Jersey Shore Dream Center’s Annual Serve24 Inspires Youth with Olympics-Themed Day of Service

NEPTUNE TOWNSHIP/ASBURY PARK, NJ — The Jersey Shore Dream Center presented its annual Serve24 community event in Springwood Park on Saturday, July 20, with the goal of helping local youth in need.

Every summer for the last decade, the Dream Center has partnered with local organizations to host a full day of service dedicated to the local community, explained Liz Seaman, Director of Operations and Marketing for the Dream Center, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving the underserved on the Jersey Shore and surrounding areas.

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“We really believe in investing in our community and making sure that everyone feels valued, loved and supported by our organization,” Seaman said, adding, “We really want this event to emit a spirit of being in the service mindset 24 hours a day.”

This year’s theme was Serve24 Olympics, which included a Nike sneaker giveaway, free food and a variety of activity stations including hurdles, sprints, long jump and basketball.

Olympian Javelin thrower Barbara Friedrich-Parcinski was a guest speaker at the event and brought her original Olympic torch. “I’m hoping the children will look up to me as a role model,” explained Friedrich-Parcinski, who was a member of the U.S. track and field team at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

“This is an amazing event and I’m very proud of the Jersey Shore Dream Center for running it. It’s a good idea for the kids,” she added.

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Dozens of volunteers assisted the participating youth at the stations and Monmouth University track and field coach Mike Nelson helped coordinate the different activities. Dick’s Sporting Goods in Brick Township sponsored the games and provided water bottles, sunglasses and string bags. Each participant also received a custom medal.

“I love our volunteers. We get the benefit of having them serve us, but I know being a volunteer you also get the benefit of serving others,” Isaac Friedel, who founded the Jersey Shore Dream Center in 2012, said.

The Dream Center surpassed last year's achievement by distributing 235 pairs of sneakers, exceeding the previous total of 195.

“We chose this item because it gives children confidence, and the ability to play outside with friends, try out for sports teams, exercise, and be prepared for school,” Friedel said. All participating families were pre-registered and volunteers from the Dream Center shopped for each individual child.

“We actually buy the shoes with each child in mind. Anything that is left over at the end we give out as well, we always make sure the sneakers are distributed to families in need,” Seaman noted.

It was Amarachi Abaraonye’s first time attending the Serve24 event in which her five daughters participated. “I love it. I am so happy to be here and I am glad my kids are having fun and enjoying it,” Abaraonye said, adding, “The sneaker giveaway helps get the kids ready for school.”

About the Jersey Shore Dream Center

The Jersey Shore Dream Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving the underserved on the Jersey Shore and surrounding areas.

“Our ethos is to find a need and fill it. There are some incredible organizations at the Jersey Shore and we don’t compete with them, we want to work with them,” Liz Seaman, Director of Operations and Marketing for the Dream Center said, adding, “We look for gaps in the system to try to see what bridges we can cross to make sure that things that aren’t being addressed are addressed.”

The Dream Center offers a Mobile Food Truck which delivers groceries to neighboring communities at the Jersey Shore in both Monmouth and Ocean counties. Deliveries are made every Thursday and Friday, rain or shine, to dozens of locations in the greater Asbury Park and Neptune areas.

Those interested in volunteering on the food truck can contact the Dream Center here for more information.

Anyone in need of groceries, may call (877) 391-5732) or email ( jerseyshoredreamcenter@gmail.com ) the Dream Center for more information.

“We bring the food bank to those people every week consistently at the same time so they know they can get groceries at those times,” Seaman said.

The Dream Center also offers a Baby Pantry and it is one of its largest growing outreaches.

“Diapers are incredibly expensive and daycares require you to leave a supply on hand in order to leave your child. So for a lot of families if you can’t afford that, you can’t leave your child in daycare,” Seaman said.

“We have really been able to expand with the help of some grants from Monmouth County. We have families that are registered and they come every month to receive a month's supply of diapers for their children up to age four. Wipes and clothing are also available if they need them,” Seaman explained.

Overall this program has grown 350 percent in the last three years.

To volunteer at the baby pantry, contact the Jersey Shore Dream Center here .

The original Dream Center in Los Angeles was founded in 1994. The Dream Center network is a volunteer-driven organization that finds and fills the needs of over 80,000 individuals and families each month.

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