Community YMCA President-CEO Rhonda Anderson and Rotary Club of Red Bank President Ken Scaggs prepare for the 17th annual Two Rivers Food and Wine Tasting to be held at Navesink Country Club.

Press release from The Community YMCA

On Monday, April 24, the Rotary Club of Red Bank will present its 17th annual Two Rivers Food and Wine Tasting event, hosted at the  in Middletown and dedicated this year to The Community YMCA.

Scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m., the fundraising event will recognize the work of the Shrewsbury-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization CYMCA, and its mission to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to access life-changing Y programs and services.

Over 30 of the Two River area’s best eateries and liquor vendors will be providing samples of food, desserts, wine and spirits, including Ama, Anna’s Italian Kitchen, Barbara Gold, The Bistro at Red Bank, The Black Swine, Cheese Cave, Chef Dan, Circus Liquors/Spirits Unlimited, Clover Hill Coffee Roasters, Cupcake Magician, Dean’s Natural Food Market, Dish, Food Circus Super Markets, Inc., Gaetano’s, Grape Beginnings Wine School, Jerry’s Vodka, Kim Marie’s Eat and Drink Away, Lusty Lobster Seafood Market, McLoone’s Restaurant, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Salt Creek Grille, Shapiro’s Deli, Shore Point Distributing, Suzi’s Sweet Shoppe, Teak and Temple Gourmet.

Rhonda Anderson, President and CEO of The Community YMCA, said the nonprofit is grateful for being selected as the benefactor of this year’s event. Proceeds will support the Y’s Annual Campaign, which provides families in need financial assistance to enroll their children in before and after school care, counseling, summer camp, swim lessons, college readiness programs and many other youth development programs.

Tickets to the April 24 event are on sale now at $75 a person, with attendance limited to 400 people. Tickets  may be purchased online at www.redbankrotary.com. Sponsorships and digital ads, which will be on display throughout the evening, are also available by visiting the Rotary Web site or by calling (732)933-9111.

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In other news, The Community YMCA invites local community residents and businesses to attend its annual campaign launch on Wednesday, April 5, hosted at the CYMCA’s  Family Health and Wellness Center on Maple Avenue in Red Bank.

Going on between 6 to 8 p.m., The event will bring together Y members, volunteers and employees, as well as representatives from community organizations and individuals who have been affected in a meaningful and fulfilling way by the Y’s life-changing programs. The family-friendly event will feature entertainment from children in Y programs and stories of impact from Y participants. Guests will enjoy a light dinner and activities for kids, and free babysitting with advanced registration will be available for children 4 months to 7 years old.

This year’s Annual Campaign will be led by Carol Agresti, a member of The Community YMCA’s Foundation Board of Trustees and an active volunteer in the Y’s preschool program, which serves  approximately 175 children in Red Bank, Matawan and other northern Monmouth County communities. Last year, the community responded by donating more than $404,000 to the campaign, which provided financial assistance and program subsidies to 1,115 deserving children, families and individuals. From keeping kids safe after school and in the summer to preventing drowning and summer learning loss, donations to the campaign have a lasting impact on children and families.

Agresti noted that the theme of this year’s annual campaign is “Soaring to New Heights,” and the goal is to raise $550,000 for scholarships to help families in need send their children to after school programs and summer camp, enroll them in swim lessons, counseling or other programs. The campaign will also help fund specific initiatives such as:

• The Y’s Summer Learning Loss Prevention Program and other summer programs that seek to close the academic achievement gap that especially impacts children from low-income households.

•  Safety Around Water and other drowning prevention programs that teach children essential lifesaving water safety skills.

• Y Achievers, a college-readiness program that gives at-risk teens support to complete high school and enroll in college.

To volunteer, or for more information about attending the launch event on April 5, contact Jodi Grinwald, Development Director, at giving@cymca.org or (732)671-5505, ext. 119. To make a donation, go here.