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With the goal of ensuring Asbury Park families have access to local beaches, regardless of their income, Sen Vin Gopal [D-Long Branch] has pledged to match up to $2,000 in donations from June 6-12 to the Beach Badge Community Fund.

“Our beaches are the lifeblood of Jersey Shore communities like Asbury,” Gopal said in a written statement. “In Asbury Park, though, more than 30% of residents live below the poverty level, which can strain parents’ abilities to take their kids to the beach. If out-of-state tourists can enjoy the pristine beauty of our beaches, I believe that our impoverished residents deserve that same daytime access as well.”

The Beach Badge Community Fund, created in 2018 by Asbury Park resident Lisa Cramp, is a fundraising program whose funds are used to purchase seasonal beach badges for low-income Asbury Park families.

“When you’re struggling to put food on the table, it can be hard to come up with the money for a beach pass – even if you have kids who would love nothing more than to swim and build sandcastles on the beach down the street,” said Cramp. “Even when the beaches close for the night, no lifeguards are on duty, which means that these local kids still can’t swim safely.

At time of press, the Fund has raised $17,493 of its $15,000 goal, organizers said.

“Last year, we raised an astounding $10,000 to help these families enjoy the beach together – for some kids, for the first time in their lives,” Cramp said. “This year, I’m hoping to make our Beach Badge Community Fund bigger and better. But to do that, we’ll need all of the help we can get.”

Seasonal adult beach passes cost $70, with each additional teenager’s pass costing another $20.

“Last year, I was blown away by the generosity of our community and by the willingness of people around the country to help these families share a day at the beach,” Gopal said. “That’s one of the simplest, most beautiful joys of living on the Shore. If we can help even one more child enjoy that gift, it will all be worth it.”

The seasonal beach badges are distributed by Trinity Church and The Boys & Girls Club of Monmouth County. Residents can donate through GoFundMe at gofundme page and are encouraged to share the fundraiser via Facebook.

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