During the course of a decades-long career as an EMT/firefighter and paramedic in the Emergency Medical Services field, Jim Schatzle founded Team Life in 1994 to help others learn emergency-response techniques and have access to and training in lifesaving equipment.
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“Relationships are the fabric of society, and all it takes is one special connection to change your life,” shared Nicole Monat, Founder and Program Director of Friends Grow Friends (FGF), a nonprofit in Monmouth County. For many children, socializing does not come naturally and can cause a great deal of stress. Nicole created FGF to provide friendship groups for children in grades K-12, where those who struggle socially–with or without a diagnosis of special needs–can practice and develop social skills and make new friends. Nicole lives in Fair Haven with her husband, Jeff, and their three sons, Sam 12, Max 9, and Ben 7 (and pet fish, Mr. Crabs). CM met with Nicole to learn how the organization arose and who may benefit from participation.
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Her story is one of hope and determination. After being told pregnancy would be impossible for her, she endured her second bout with an aggressive cancer while pregnant. Despite the advice of specialists to terminate the pregnancy, she postponed needed treatments to keep her unborn child safe despite a possible Down syndrome diagnosis. Six and a half years later she is cancer-free, her son is healthy, and she has a new book coming out later this year titled Don’t Look Up the Mountain. The epitome of what a mother’s love can endure and provide, meet your neighbor Laila Hardy-Johnson.
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Believing people deserve a better quality of healthcare is the driving force behind his passion for his work and has led him to leave corporate medicine to focus on directly improving patient care by incorporating real education, lifestyle changes, and medication only when needed and appropriate.
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Lauren Doral is always one interview away from the next uplifting story. Through her Real Jersey Shore series on Facebook and YouTube, she has interviewed close to 1,000 locals – when and where she finds them. Her interviews have led to an invitation to become a co-host on a NJ-based streaming network’s weekly morning show, Coffee With Joe. And recently, she was approached by the Garden State Film Festival to consider doing interviews of the participating directors. Lauren lives in Fair Haven with her husband, Dan, their children, Oliver and Lia, their new rescue dog, Juno, and thier “forever dogs”, Claude and Margaux. Lauren found herself on the other side of the microphone in her recent interview with CM.
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A family chiropractor for more than 30 years, Dr. Richard Sanford is also certified as a weight loss coach. Having lived in Monmouth County for more than four decades, Dr. Sanford has lived in Holmdel for more than 20 of those years with his wife Deanna; their two adult children, Courtney and Marc, as well as their dog, Tucker, all grew up in town. Since 1982, Sanford Chiropractic & Central Jersey Weight Loss Center located in Red Bank on the Middletown border has been helping keep area residents healthy. Meet your neighbor, Dr. Richard Sanford.
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Dr. Kenneth Grossman & Dr. Christine Schafer Kenneth Grossman, MD has been a well-known dermatologist in Monmouth County since 1983 when he opened his first office in Red Bank. Having moved his family to Little Silver in 1986, Dr. Grossman also moved his office to Little Silver in 1991. This past summer, Christine Schafer, MD joined the practice and they formed Little Silver Dermatology, LLC.
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Seaview Orthopaedic and Medical Associates has more than 30 years of experience and a comprehensive array of orthopaedic services offered in six locations throughout Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Three years ago the practice welcomed a specialist in joint preservation and joint replacement surgery of the hip and knee. He and his family recently moved to Little Silver and love walking to school, biking the neighborhood, and living five minutes from the beach.
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Meet Johnny Kasun, the new talent in the local music scene. Johnny Kasun of Fair Haven has released his first album, Point of Interest, highlighting a unique fingerstyle guitar playing technique and his original songs. Johnny expressed gratitude to his parents, Dan and Meredith, for supporting all his aspirations, his sister, Anna, for lending her voice to countless background harmonies and to his brother, Michael, for “listening to the same three second interval of a song a million times over.”
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Meet your neighbor, Enda Keegan. After 25 years in the music business, Enda Keegan has taken his love for adventure and entertaining people and channeled it into a full-time business in real estate with Weichert Realtors in Holmdel on the Team Connors Team. Born and raised in Ireland, he emigrated to the U.S. when he attended a music conservatory in Virginia on scholarship. Moving to Holmdel three years ago with his wife, Anitra, and their son, Logan, he loves all that Monmouth County shares and enjoys living and working in a town with so much to offer.
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Fair Haven resident, author & illustrator releases new book Graphic novels, (books written in cartoon form), are more popular than ever with readers of all ages. Illustrator and author Mike Dawson was years ahead of the trend, bringing his musings and stories to life through cartoon drawings and his keen observations of human nature. He is the author of several graphic novels, with his latest, The Fifth Quarter, released this month for young readers. Inspired by his daughter’s foray into local sports, it tells the moving, relatable story of a fourth-grade girl’s determination to improve her basketball skills, as she also faces those preteen issues and family dynamics.
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Holmdel teen, Georgette, ‘Gigi’ Abinader is a sophmore at Monmouth University, studying Music Industry. She just released her first song; October by Gigi, which is now on Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, and Apple Music. CM interviewed GiGi about her new song release and the path that led her there.
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Artist Creates Beauty with Glass Artist Ira Rosenberg lives in Rumson with his wife, his two children, Emily and Erik, and their dog, Mack. Art has played a central part in Ira’s life, beginning with his childhood drawings, his formal art education, and culminating in a career at Nickelodeon spanning 25 years, where he is currently an Art Director.
