I’ve been involved with many organizations over the years and all of them contribute greatly to the communities they serve. This morning I want to tell you a little bit about one of them because it is unique in nature and flies pretty much under the radar.
The Toms River Student Loan Fund was founded in 1937 by Dr. Edgar M. Fink who was the Supervising Principal of the Toms River Schools. He reached out to local business leaders and asked for contributions to assist graduates of Toms River High School who were planning to attend college.
The idea was to loan money to these graduates and of course they would repay the loan with interest and that money would be used to make additional loans.
According to the archives the first large contribution came in 1941 when George Ohl, Jr. actually donated a block of lots in Cranmoor Manor. It was not easy but eventually those lots were sold and the Student Loan Fund received nearly $1300. Try and imagine what that property would be worth today. Anyway for more than seven decades the fund has been in existence and now assists graduates of three high schools….South, North & East. Qualified applicants receive $2000 per year for their undergraduate and graduate studies and it’s fair to say that thousands of students have been helped. As a trustee I can tell you that we operate with all volunteers, have very little overhead and take the dollars that come in and loan them to help students. We do receive contributions from individuals and organizations, including trusts, planned giving and life insurance donations.
Once a year we host a cocktail reception which serves as both a fundraiser and an opportunity to recognize a community leader and outstanding teachers. That event will be held on Thursday, October 14th at the Quality Inn of Toms River and as part of the reception we will honor Joe Placente and the 20 current “Teachers of the Year” from the Toms River Regional School District. Tickets and sponsorship information are available at our web site, www.trslf.com or you can certainly contact me for further information. We’re also selling $100 raffle tickets with three cash prizes
and like we’ve done for 73 years all proceeds will help Toms River High School students continue their education.
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