Ocean of Love Billboard: Give Whatever You Can

For the 21^st year our sister station 105.7 The Hawk is going to bat for Ocean of Love, an Ocean County-based group that assists children and their families dealing with childhood cancer.

I would imagine the majority of you are somewhat familiar with this organization which provides financial and emotional support to those who not only have to cope with the reality of cancer striking a child but often the mounting bills and expenses that accompany the horrors of this dreadful disease.

Every October The Hawk goes all-in to raise money and awareness for Ocean of Love and for the 12^th time on-air personality Andy Chase is living on top of a 30-foot high scaffold in the Target/Lowe’s parking lot on Hooper Avenue in Toms River.

It actually did start with him living on a billboard which accounts for the name but the scaffold is a bit safer.  Andy spends most of his day on a 20 x 7 foot area that does not have many of the comforts of home but he’s been blessed with pretty good weather for the later part of October.

He went up Monday at 5 p.m.  and in a change from years past will come down tonight sometime after 8 p.m.  This annual event used to end on Friday and while it’s 24 hours shorter this year the goal remains the same: to raise $105,700.

That’s a big number and certainly a challenge with one less day.  While there will be some big donations what makes this such an awesome effort is the many smaller ones.  People come from all over to make a personal contribution with some bringing jars filled with change, often collected by school children and other groups.

Those heart-felt efforts are what not only inspires Andy but the Ocean of Love staff and volunteers for whom dealing with childhood cancer is not a once a year thing but a 24/7 challenge.

Going into today the total is just over $85,000 and the good news is you have all day to make a donation.  If you can’t stop by in person you can donate online at 1057thehawk.com or by calling 732-505-1057. While Andy deserves to be the focal point of this effort there are many others who deserve praise now and in years past to help raise some $2 million for a grass-roots organization that deserves our support.

Cancer sucks and childhood cancer sucks even more.  Ocean of Love can’t cure a sick child but they can ease some of the pain in other ways.  Give whatever you can.