Care to Give Council Gives Back to the Community

RED BANK – The Care to Give Council (formerly the Riverview Medical Center Auxiliary) is a dynamic and welcoming volunteer organization dedicated to working with Riverview Medical Center and Bayshore Com­munity Hospital to advance the quality of health care in the community.
Since its establishment in 1929, the Riverview Medical Center Auxiliary has played an integral role in raising funds for the hospital; and as Bay­shore Community Hospi­tal, Riverview’s sister organization, joined Meridian Health in 2010, the River­view Auxiliary merged with Bayshore’s establishing the Care to Give Council (CTGC).
The Care to Give Coun­cil’s mission is to raise funds and awareness for the technologies and services at both hospitals. For more than 84 years, the council’s fundraising efforts have contributed thousands of dollars for state-of-the-art technologies, facilities and services that enhance patient care.
During the past year and a half, the council has donated approximately $50,000 to benefit patients at the Riverview Medical Center and Bayshore Community Hospital. These funds allowed for the purchase of robes and totes to provide physical and emotional warm­th for patients awaiting diagnostic treatment. This generosity helps make it possible to continue advancing the facilities cancer center by keeping up with the most modern treatments available.
The Cancer Center and Women’s Center, which have been the recipient of the Care to Give Council’s donations in the past, provides a full continuum of care for patients including family risk assessments, clinical trials, diagnostic imaging and diagnosis through the use of PET/CT scans, breast MRI, endoscopic ultrasound, digital mammography and other various screenings. Treatment is then administered through the latest chemo- and immuno-therapy options, radiation therapy using the region’s only Cyber­Knife System and numerous other options particular to each patient’s needs.
The Care to Give Council hosts numerous events through­out the year, such as its signature 300-person Party for Pink which benefits Paint the Town Pink, as well as a biannual art show and luncheons. Other less formal functions, such as walks and “get-togethers,” also exist.

For the third consecutive year, CTGC will host Party for Pink to benefit the Pink Fund on Friday, May 31, at the Navesink Country Club. The Pink Fund provides free mam­mography to uninsured and underinsured women in the community. This year’s event will honor Tria Deibert of Riverview Medical Center and the inspiration behind Paint the Town Pink, now in its seventh year, and Sally Harris of Ocean Grove, the very first volunteer to support Paint the Town Pink.
Deibert will receive the Vision Award, sponsored by Peter T. Hetzler, M.D. FACS. “As a husband, a father, a surgeon, and a community member, I am inspired by the way Tria Deibert and Sally Harris have brought our communities together, and empowered women to fight this disease that has so deeply affected my family and our patients,” Hetzler said.
The community has truly embraced the mission of the Care to Give Council and Party for Pink. Presenting sponsor, femme by Ashley, Red Bank, saw the need to support the women in her community. “As a new mom I can’t imagine not being there for my child. The medical progress that has been made in fighting breast cancer is amazing and early detection has made such a difference in so many women’s lives. I am once again honored to support Meridian Health’s, Paint the Town Pink’s, and The Care to Give Council’s united mission of creating awareness about annual mammography and making a difference in the lives of women in our community.”
Since her diagnosis in 2006, Harris has been a passionate voice in the fight against breast cancer. An advocate for an annual mammogram and prevention; she was one of the first women to be featured in and participate in Paint the Town Pink.
“The Care to Give Council will forever be grateful for her dedication to this cause and we are proud to honor her for everything she has done for us, our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, and our friends,” said Kelli O’Brien, Party for Pink chairwoman.
Sally’s husband and big­gest fan Norman agrees. “Sally is a giver and a doer. She has been involved in volunteer work forever. Pink Bank was just the right thing at the right time and she has been committed to fight breast cancer in this way, through this journey,” he said.
Visit PainttheTownPink. com or call 855-PINK411 for more details about Party for Pink and to purchase tickets.
The Care to Give Council offers an exciting and reward­ing opportunity to volunteer and learn new skills, meet new friends, explore new interests and gain personal satisfaction. There are many ways to get involved. Volun­teer efforts are welcome whether on a regular basis, or for a particular special event or service project. Care to Give Council committee work and special events appeal to a wide range of interests and talents.
“Most volunteers say the greatest reward is the personal fulfillment of supporting worthwhile causes, helping to make our community a better one, and assisting people at their time of need,” O’Brien said.
For more information about the Care to Give Council call 732-888-7343.