Giving to Moore from the Jersey Shore

Fair Haven parent Kim Goione says she knows firsthand the power of community volunteerism.

She saw it and immersed herself and her family in it when Hurricane Sandy hit neighboring Sea Bright.

Knowing how a little help and positive planning and thinking can go a long way, the family decided to reach much farther this time to Moore, Oklahoma after the devastating tornadoes hit.

"My son, Max, and I came up with a plan," she said. "He, along with me, created a Facebook Page called Jersey Shore Gives Moore to help raise items to be shipped to Oklahoma. He sent an email to RFH, requesting the high school be a drop off location for immediate supplies. They agreed, along with Knollwood School in Fair Haven, and they collected certain items to send off to an Elementary School in Oklahoma City!"

Last week, RFH and Knollwood students met at the Goione home to ready items for shipping. It was rainy and the Goione home was filled with the spirit of giving as kids bustled back and forth anxious to get some help on its way to Oklahoma.

They had a lot to say about the experience — all of it earnest and heartfelt.

Max Goione, 16, is the student who was inspired to start the drive, stressed that it's not the monetary worth of the item donated, but the sincerity with which it was sent. "Even the smallest donation can mean a great deal to a community in need," he said.

"We really can relate to what happened to them, especially after Hurricane Sandy," said seventh grade Knollwood student Carson Rea, recognizing that Sandy was minute compared to the tornadoes. "It feels great to be able to give back to the kids of Oklahoma."

"It was great that the simple items that were so effortlessly in our hands will help out a community so much and will soon be in their hands helping them to recover," RFH student Eli Rallo said.