COURT HOUSE — Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County Advisory Council presented their 2017 Leadership Award to the Oceanside Community Club of Cape May County on May 4, 2017. The organization received the annual award in recognition of their significant and generous volunteerism and support of the Family & Community Health Sciences Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program.
The Oceanside Community Club, a non-profit women’s organization created for service to the Cape May County community, was unanimously selected by the Council for their ongoing partnership with Family & Community Health Sciences (FCHS) and their Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program.
Marilou Rochford, Family & Community Health Sciences Educator for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County said, “We are very proud of the partnership that we have had with the Oceanside Community Club for nearly ten years. We are so grateful for the generous support that they have provided for our grandparents and their grandchildren over the years.”
Some of the clubs contributions include, donating Christmas gifts for the children, food items and gift cards for holiday meals, beauty products for spa baskets for the grandparents distributed during a wellness night, sunscreen for summertime safety, tooth brushes and tooth paste for Children’s Dental Health Month and school supplies for heading back to school.
“Our grandparents face many challenges as they step in unexpectedly to care for their grandchildren. They become parents for the second time around. This means they can no longer function in their grandparent role. They face many struggles together. The donations from the Oceanside Community Club have brought much joy to both the children and grandparents of the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program. Their generosity at the holidays as well as throughout the year have truly made a difference,” added Rochford.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension is honored to have the support of such a dedicated group of approximately 30 women whose mission is to give back to the community. The Club, originally started in the late 1970’s by the spouses of Kiwanis members, also sponsors a scholarship program, supports the Lower Township school dinner program, and helps those in need in Cape May County.
The Extension Advisory Council members are volunteers who help to advise the faculty and staff who direct the three program areas of Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) of Cape May County. Each year, the Council awards an individual or group who has made a difference in at least one of the three program areas of Agriculture & Natural Resources, 4-H Youth Development, and Family & Community Health Sciences (FCHS).
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County helps both youth and adults improve their knowledge and skills, enhance their quality of life, and resolve problems in areas of food, nutrition, health and wellness; food safety; agriculture; environmental and natural resource management; and youth development. This is accomplished through the use of science-based knowledge and university research. Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an education organization within the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and is an equal opportunity program provider and employer.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension’s education programs are offered to all without regard to race, religion, color, age, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
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