FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

COLTS NECK, NJ – Contributions by 133 volunteers to open space, parks and recreation in Monmouth County was celebrated at a luncheon recently at the Hominy Hill Golf Center.

 

Planting flower beds, removing invasive plant species, monitoring endangered bird species and assisting with therapeutic horseback riding lessons are a few of the ways these individuals contributed to the Monmouth County Park System’s Volunteer in Parks program in 2009.  

 

Monmouth County Freeholder Director Lillian G. Burry and Freeholder John D’Amico joined Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners Edward J. Loud and Thomas E. Hennessey Jr. on Sunday, March 7, in thanking the corps of volunteers who gave more than 40 hours of service to the Park System in 2009.

 

“Each volunteer has contributed time, talent, expertise and sheer willingness to serve a quality recreation agency,” Burry said. “Collectively, the volunteers have played a positive role in the 50-year history of the Park System and have also helped improve the quality of life in Monmouth County.”

 

“People of all ages, abilities and walks of life enjoy the county parks every day because of the efforts of the park volunteers,” D’Amico said. “The dedication of the volunteers to each other, our beautiful parks and the great recreation programs are part of what makes Monmouth County great.”

 

Ed Loud, Chairman of the county’s Board of Recreation Commissioners, thanked each of the volunteers as they accepted their recognition certificate.  

 

Jim Henry of Middletown reached a record-setting 4,000 hours of cumulative volunteer time given to the Park System that began in 2001. Volunteers who reached the 1,000-hour milestone for hours were Gerry Lingner of Long Branch, Alex Osnato of Middletown and Joyce Wingerter of Oceanport.  Louise DelCollo of Colts Neck marked 3,000 hours of service. Since 1993, 57 volunteers have contributed more than 1,000 hours of service.

 

During the event, volunteers and Park System staff recalled some of the special moments they had while acting as interpreters and demonstrators at Historic Longstreet Farm and Historic Walnford, winning first place in Sandy Hook’s All-Women’s Lifeguard tournament, removing 15,000 pounds of rubbish from an old refuse site, cleaning the beaches at the county’s ocean and bay front locations and handing out cups of water at race events. Service, commitment, and the desire to make Monmouth County a better place are some of the reasons volunteers work with the Park System each year.

 

The Volunteer in Parks program is an umbrella under which 895 individuals donated 21,003 hours of their time to help the Park System in 2009. Volunteer experiences ranged from opening new sections of trails to assisting with programs for individuals with disabilities.

 

Other volunteers help out at special events such as Creatures of the Night and the County Fair, lead hikes, and clear out water bars on trails. 

 

To find out how you can become a volunteer with the Monmouth County Park System, contact Karen Livingstone, the Park System’s Coordinator of Volunteers, at 732-842-4000, ext.4283, or email volunteer@monmouthcountyparks.com.

 

The Monmouth County Park System provides open space, park and recreation facilities and programs. The Park System manages 38 park areas and golf courses, offers more than 4,000 recreation programs, and welcomes more than 5 million visitors a year. For more information, call 732-842-4000, ext. 4256, visit www.monmouthcountyparks.com  or write 805 Newman Springs Rd., Lincroft, NJ 07738-1695.

 

Atlantic Highlands         Judy Curry-Phipps, Abree Murch

Fair Haven                   Alexanne Neff, Marianne White, Joe Carroll, Brittany J. Bierly

Freehold                       Mark Morris, Freehold , Linda Jensen, David E. Roche, Curtis D. Meade, Michael F. Ryan, Joanne Merali, Patrice McCoy, Janice Mundy, Barbara Duggan, Andrew Damato, Leslie E. Roche

Holmdel                       Kayla Dolan, Brooke Lichter, Lauren Blaha, James M. Livengood, Werner Aehlich, Melissa J. Pezzello, Frank Nofi, Branden M. Steinagle, Chitra Kallakuri, Tair Chen

Marlboro                      Deirdre A Messina, Kai Rau, Mitchell H. Appleman

Middletown                  Alex Osnato, Gail Mahoney, Robert L. Randall, Stavros Basis, Joan Berg, Joyce Henry, Jim Henry, Ryan Mullins, Ingrid Carlson, Emma Q. Wade, Carol Smith, Ann Marie V. Osnato, Barry I. Miller, James Carney, Janet F. Vivian, Jeanette Lingelbach, Jessica M. Viverito, Katie Zinneman, Debra Lotosky, David C. Atherton, Rosemary Bagwell, Susan L. Halle, Alison Nicole Kelly, Pete Brady, Pam Adams, James W. Atherton

Monmouth Beach         Deborah A. Palumbo

Neptune                       Stephanie Marie Hunt

Ocean                          Jonathan Goldfarb, Alison S. Weir,

Oceanport                    Joyce Wingerter, Rachel Rodriguez, Jane K. Threefoot

Red Bank                     Eileen Murphy, Sandy Burn, Michael Galanti, Julie Hunt, Alexis Pendolino, Emily Natale, Kevin Gallagher, Eric W. Poandl, Richard A. Yackel

Rumson                        Nancy Haaren, Marlis Schlegel-Steadman, Larry Canale

Tinton Falls                   Catherine Luick, Barbara Carroll, Theresa Hauge, Harden Fowler, Lois Lyons,
 Kelly Henderson

Toms River                   Michael Flatley

Union Beach                 Kristi L. Stoppiello

 

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