Notes Members of West Long Branch's first CERT Team pose at graduation: (standing) Ray Rubman, Donna Johnson, Louise DeBruin, Howard Welch, Susan Mamchak, Steven Mamchak, Mike Ruane, Mayor Janet Tucci, Margaret Johnson, Andrea Sykes, Gina Brando, Tom Ruane, Michael Jahn, and Barbara Ruane, CERT Program Co-Manager; (kneeling) Nancy D'Arcangelo, Tom DeBruin, Patricia Donovan, and Diane Welch, Steve Cioffi, instructor, Judi Schneider, instructor, and Fred Migliaccio, program co-manager. ********** The Long Branch Concordance (LBC) held its inaugural fundraiser, BrewSips@SICA, on Nov. 2 at The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts in Long Branch. Close to 100 people attended the event, which featured tastings of regional and international beers. The LBC is a nonprofit agency that helps residents of coastal Monmouth County. ***** On Dec. 17, a group of volunteers for the Ezra Abraham to Life Foundation helped deliver holiday gifts to the pediatric ward of Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch. Hundreds of new toys and gifts were collected at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Monmouth County in Deal. JoAnn Abraham, LBC board member; Colleen Meyer, executive director of MonmouthCares; and Jhanna Even, LBC development coordinator. Leading the volunteers were Sharon, Adam and David Abraham, mother and brothers of Ezra Abraham, who died at age 23 after a seven-year battle with cancer. The Abraham family started the foundation to help organizations and charities that provided care and comfort to Ezra throughout his illness. Plans call for the foundation to build a teen lounge for patients and visitors. For more information about the foundation, visit: www.tolifefoundation.org. ***** Dr. Brian Krost of Oakhurst will be installed as the next president of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Monmouth County, Deal. Krost will be installed at the annual meeting Jan. 11, at 7:30 p.m. The community is welcome to attend the installation ceremony and reception. A surgeon with the Center for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Krost has served as senior vice president of the JCC and in other leadership capacities. Krost succeeds Jeanne Epstein, who is continuing her leadership role as co-chair with Jan Greenspan of the JCC Maccabi ArtsFest, a national teen arts program. Other nominees for the 2007 board of directors are: senior Vice President Stephen Levy; treasurer Paul Perry; secretary Jan Greenspan; vice presidents Dr. Marc H. Berley, Arnold Gelfman, Dalit Goldwert and Chris Katz. ***** Seashore Day Camp and School in Long Branch recently hosted a party for 45 disadvantaged children ranging in age from 1-18. Each child received gifts from their personal wish lists ranging from bicycles and video games to clothing. Basketball, swimming, arcade games, face-painting, jewelry making, story telling, pizza, soda, cupcakes, candy and of course Santa, were all part of the fun. Seashore also arranged for Internet phone service provider Vonage to donate 15 holiday stockings stuffed with food to families served by MonmouthCares who were not able to attend the party. ***** The Long Branch Free Public Library on Broadway will offer the following winter programs: Family Board Game Night Jan. 12 and Feb. 23 from 7-11 p.m.; Spanish and English Cafés Mondays, 6:30 -7:30 p.m.; Storytime for Children Thursdays at 4 p.m.; and Homework help Wednesdays from 3:30-5:30 p.m. For more information, call (732) 222-3900 or visit the Web site at www.lmxac.org/longbranch. ***** The All Neighbors Foundation nonprofit organization that focuses on needs in Monmouth County will hold an informational meeting at the Long Branch Brookdale Community College on Broadway Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. ***** The people who live and work at Seabrook, a retirement campus for middle-income people located in Tinton Falls, have really big hearts. In one month, they collected two-and-a-half flatbed trucks full of toys and two large bags full of stuffed animals, for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. All the toys were to be distributed to children living in Tinton Falls, Neptune and Asbury Park. The Toys for Tots Program collects new, unwrapped toys and distributes them as Christmas gifts to needy children.