By DENISE HERSCHEL
Pick out your finest pair of jeans and your fanciest set of earrings to wear to the annual “Jeans and Jewels Holiday Fundraiser” Fri., Dec. 2 at the Shark River Fire Banquet Hall, 200 Brighton Ave., Neptune.
The MURC (Midtown Urban Renaissance Corporation) event, which is celebrating it’s 11th year, includes dinner, DJ/Dancing and a gift auction. According to Dianna Harris, MURC President, the event is the organization’s “biggest fundraiser so far.”
“However this year we started a breakfast fundraiser for the community garden and we are planning more to help in other areas,” she said,. “Proceeds from the jeans and jewels fundraiser goes towards operational expenses as well as community meetings and workshops.”
MURC ifunctions as liaison between this community (Midtown section of Neptune), the Township of Neptune, and CityWorks. The boundaries of Midtown are: Asbury Avenue to the North, Neptune Boulevard to the West, Corlies Avenue (Route 33) to the South, and Memorial Drive to the East.
According to Harris, MURC is involved in a variety of community projects. MURC has a community garden at Liberty Park on Monroe Avenue. They partner with the First Pentecostal Church on this project.
“This is our fifth year for the garden. The property was donated by the township and cleared by volunteers from churches and the community. It took two years to get it done before we received a grant from the Gannett Foundation to start the project four years ago,” she said.
For the past eight years MURC, along with other organizations, have been sponsoring an annual community clean up where youth are invited to participate.
“We feed them, give out t-shirts, and community service certificates. This year it was focused on,” she said.
The organization also sponsored a Back-to-School supply give-away. This year they gave 150 backpacks to Green Grove Schools, NASA summer achievement program and 50 to Neptune’s Housing Authority’s “Rise and Shine Summer Enrichment Program.”
According to Harris, MURC does community meetings every oher month starting in February inviting various speakers to keep the community informed. Their meetings are open to the public.
“MURC’S vision is growing and so is our need for your help. It is our goal to revitalize Midtown and to maintain this organization as a viable entity within the Township of Neptune,” Harris said.
Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.The buffet dinner includes pasta with meat, salad and dessert. For more information contact MURC president Dianna Harris at 732-616-2940.
