Shore House members and supporters shown marching in the 2020 Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
Long Branch’s Shore House Named Beneficiary of Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade:
Funds Raised Will Support Programming in Wake of Pandemic
Funds raised by the Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Committee will go toward the Shore House’s new transportation program.
Long Branch, NJ, March 5, 2021 — While the streets of Rumson will not be filled with bagpipe music as planned this weekend, the spirit of the day will live on. Shore House – the Long Branch-based nonprofit with a mission of empowering and restoring hope, independence and self-worth for people living with a mental illness – was named beneficiary by the 2021 Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. The funds are being used to support and expand Shore House programming in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
“We cannot hold the parade but the community still needs the services of our local organizations, such as our 2021 beneficiary Shore House. In fact, it’s even more crucial that we help support mental health access during this critical time,” said Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee Member Jamie McManus. “The Parade Committee provided funding that has enabled the organization to continue to operate and serve people suffering from severe mental illness during this challenging time.”
“Being able to provide a continuum of programming throughout the pandemic has been essential for our members. This past year, we never shut down and continue to be one of the only programs in Monmouth County to remain open to help the vulnerable population living with a mental illness. Our mission is more critical than ever and we’re proud of the work Shore House is doing to ‘make waves for mental wellness’ in our communities,” added Peder Hagberg, President and Founding Board Member of Shore House. “The generosity of The Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee at this time enables us to fund many important components of our day-to-day operations. We thank them for their commitment to us, and to the community.”
“These funds will go toward our transportation program to get members to Shore House so they won’t isolate,” added Shore House Executive Director Susan Mazzeo, LSW. “We’ll also be able to direct funds to our culinary unit to purchase groceries for our daily nutritious meal, and to our clerical unit where members learn or relearn job skills that they can use to find paid employment. We are grateful for the opportunity to expand these services.”
As New Jersey marks one year since the pandemic began to affect the state, some of Shore House’s notable accomplishments since March 2020 include:
- Hosted 188 Zoom meetings
- Made 660 reach out phone calls to members
- Hosted six outdoor socials
- Averaged 13 members per meeting
- Created an anthology with Project Write Now
- Provided access to technology and fitness to nearly half of our active members (and, members were trained to use Zoom, Slack Google Docs and Sheets)
About Shore House, Making Waves for Mental Wellness
With more than 1 in 5 Americans struggling with mental illness, Shore House (@shorehousenj) is a community based, non-residential psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery program that empowers and restores hope, independence and self-worth for people living with a mental illness. Having met the stringent criteria set by our governing body, Clubhouse International, Shore House, based in Long Branch, is the first and only accredited Clubhouse in New Jersey. The Clubhouse model is listed in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices as an effective modality of support. This model has been implemented in 34 countries around the world, with 330 Clubhouses serving over 100,000 members. We currently have 145 members at Shore House, growing steadily. Membership is free, voluntary and without time limits.
About the Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade (@Rumsonstpats) celebrates Irish heritage and provides charitable gifts to local organizations improving our community. To date the Parade has provided more than $200,000 in support to over 22 local organizations that also strongly believe in the spirit of giving. Thanks to the generosity of local businesses, individual donors, corporate sponsors, participants, and volunteers, The Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a community event that will continue to give back for decades to come.
