Winners Just Announced in Candy Buy-back Program – They Will “Pay It Forward”
Finally! A frightfully nice dry Halloween night filled with excited Trick or Treaters who could turn some of the candy they collected into cash in Dr. Ron Rotem’s ninth annual Halloween Candy Buy-back Contest. Everyone who donated the Halloween candy they collected received $1.00 a pound up to 10 pounds. The individual and the class that donated the most candy, however, received special prizes.
This year, both winners intend to “pay it forward” by helping others. Ten-year-old Cassandra Trentacosti, a student in East Dover Elementary, Toms River, won a $50.00 gift certificate by turning in 10 pounds of candy, the most collected by an individual. Cassandra plans to go shopping with her mom to buy items, such as shampoo, deodorant, hand sanitizers, and other sundries, that she will ship to an overseas military group.
Danielle Trentacosti, Cassandra’s mother, said, “Her dad served as a Marine. Now her uncle and her cousin are Marines serving overseas so she knows how much care packages are appreciated.”
The class that donated the most candy, 183 pounds total, was actually a club of fifth graders at the Herbertsville Elementary School, Brick. Ms. Sara Ball and Cherylan Shea, advisors to the Early Act Club, the youngest members of Bricktown Rotary Club, won $400.00 to use in the classroom.
Ball reported that the fifth graders decided to donate their winnings to buy supplies for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), which raises money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. They plan to use any money they have left to meet with some high school special needs students to play games and have refreshments.
Because no public or private schools were able to participate in the Candy Buy-back Contest last year due to Super Storm Sandy, Dr. Rotem donated $400.00 to the Toms River Regional Schools Hurricane Relief Fund.
As a father of three, Dr. Rotem began his annual Halloween Candy Buy-back program for children and schools nine years ago. “Obviously, the less candy kids eat, the better it is for them and their teeth, but other benefits can also be gained from this contest.”
Although Dr. Rotem’s practice at 355 Lakehurst Road, Toms River, focuses on cosmetic dentistry and conscious sedation for adults, he feels this annual contest reinforces a sense of civic duty and community involvement by sending the candy to our troops as well as an incentive to save teeth from decay.
For the first time this year, six members of the newly created Toms River High School North Military Club volunteered to help pack all the Halloween candy into a van, donated by Greater Media Radio Station WJRZ. The students delivered the candy to the Toms River Armory where members of ARMS (American Recreational Military Service), will package and ship the candy to our troops. http://www.supportarms.org/.
For further information, call Dr. Rotem’s office at 732-341-8500.
About Dr. Rotem: Dr. Rotem was graduated from NYU College of Dentistry in 1991. His practice focuses on cosmetic dentistry and conscious sedation for adults only. Dr. Rotem belongs to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is affiliated with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, NJ Chapter of the Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the Dental Organization of Conscious Sedation, the International College of Cranial Mandibular Orthopedics, the American Dental Association, the New Jersey Dental Association, Monmouth/Ocean Dental Society, and the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Rotem is an active member of the Crown Council. He is also a member of the Jersey Shore Business Network, Toms River, and the Toms River Chapter of Toastmasters.