Service Spotlight
The more of our neighbors we speak with, the more we hear incredible stories about extraordinary people, groups, and organizations serving our communities in Burlington and Ocean Counties. Every month our office will share a Service Spotlight, highlighting one of these individuals and their contributions to our communities and nation. This commitment to service inspires us, and we are excited to share these stories with you.
Nominate Your Neighbor!
Do you know an incredible person, group, or organization serving our communities in Burlington and Ocean Counties? We want to hear from you! Share your story with us, who should we highlight? Nominate your neighbor here.
Read Our Service Spotlights:
Marilyn and Al, Literacy New Jersey
August 2022
When Marilyn and Al retired, they both knew they wanted to use their free time to give back to their community and help people in Burlington County. For different reasons, they were both drawn to teaching English with Literacy NJ.
Literacy NJ is a nonprofit organization working to ensure all adults can read, write, and easily communicate with their neighbors. For many native English speakers, it’s easy to take this part of everyday life for granted.
https://literacynj.org/about-us
However, these language and literacy skills do not come naturally and, for a variety of reasons, including English as a second language (ESL), about 16% of adults in New Jersey lack basic English literacy skills.
To close this gap, Literacy NJ advocates for increased funding and awareness for literacy issues, they develop instructional materials and train volunteer tutors - like Marilyn and Al - to host classes and work closely with students.
Before the pandemic, Literacy NJ volunteers hosted English classes in 12 counties, including Burlington and Ocean. When COVID-19 struck, many classes had to shut down. However the need for English classes was greater than ever, especially when all communication went virtual.
Al, who retired from the National Weather Service in 2019, was tutoring at the time with Literacy NJ, leaning into his knack for the nuanced rules of the English language. When he could no longer meet with everyone in person, he set out to find another way to continue teaching.
He started sitting in on Literacy NJ’s virtual English classes, learning how to navigate Zoom when he met Marilyn, a recently retired Humanities and ESL Supervisor and educator in Monmouth County, who was also interested in teaching English and serving her community.
With the support of Literacy NJ, Marilyn and Al decided to begin co-tutoring a class: sharing the class load and developing lesson plans together. In July of 2020, Marilyn and Al were given the opportunity to develop and co-teach their own class within the Literacy NJ program. Since then, their reach has grown and they have successfully created a community of students who can rely on them and their peers to further their education.
In their virtual two hour class every Tuesday morning, Marilyn and Al present lessons and activities that they spend close to 10 hours preparing beforehand. They both feel it is “immeasurable” what they get back from the experience of changing their students’ lives.
Al and Marilyn have given so much to so many people over the last few years. Through dedication to their craft and hard work they have fundamentally changed the lives of members of our community. We look forward to seeing their continued success improving their neighbors’ lives.
Kasey, Founder of Camp No Worries
July 2022
Last month, Camp No Worries reopened its cabins' doors, welcoming back dozens of smiling campers for a week in the sunshine.
Kasey Massa, the founder of Camp No Worries, couldn't have been happier to see everyone back in the Pine Barrens. #ServiceSpotlight
Based in Moorestown, NJ, Camp No Worries is a summer camp for children battling cancer and their siblings. A week-long, Camp No Worries gives children the opportunity to relax, enjoy themselves, and forget about their troubles every summer.
https://www.campnoworries.org/about/our-story/
For Kasey, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 11, seeing just how much joy Camp No Worries brings children has been more fulfilling than she could have ever imagined.
She remembers just how much she wanted – and needed – a place to step away from the isolation, fear, anger, and confusion she felt after her recovery.
She did not feel like she had a place to turn to truly just be a kid and saw the opportunity to spread joy.
Years after her treatment ended, Kasey still thought about this idea. When she was in college, she knew she could work with her family to use what they learned through her diagnosis, treatment, and recovery to give back to families in New Jersey.
While she was in college, Kasey and her family opened Camp No Worries in the summer of 1995, hosting 14 children for 3 days and 3 nights after months of work, planning, and fundraising.
Now, 28 years later, Camp No Worries hosts up to 100 children for a week at no cost to families. Its beloved traditions, including an "eat with anything but a utensil night," have grown with the camp and its campers.
After two years virtually, Camp No Worries was incredibly grateful to be back in the Pine Barrens this year. Run entirely by volunteers, Kasey is amazed every year to see just how much her community comes together to make Camp No Worries run smoothly.
Camp No Worries has become a family – a family brought together by the hardship of cancer, but also by the joy of swimming, nature, arts and crafts, land sports, archery, ziplining, and dancing.
Kasey, who works full-time as a pediatric social worker at Nemours Children's Health, is inspired each year by how much the Camp No Worries family continues to support one another. We’re grateful for her work, and thrilled the camp is coming back to the Pine Barrens again!
Olivia, a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity
June 2022
Last week, our neighbor in Toms River celebrated her high school graduation. Headed to Princeton University this fall, Olivia is leaving behind an incredible legacy of service with Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity. #ServiceSpotlight.
Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit doing what it can to build a world where everyone has a comfortable and safe place to call home. They rely on volunteers like Olivia to make home ownership a reality one family at a time. https://www.habitat.org/us-nj/toms-river/northern-ocean-hfh
Olivia, who first began volunteering with Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity when she was 13, was first inspired to serve when she learned about the high rate of veteran poverty and housing insecurity among Ocean County veterans.
The more homeowners she spoke with, the more Olivia understood the power of having a safe home and just how much impact she could have working with veterans like her Father, who selflessly signed up to serve our country.
In her early days with Habitat, Olivia remembers being stunned by the grit and persistence of the families she met. Being able to see the difference one home makes in a family's trajectory, she knew she wanted to continue to work with Habitat for Humanity.
When she first entered high school, Olivia quickly joined the Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter. Today, Olivia is the Chapter President and has helped grow the club from 12 people to over 90 recurring volunteers.
Working closely with Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity, where she interned, Olivia organized builds for veteran communities and other communities in need, learning and teaching skills like caulking windows to repair homes and build new ones.
Exceeding all expectations, More students realized how much impact repairing and building homes had in their neighbors' lives. For Olivia, it was everything to know that they "were doing all they can to provide a dream of ours– a dream where everyone has a place to call home."
Olivia knows that while her location will change when she goes to school, she will continue to seek out opportunities to volunteer where she can. We’re so grateful for Olivia’s dedication to our community, and we look forward to seeing what she does next!
Reverend Rafael, our neighbor from Beverly, who will now go abroad with the U.S Army as an active duty chaplain.
May 2022
Last month, our neighbor from Beverly, Reverend Rafael, came to our office with a unique and admirable request. Hoping to go abroad with the U.S Army as an active duty chaplain, he needed his already approved American citizenship expedited.
Inspired by Reverend Rafael’s commitment to serving our country, our casework team worked closely with the Department of Homeland Security to get his application processed and approved.
On May 5th, Reverend Rafael wore his Army uniform to his swearing in ceremony. Reverend Rafael will now be able to serve our country. We are so grateful for his willingness to sacrifice for our freedoms and support our troops.
Tara, an Advocate for Special Needs Families.
April 2022
For Tara, advocating for families, especially military families like her own, came naturally. A mother to 3 children, 2 who live with autism and Fragile X syndrome, Tara uses her experience fighting for her own family and their rights to help others.
In 2014, Tara’s children were told they could not be included in class with their peers because of their specialized health and child care needs. At the time, Tara didn't know where to turn for the support she needed. She did know, however, that she would step up for her children, their education, and all of the special needs families like her own.
The more she learned, the better she understood how complicated accessing resources and services were for families with special needs and how those same resources and services could be improved.
An "information hound," Tara began taking training courses, becoming an expert in behavioral disabilities, military health care, dispute resolution, childcare, special needs education, & how important it is to spread awareness about behavioral disabilities.
Now a trusted expert for special needs families, Tara has dedicated her life to serving families like her own, helping parents understand and access the support they need to build better lives for their children.
Through getting to know hundreds of families, Tara's understanding of their needs grew, as did her ability to help and create sustainable solutions for their community by working with local groups like Military 360, SPAN, Tricare, and others.
In 2016, Tara even joined the team redesigning the Exceptional Family Member behavioral health center on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The new center is now home to healthcare providers, specialists, and social workers to streamline care for special needs families who often balance multiple care teams.
Since then, Tara has taken on a variety of roles working directly with families to provide care and support to children with behavioral disabilities. Right now, she serves as an active volunteer in her school district and a Family Resource Specialist and trainer for the Parent Training and Information Center and Special Education Volunteer Advocate (SEVA) projects at SPAN NJ Statewide Parent Advocacy Network.
Her ultimate goal is to see a culture shift; she believes we will all be better off as a whole community & that isolating families with special needs from other parents is the wrong direction. "Maybe we will see fewer differences and more similarities & build on that," she said.
She believes one major step towards this culture shift is creating more awareness about intellectual and developmental disabilities like autism. She believes her family is in a unique position to help spread that awareness while showing families in a similar situation that they are not alone.
Rev. Matthew Tucker, the Rector at Christ Church in Bordentown.
April 2022
If you were in downtown Bordentown last week, you might have seen Father Matt, our neighbor and Rector at Christ Church, loading large boxes of food and household goods into his truck during the biannual "Fill Father Matt's Truck" food drive.
Donations from 100s of our neighbors refill the Bordentown Community Panty, providing families in need with food and personal care items.
A now beloved biannual community event, "Fill Father Matt's Truck," is 1 of the ways Father Matt brings people together through service.
A volunteer firefighter, Father Matt also works with thousands of NJ families experiencing homelessness, delivering homemade meals, organizing free laundry nights, and during COVID-19, teaching them how to stay safe from the virus.