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Meet Your Neighbor: Ingrid Read Becoming a mother is a profound experience, and Ingrid Read soon realized it also gives rise to many unforeseen feelings and questions, not only about motherhood, but also about balancing personal and professional ambitions. Three years ago, Ingrid found herself scouring the internet for some direction and knew she could not possibly be alone in feeling a bit lost. She recognized the sense it would make for information to be available all in one place, and so, while on maternity leave, Ingrid created Working Momkind, an online community now helping more than 176,000 moms worldwide find support and information. Last year, she added an additional layer of support–she is now a certified Postpartum Doula. Meet Ingrid Read, whose decision to solve a common problem has led to a source of comfort for so many.
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Meet Your Neighbor: Scott Novick What many of us considered an aging location that held great memories, Scott Novick saw as an opportunity. Alternate Ending Beer Co. (AE) opened its doors in October in what once was the movie theater in Aberdeen, honoring both childhood memories and a forward-thinking business model.
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Monmouth County is filled with creative people, and musician Kyle Ward fits right in. Kyle lives in Rumson with his parents Lynne and Hugh, his sister Maddie, and dog Ziggy. After attending Rumson-Fair Haven High School, Kyle continued his education at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He recently collaborated with fellow Rumson resident, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, on her original film, RUSHΣD, serving as assistant sound engineer and composing four original songs. Although he enjoyed a small acting part, music is definitely Kyle’s passion and at age 25, he already is a multifaceted accomplished musician. Meet Kyle Ward: performer, music teacher, producer, and composer.
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When meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary work, I’m always reminded of the story of the starfish. You’ve probably read it as well. The little boy is walking along the sand littered with thousands of beached starfish and throwing some back in the ocean. An old man questions why he would bother to help a few when there’s no way he can help them all, telling the boy his efforts don’t matter. The little boy, picking up another starfish and casting it into the water, tells the old man, “It mattered to that one.” After a medical mission to Uganda, Alexandra Cruz, PharmD, sponsored a child and changed her life forever.
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Creativity with a Purpose Lin Fong-O’Neill was born in China, raised in Hong Kong, and has lived in Colts Neck for more than 27 years and counting. Lin spent 33 years in the corporate world at J.P. Morgan Chase, managing global project implementation. She met her husband Ben there and in 1993, they moved to Colts Neck from New York with their son David, who is now married to Stephanie and has two daughters, Olivia and Catalina. A wonderful life together changed abruptly for Lin with the sudden passing of Ben last year.
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Jewelry is always a wonderful gift, and all the more appreciated when the pieces are unique and striking. Helene Palatianos Quinn, worldtraveler, is the woman behind Byzanthea, offering unique Byzantine-style pendants in gold and silver. With the holidays and special events on the horizon, CM met with Helene to find out more about her and how she started Byzanthea.
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Meet Cathy S. Davis, Independent College Counselor The college admissions process can be very stressful in “normal” times. Now, the pandemic has added layers of new issues and strategies as colleges change their requirements and methods, and students weigh their best options. Meet Cathy Davis, a former high school guidance counselor, guiding families for more than 25 years. She understands the students, the process, and as importantly, has built relationships with many admission departments.
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She looks at nutrition as medicine, believes in the mind-body connection, and uses your body’s GI system’s link to immunity to promote wellness. Now that her youngest child of four is in college, a doctor of 30 years has reeducated herself and started her own practice, Del Negro Integrative Health in Red Bank. Meet your neighbor from Rumson, Dr. Robyn Del Negro.
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The horse is our state’s animal. How appropriate that Monmouth’s own Jamie Baldanza photographs horses professionally and advocates for them passionately. Jamie’s involvement with horses is broad in scope, from documenting the plight of those bound for slaughter, to traveling across the world to Mongolia to cover the ancient endurance races still held today. But Jamie’s affinity for American Wild Mustangs catapulted her art and mission to new heights, culminating in the release this summer of the documentary, Wild Lands, Wild Horses, recognized in nine film festivals including a win at the Monmouth Film Festival.
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Laura Ciccone lives in Lincroft with her husband, Lou, daughters Brianna and Chloe, and their Chocolate Havanese, Wrigley. After twenty years in the corporate world, Laura leveraged her teaching and mentoring skills to open Class 101 Monmouth County in Hazlet to help families and students navigate the college admissions process. Laura is passionate about helping high school students find their future, and shared information and tips about college planning and applications.
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Sal Izzo Jr. of Shrewsbury is retiring after 68 years in the hairstyling business. Yes, you read that correctly, 68 years! Cutting hair and creating friendships have been central to Sal’s business, a long-standing community brand with deep multi-generational roots. I had the honor of receiving Sal’s last haircut and learned so much about his family’s legacy. His father, Sal Izzo Sr., gave me my first haircut in 1962. Here’s their amazing story of styling through the decades from my interview with Sal Izzo Jr.
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Franki of Middletown and April of Holmdel, describe their first meeting as “a divine alignment leading each of us towards our destinies.” The divine and destiny are constants throughout their story and led them to cofound a sanctuary for single mothers, children, and animals, firmly based in faith and positivity. The Sanctuary is already helping families, and the vision is to expand to a residential program.
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Award-winning chef David Burke has become one of the most-recognized culinary experts in the world through hard work and cultivating an extensive professional background through working in kitchens across many cultures
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A walk down Broad Street in Red Bank takes you past several stores serving yummy treats, but none have the long history or national notoriety of Carlo’s Bake Shop.
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Busy people get things done. Award-winning restaurateur, Marilyn Schlossbach is no exception. In fact, she may be leading the local charge on how to elevate hospitality, high adventure, and service above self as one of the busiest women at work in our area. So what’s a priority on her plate these days? If only there were one!
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