Monmouth County Relief Foundation Gets Major Donation From Ocean First

An established Monmouth County Charity gets a sizable donation from the Ocean First Foundation to continue helping students and families after Sandy.

The Foundation, started as a provision of the creation of the Wall Township based bank, presented a check for $ 25,000 to the Long Blue Line Foundation of Manasquan.

The Long Blue Line started as a scholarship fund for a student Manasquan High School athlete. It was started by Vic Kubu, and in the wake of his death, his Wendy Kubu Callahan heads the non-profit. After the storm Kubu-Callahan establish the V.I.C. (Victory In Crisis) fund to specifically funnel relief money locally to the families of anyone in Mansquan High School, which covers from Avon to Brielle.

The VIC Fund has already raised $140,000 and helping 90 families.

Kubu-Callahan says guidance counselors assess need and provide that information to them.

“We’ve helped pay rent and mortgage payments, we’ve helped give money to anything they need as far as paying people to rebuild, to fix things, or mold remediation. Anything they’ve felt they’ve needed.“ says Kubu-Callahan.

In addition to essentials, the foundation also provides household appliances, and harkening to the Long Blue Line’s original goal, even giving gym clothes and sneakers for student athletes.

“For some of these kids who are even a junior, they might have a chance to play in a sport in college and they might lose that opportunity without a pair of cleats, or basketball sneakers, or wrestling shoes.” Adding many of the “little things” aren’t just for student athletes. “Maybe the kids whose laptop was gone, but every project in school requires technology and if you don’t have that you’re not going to be as successful as the kid next to you who wasn’t affected.”

Kubu-Callahan says the grant from Ocean First is the second large grant they’ve received, everything else as come from private donations.

“People who played for my dad, who were in college, out of college, who work in New York now and they knew the Long Blue Line would do the right thing. A lot of people of didn’t want to give to large organizations, they wanted to give somewhere where the money would stay close to home.”

Kubu-Callahan points out they take no salaries, not gas cards, all proceeds go to people.

The Ocean First Foundation has committed a total of $500,000 dollars to Sandy relief as well as volunteers and other resources.