Congratulations To Us … The Checks Are In The Mail
Monmouth County Historical Commission Grant Presentation Ceremony
We are thrilled to report that we were awarded not one but two grants from the Monmouth County Historical Commission! Last night at the Freehold Hall of Records was a presentation ceremony to all of the grant recipients of the History Regrants and the Preservation Grants.
History Regrants
We applied for a grant that qualified for a “History Grant for Special Projects” – to recreate, expand, and digitize our history book. We have found a limited number of copies of the book created in the 1980s as we were restoring our office on the second floor. It quickly became apparent that although this book is amazing and showed what fierce women the early club members were – there was some missing information. Hence we applied for a grant to help us reproduce the book in both print and digital versions. One of our goals is to make the book appealing to anyone interested in the history of our club, the clubhouse, the original Senator Anthony B. Reckless estate, and quite a bit of early Red Bank history.
We have already assembled some volunteers to work on this project and use their considerable talents. Jill Merriman and Kate Rafferty worked on writing the grant (a first for both of us). Mary Ellen Landolfi, a professional writer, will help with editing the original book and writing the new expansion info. Carol Ingaro, a graphic designer, will help with the cover design and book layout design. We’ll need more help throughout this year to find content, print, and digitize the book.
Preservation Grant
Joanne Farina and Jill Merriman wrote a grant to restore the rear porch. Whenever we have music or other events in the house, that back entry is used – but it is in terrible disrepair (aka rotting). This grant will help with the restoration of that entry.
2023 Monmouth County Grant Recipients
The evening was fascinating! There is so much history in Monmouth County and it was wonderful to hear about some of the projects that these organizations are working on. The Asbury Park African – American Music Project (AP-AMP) is restoring the Turf Club and has projects to celebrate the music and culture of Springwood Avenue in Asbury Park. The Friends of Monmouth Battlefield are preparing for reenactments. There were one-room schoolhouse projects, museum projects, library projects, and much more!
BTW: Our clubhouse will be on the 2023 Weekend in Old Monmouth Walking Tour – which is organized by the Monmouth County Historical Commission.