Awesome Job Asbury Park
Organized through the combined efforts of Community
Karma, Asbury Park Little League and St. Stephen AME
Zion Church, the Asbury Park Holiday Toy Drive was a
tremendous success. With the continued support from
Kiwanis Club of Asbury Park and Church of Philadelphia,
this event was the culmination of months of hard work and
planning and was truly a celebration of the Asbury Park
community coming together to lend a helping hand this
Holiday season. Together, we were able to assist over
700 families, totaling close to 2000 children, with gift bags
filled with the season's most requested items, handpicked
based on their age.
The condo community showed their generosity and
supported the Toy Drive in so many ways. Asbury Ocean Club, North Beach, Deal Lake Tower, Esplanade, Vive and others all lended their support. Special thanks to North Beach for being one of the critical staging areas!
The support of the local business community was outstanding. We were able to be a part of fundraising events at The Stone Pony, Georgies Bar, Paradise, Kim Marie's Eat n Drink Away, Johnny Mac House of Spirits, Melting Trends & Bond Street Bar Basement. Many local businesses hosted collection boxes throughout the town, including Nails By Ginny, reMax, Rebel Supply Co., Larry Cadillac, Mutiny BBQ Company, Coastal Habitat for Humanity, Silverball Retro Arcade Asbury, and City of Asbury Park City Hall.
For the second year in a row, weekends at Asbury Park Boardwalk Convention Hall were an astounding success. During the month leading up to the Toy Drive, the Santa Station, which included delicious cookies from Confections of a Rock$tar was buzzing with children of all ages (including furry and feathered). In addition, The Circuit (Asbury Park) car photography was a sold-out event for two nights!!
A highlight of the event this year was the exciting addition to the community partnerships, Ja’Sir Taylor, NFL cornerback for the LA Chargers. A native of Asbury Park, and former AP Little League Player, Ja’Sir’s generous contribution to the toy drive made a huge difference in the number of families that received gifts.
The strength of these partnerships, both new and old, are what makes the Asbury Holiday Park Toy Drive an enormous success, planning for next year will begin shortly after the new year.