With every family helped, Father Matt’s passion, understanding, and love for our community grows. In partnership with his parish, Father Matt’s efforts quickly expanded and took him to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Before COVID-19, Father Matt, Christ Church, and volunteers from Bordentown came together each month to cook meals for troops living in the Joint Base dorms. When COVID made this no longer possible, Father Matt knew that their work could not stop, it would just have to change.
Last summer, when our Afghan allies arrived at the Joint Base as refugees, Father Matt knew he could bring together the Bordentown community to help. He began collecting supplies and partnered with other churches, community organizations, neighbors, and nonprofits to change the lives of these families who were suddenly and traumatically in very unfamiliar surroundings.
The community's response was astounding. Father Matt shared that he truly believes people want to help others and do good, sometimes they just don't know how. He now sees it as his duty to give his neighbors these opportunities.
Service is at the heart of Father Matt’s faith. It informs his work and passions. From his experiences, he firmly believes that service is what brings neighbors closer together and can truly change the lives of people who need it most.
Edward "Ed" Toriello, World War II Veteran and Lifelong Volunteer.
March 2022
Last month, Edward "Ed" Toriello, our neighbor and WWII veteran, Ed, celebrated his 100th birthday. Ed is a decorated veteran whose heroic actions during the war inspired a lifelong commitment to service in Ocean County.
In 1944, Ed had just graduated from Divinity School when he answered the call to serve our country. After training, he was sent to the European Theater, where he first served as a combat medic and then a scout in the 76th infantry regiment. During the frigid winter of 1944-45, Ed and his unit were sent to help stop the last German offensive at the Battle of the Bulge, securing the Remagen Bridge in March of 1945, a crucial position that is credited with shortening the war.
After Germany's surrender, Ed returned to the US, where he met his wife, Zina, and started a family. They moved to Southern Ocean County in 1977, where he quickly became a beacon of positivity in his community. He remained an active volunteer and led numerous organizations. Ed also served as a trustee for three decades with South Ocean's Medical Center and started a beloved local fundraising concert for the facility that has raised over $100,000 to date.
We are honored to celebrate this monumental milestone with Ed and hope he was able to spend his birthday surrounded by friends and family. His story and service are an inspiration to all of us.
Shyam Suhas Kandala and Anika Reddy Chapalapalli, Leaders at Recycle My Battery.
February 2022
We are excited to highlight the incredible service of the Recycle My Battery team, Shyam Suhas Kandala, and Anika Reddy Chapalapilli.
Recycle My Battery is a nonprofit organization, run by middle and high school students, that educates communities on the importance of properly recycling batteries to avoid landfill fires that send dangerous chemicals into the air that pose a serious threat to human health. Unfortunately, despite the serious need, battery recycling bins are not readily available in most communities.
Recycle My Battery volunteers like Shyam and Anika have been working with local schools to set up battery recycling bins while spreading awareness of their importance.
Shyam, a middle school student from Chesterfield with a passion for the environment, is currently the NJ Lead for Recycle My Battery, overseeing volunteers and working with local leaders to deliver recycling bins, and drop off batteries at safe recycling centers.
Anika, a high schooler at Northern Burlington Regional High School and member of the Recycle My Battery Executive Board, was drawn to the organization because she could “see the effects of waste, pollution, and people not recycling,” in NJ. She explained that “Climate change has become a new reality for people because we see its effects so imminently. I want to give back to my community and educate people on why these issues are so important and why we should all take a more serious approach."
Congressman Kim was proud to meet Shyam, Anika, and the CEO and co- founder of Recycle My Battery, Sri Nihal Tammana when he delivered the President’s Volunteer Service Award to Anika for the over 50 hours she’s volunteered with Recycle My Battery in 2021.
When asked about their service and recognition, Shyam and Anika added: “It’s not just us, it's all the kids that make the conscious effort to go out to their communities and say I see something wrong.“
Recycle My Battery has recycled over 75,000 batteries and educated over one million people across the country since its inception. They hope to one day see a world where everyone “is educated about all types of recycling, not just batteries.”
Batteries are just the beginning.
Ashley Schultz, Member of the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts.
January 2022
We are overjoyed to share our first Service Spotlight, highlighting Ashley Schultz, a member of the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts. When Ashley first joined the scouting program in 2019, she immediately decided she wanted to be one of the first girls to earn Eagle Scout status.
During her time achieving Eagle status, Ashley was so grateful to see just how happy and grateful our community members were to be given a helping hand. For her Eagle project, Ashley served the American Legion Post 129 in Toms River, improving their garden that currently grows food for veterans. She spent over 82 hours constructing flower boxes for the garden, as well as weeding, mulching, and adding fresh soil to the entire garden; “Nothing beats starting with one flower and ending with a garden.“
Ashley also served Save Barnegat Bay by constructing their much-needed composting bins and picnic benches. During this project, Ashley put in over 161 hours.
Service has become embedded in Ashley’s life. “Even if what I am doing is extremely difficult, having that sense of community to push me past my limits is an extremely endearing experience that everyone involved learns from.” We are so proud to represent Ashley, who is now a student at Ocean County College, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.