By Elizabeth Wulfhorst
TINTON FALLS – Last Saturday and Sunday, the Two River area experienced another nearly perfect “local summer” weekend. And if you spent either of those days on a Long Branch beach, you might have Mia Grossman and a cohort of high school students to thank for its pristine condition.
For the second year in a row, Mia, a senior at Ranney School, organized a largescale beach cleanup through her school’s Key Club. Mia has been a member of the international service organization since her freshman year. After serving on the board of Ranney’s club, she now serves on the state board as New Jersey’s Division 10 lieutenant governor, overseeing nine schools in the area. Through this position, she was able to organize over 70 students from across Monmouth County to help with the Sept. 20 cleanup. The volunteers came from Allied Academy of Health and Science, Colts Neck High School, Henry Hudson High School, High Technology High School, MAST, Ocean Township High School, Ranney School and Red Bank Regional.
“There’s a lot of community service that people do” through Key Club and other organizations, Mia explained, but a beach cleanup is something special for her. She participated in beach cleanups growing up (such as Clean Ocean Action’s biannual Beach Sweeps).
“What I liked about the beach cleanups is, it’s real, actionable service. You actually see the difference that you’re making,” she said. “Looking at the beach before and then, just two or three hours after, you actually see how much trash (you collected and) the difference that you actually made.”
At this year’s cleanup, the students collected around 20 bags of trash which were all brought to a “local public waste center for proper disposal,” Mia said.
While most of the trash was just that – trash – there were some interesting finds that underlined the need for the cleanup.
“Surprisingly, we found an absurd number of zip ties!” Mia said. “While they might not seem that unusual, they’re definitely dangerous to leave lying around. Someone also found a deflated balloon, which reminded us how even small things can have a big environmental impact.”
Mia and her family are big beachgoers, one of the reasons she felt compelled to start the cleanups.
“I’ve just always noticed, even when I’m driving in the car, how much trash there is just on the street, on the beach,” which she said always upset her.
She chose Long Branch as the site of the cleanup because it “has a long stretch of shoreline where trash frequently washes up,” she said. After last year’s successful cleanup, she “knew it would be a great location to return to this year.”
Mia is currently looking for a location for a possible park cleanup to coincide with Earth Day this spring. “I’d really love to expand my efforts beyond just local beaches. I think focusing on a park would be a great way to broaden the impact and get more people involved,” she said.
As a high school senior, Mia is deep in college application season, noting she wants to major in biology, but is considering a minor in environmental science. She said it will depend on where she ends up. She is looking at schools in the Northeast and those that have “a lot of nature,” she said.
“It’s something I really enjoy, spending time outside.”
She hopes next year’s Key Club members will carry the mantle and continue the cleanup efforts. “At the beach cleanup, I was trying to scout people” to determine who could take her position as lieutenant governor and run the cleanup next year.
“Through my leadership role on the New Jersey District Board of Key Club International, I’ve been able to connect with like-minded teens who are passionate about making a difference,” she said, noting the role has connected her with students from across the state, not just the Two River area.
“This role has given me a platform to create service opportunities not just for my school, but for students statewide.”
Ranney Key Club’s next event will be a Halloween trunk-or-treat with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County. The club also does an annual diaper drive for Pinwheel Place and a toy drive in December.
The article originally appeared in the October 9 – October 15, 2025 print edition of The Two River Times.
