Shop Local and Support the Local Ronald McDonald House

Four students have created an event allows holiday shoppers to purchase gifts locally and raise money for a great cause.

Local businesses in Fair Haven will donate a portion of their sales on Saturday, December 10 and/or give monetary donations to the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) of Long Branch.

Sarah Delaney, member of the RMH Junior Board, says Fair Haven is a perfect fit for their fundraiser. “Our community has always been really supportive of our efforts and I feel like a lot of people don’t even realize that the house in Long Branch is right in our back yard. This event really demonstrates how generous our community is while it also spreads awareness about the great mission the house has.”

RMH’s mission is to provide a true “home away from home” for families of seriously ill children who receive care at medical facilities near their locations in Long Branch and New Brunswick, NJ. RMH also offers Family Rooms and a Hospitality Suite in the pediatric units of three hospitals in Monmouth County.

The RMH Junior Board devlops a variety of events to fundraise for this mission even year including a Polar Bear Plunge in Sea Bright (See photos to the right of this article).

When Junior Board Co-Chairs Ben Sherman, Emily Hayes and past Co-Chairs Sarah Delaney and Elise Keale decided they wanted to have this event in Fair Haven, they approached with the idea and he gave them his full support.

“We scheduled a meeting with the mayor and he was very receptive and supportive of what we want to do," Keale said in a release. "We then presented the idea to the comprised of local business owners and over 25 signed up."

Participating local businesses include: ; , , , , , , , , , , Anders Technology Supervisors, , Stewart's Plumbing and Heating, Edward Jones Investments, , , , , , , , and among others.

"It's great to see young people get involved in their community, and all of Fair Haven should be proud of the effort they are making to not only raise money for Ronald McDonald House, but to attract customers for our local businesses," Mayor Halfacre said. "The Borough Council is supportive of the event, and we all look forward to shopping locally for a cause on the 10th."