Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 7 64 JERSEY SHORE PROFILE THE JAY AND LINDA GRUNIN FOUNDATION, continued from page 63 Jill Ocone The Jay and Linda Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College not only hosts entertainers from around the world but also serves as a home for young performers at the Jersey Shore. Jersey Shore residents while providing students and local talent with a place to perfect their skills. The Center's seasonal schedule includes lectures and talks, plays and musicals, and concerts, many of which are geared for families and children. A num- ber of famous entertainers will take the stage at The Center this season including Arlo Guthrie, The Everly Brothers, Tony Danza, and Herman's Hermits. On the healthcare front, a severe head injury suffered by Linda Grunin in 2010 was the catalyst for change at the Jersey Shore. At the time, Jay had no other choice but to bring his wife to a facility in north Jersey. After Linda's recovery, a conversation between the two led to the idea to end that "race up north." Thus, the Jay and Linda Grunin Neuroscience Institute at RWJBarnabas Community Medical Center was established with a $3.5 million endowment from the Foundation. The Neuroscience Institute provides the highest quality advanced care to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases of the brain, spi- nal cord, and nervous system with a highly skilled team of specialists right here in Ocean County. Also on the healthcare front, The Inspiration Boutique at the J. Phillip Citta Regional Cancer Center at RWJBarnabas Community Medical Center opened in 2013 after the American Cancer Society reached out to the Grunin Foundation. There was a need for a place where cancer patients could go to receive cosmetic items, and The Boutique fulfilled that need. Patients undergoing cancer treatments are provided with free wigs and accessories. The Inspiration Boutique has since expanded their offerings to include appearance con- sultation, therapies such as Reiki, other types of hair loss replacement alternatives such as brows and lashes, a comprehensive breast care program, mastectomy products, and more. One of the non-profit partners of Impact Toms River is Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Ocean County (BBBSOC). By partnering with the Grunin Foundation, BBBSOC was able to rekindle its relationship with the Toms River Regional Schools, which had to end similar programs due to budget cuts. As a result, 185 children who were waiting to be matched with a big brother or sister found their mentor, and the BBBSOC was ranked number one in the northeast region for match retention in 2015. The Ocean County YMCA, the United Way of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, and the Caregiver Volunteers of Central Jersey are also partners with the Foundation through Impact Toms River. With health and wellness campaigns and senior services at the forefront, the lives of countless Jersey Shore resi- dents have changed for the better as a result of these partnerships. The Impact2 Program This mission of the "Impact2" program is to support proven leaders, their solutions to challenge the status quo, and to create positive and sus- tainable system change. There are currently five selected Impact2 partners: Ocean Academy in Bayville, the Count Basie Collective Impact, Fulfill NJ, the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival, and the Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship at NYU School of Law. Through the Grunin Foundations' partnership with Ocean Academy, which is affiliated with Ocean Mental Health, students were offered yoga classes for the first time as an alternative to negative behavior. With support from every member of the Academy's staff, students are gradu- ating with more job placements and better grades than ever before. The Count Basie Collective Impact was developed in cooperation with foundation president Jeremy Grunin and several of the founda- tion's art partners, including Adam Philipson, Executive Director of the Count Basie Theater, the New Jersey Department of Art and Culture, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and the New Jersey Department of Education. Jeremy Grunin explained, "The Count Basie Collective Impact project, mindALIGNED, is a modern approach to teaching that challenges the notion that deemphasizing the arts in schools is necessary to leave time for Common Core education. Rather, mindALIGNED operates under the premise that incorporat- ing more of the arts into a creative teaching model improves outcomes for students and teachers alike." According to Grunin, the program is being piloted in six elementary

• Cover