What a Weekend!

Oct 18

Last weekend was a spectacular weekend … in Buffalo, NY. I was honored to preside at my niece's and now husband's wedding in a small town outside of Buffalo. [I was grateful it didn’t snow!] Unfortunately, that meant that I could not be here for the Spaghetti Dinner, Car Raffle drawing, and 18-Mile Run. It is one of my favorite weekends on LBI, but family called.

Let’s start with the food! I heard that this year’s Spaghetti Dinner was fantastic! We had over 300 people in the Center gymnasium Saturday night! Thank you to Lorri and Joe D’Orsi, their great kitchen crew, and the incredible servers. They are a great group, and they know how to hustle. A lot of work goes into making dinner for that many people and serving it to such a crowd! Of course, dinner would not be complete without dessert. Thank you to everyone who donated a dessert or beverage to compliment a great meal.

Thank you to Olive Garden of Manahawkin, which provided the salad with its famous dressing, and to Pietro's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria of Manahawkin, for donating the Italian bread. The next time you are in Olive Garden or Pietro’s, please thank them for supporting St. Francis Parish & Center! Thank you to Michael Corliss, who entertained the crowd with song, and the wonderful Mistress of Ceremonies, Pat Heimlich.

Finally, thank you to Lorri and Joe for not only leading the charge of the Spaghetti Dinner but also sponsoring it. They are good stewards of St. Francis Parish & Center. We appreciate their giving of their time, talent, and treasure to our great parish.

Thank you to Amy Marks for coordinating the 2024 Car Raffle. With the help of Lisa and Bill Tyson this year’s car raffle was a great success. Once again, we sold out and had a great drawing. Thank you to the merry band of faithful friends who helped process the raffle books once they were returned to the parish office. Applause of great gratitude is necessary for the work of Sydney Marks, for inputting all entries into our database, and to Rosemarie Kunz, Peggy Talbot, Arlene Padova, Ann Rodier, Marlene Siegle, Stephanie Garofalo, Janice Hritz, and Marlene Volaric for writing the names and addresses on all the books sold online or mailed in AND for preparing each book for the drawing.

Thank you to Michelle DiBella, Special Events Coordinator; Debbie Norwillo, Volunteer Coordinator; and Moira Krier, PR Coordinator, for all their help with the dinner and run.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Spaghetti Dinner and to all who purchased a Car Raffle book! The Car Raffle drawing is our largest fundraiser and a great help to St. Francis Parish & Center. Thank you all for your generosity and support!

The lucky winners of our 2024 Car Raffle are:

Buick Envista Preferred, Red – Brian Sanchez, of Manahawkin, NJ
Buick Envista Preferred, Blue – Peter Killeen, of Manahawkin, NJ
Buick Encore GX, Preferred – Terry McShane, of Barnegat, NJ
GMC Terrain SLE– George Mishkin, of Davie, FL/Long Beach Twp, NJ
GMC Canyon Elevation Truck – Ann Dastugues, of Manahawkin, NJ

Early Sunday morning, our 12K and 18-Mile runners were ready to go! Thank you to Colleen Yerves, our Recreation and Aquatic Center Coordinator, and all the staff and volunteers who organized the races. It was our largest turnout in years.

We are grateful to the Long Beach Township Police Department, Long Beach Township Fire & EMS, and all of the Police and Emergency Services on LBI for their support. The boulevard can be a challenge on busy days, and with 1,100 runners, it gets… interesting.

A big thanks to Tracey Schmidt and the Long Beach Township Beach Patrol, the Barnegat Light First Aid Squads, the Coast Guard, Don Myers, and the Southern Regional High School Interact Club for help and support at the finish line.

Thank you to The Sandpaper for the use of their trucks, Nardi's Tavern for the use of their bus, and Morning Start Vending Services for donations at the finish line for the runners.

Finally, of course, thank you to the runners—you inspire us all to push beyond our limits. Your example is truly admirable. May God continue to bless all of us with the courage and grace to run the good race. May we continue to be an example of a strong community that comes together, works together, to accomplish something great for everyone. Thank you!
Wishing everyone peace and all good.