are grateful to our YAS Facilitators that keep this group going and proud MonmouthCares was present at this past weekend’s Annual Statewide LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration in Asbury Park. Thank you to William Placek and the PFLAG Jersey Shore Chapter, our partners in this work.

MonmouthCares wants to shout out Melissa Boege and the Family Growth Program of Monmouth/Ocean, Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton for joining us at this month’s Provider Fair! Our staff were thrilled to greet Surf, the therapy dog, and learn more about their services. The Family Program is one of the first Monmouth county providers to be part of New Jersey’s Problematic Sexual Behavior framework that launched this year. MonmouthCares’ Specialty Care Coordination Services works alongside specialty trained providers like the Family Growth Program to make sure youth with Problematic Sexual Behaviors are linked to evidence based care.

MonmouthCares is so excited to celebrate that our intern from Brookdale Community College, Gina Hernandez, became a Care Management Assistant this month. In Gina's words: “My journey towards social services began when a caring MonmouthCares Care Manager supported me through family challenges in my youth. Throughout my last year of high school, MonmouthCares remained a beacon of hope in my heart and mind. As I work towards becoming a social worker, I'm thankful for the chance to be a Care Manager Assistant at MonmouthCares." We could not be more excited to see Gina's trajectory from enrolled youth to college intern to full time staff member at MonmouthCares!