CAI-NJ Jan. 2019 (w)

F.A.S.T. Update By Nicole D. Miller, Esq., Ansell Grimm & Aaron, P.C.

C AI-NJ’s young professionals group, the Future All Star Team (“F.A.S.T.”), had a busy, productive and exciting year in 2018! Almost every month of 2018, F.A.S.T. hosted a philanthropic event or fundraising initiative. New in 2018 was F.A.S.T.’s educational series, “F.A.S.T. TRACK” which ran once a week, for four weeks in June and focused on public speaking. Each of the four workshops was made up of different public speaking scenarios and was led by award-winning marketer and professional pub- lic speaking coach, Nicole Pace-Addeo, M.A. Keep an eye out for information regarding educational series from F.A.S.T. in 2019! We hope that you will join us! Also, new in 2018 was F.A.S.T.’s Habitat for Humanity Build Day held in September. Members of F.A.S.T., along with other CAI-NJ Members, volunteered for the day to assist in building a home for a veteran in Keansburg, New Jersey. The day was a fun-filled learning experience which benefited a local veteran. F.A.S.T. will be hosting anoth- er Habitat for Humanity Building Day, which is currently scheduled for May 8, 2019. Keep an eye out for informa- tion on how you can participate in FAST’s 2019 Habitat for Humanity Building Day! F.A.S.T. organized two fundraising events which ben- efited Unbroken Warriors in June 2018. These events included the “Shredding Day” and “Mulligan & Shot” at the Golf Outing. Collectively, F.A.S.T. donated $1,032.50 to Unbroken Warriors along with canned goods. The Spring Break Party brought the return of F.A.S.T.’s Food Drive where we collected 580 pounds of food for the Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. F.A.S.T. also held its School Supply Drive at the Beach Party, which collect- ed an entire truck full of notebooks, backpacks, pens, pencils, etc. that helped countless students head back to school fully prepared in the Long Branch School District. In July, F.A.S.T. hosted its biggest annual event, the CAI‑NJ Olympics. Proceeds collected through sponsorships, par- ticipants and spectators were donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey. This year’s addition of the “Slime

(below) Board Member, Jeffrey Logan, Guardian Service Industries, Inc. “Gets Slimed for Charity.”

Throne” was a huge success and doubled F.A.S.T.’s fundrais- ing efforts! F.A.S.T. raised a total of $10,020.24 which was presented to the Make-A-Wish Foundation at their Wishing Place in Monroe Twp., New Jersey on August 16, 2018. This is over $3,000 more than what was donated in 2017! With the amount donated, F.A.S.T. was able to fully fund a child’s wish. We were informed by Make-A-Wish that the money donated in 2018 has funded a five year old boy’s wish to go on a Disney Cruise!

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