The Shore's Giving Season Opens: MCF, American Littoral, and Junior League

The Shore's Giving Season Opens: MCF, American Littoral, and Junior League

Red Bank, Middletown, and the Next Five Decades of Monmouth Philanthropy

Three of Monmouth County's most respected philanthropic institutions are in a visible season of renewal this fall. The Monmouth Conservation Foundation is welcoming a new executive director and a refreshed board as it steps into its fiftieth-anniversary year. The American Littoral Society has launched a field-based conservation program for community-college students and continues its monitoring work on Dorn Island in the Navesink River. And the Junior League of Monmouth County, approaching a milestone anniversary, has gathered nearly 200 women around a shared commitment to volunteer leadership. Together they signal a shore that is not simply preserving its giving traditions, but actively retooling them for the next generation of families, students, and conservation projects.

Monmouth Conservation Foundation — A New Executive Director and a 50th Anniversary

From Succession Planning to a New Strategic Chapter

• January 27, 2026 — MCF announced that Executive Director William D. Kastning would transition after 14 years, with Jena Cosimo and Karen Keene serving as acting co-directors during a board-led search – monmouthconservation.org
• July 2026 — MCF named Tom Dallessio MCRP '84 as its new Executive Director, a nationally respected planner and policy expert with more than 40 years of leadership experience – monmouthconservation.org
• April 23, 2026 — MCF elected a new slate of 2026-2029 officers at its Annual Reorganization Meeting: Jack Tassini (President), Holly Boylan Flego (Vice President), Chris Rodriguez (Treasurer), and Benson Chiles (Secretary) – monmouthconservation.org
• MCF's stated mission under new leadership is to preserve at least half of the approximately 20,000 acres of undeveloped land remaining in Monmouth County – Rutgers Bloustein
• October 10, 2026 — MCF's Fall for Conservation Cocktail Party will be held at Navesink Country Club in Red Bank, honoring Valerie and Frank Montecalvo for their environmental leadership – Jersey Shore Scene

American Littoral Society — Field Work for the Next Generation

Coastal Conservation in Action and the Dorn Island Monitoring Station

• September 14, 2026 — ALS announced "Coastal Conservation in Action," an enrichment program that brings field equipment, habitat restoration sites, and real environmental surveys into community-college classrooms – littoralsociety.org
• May 30, 2026 — More than 70 volunteers from Evergreen Group constructed biodegradable shell bags, Reef Prisms, and tabby-concrete materials on Sandy Hook for installation at Dorn Island, a Navesink River monitoring station for shoreline protection – littoralsociety.org
• Fall 2026 — ALS staff will begin monitoring the performance of the materials installed at Dorn Island to inform large-scale habitat restoration decisions across the state – littoralsociety.org
• ALS is providing ecological oversight for Neptune Township's 2,050-foot living shoreline along South Riverside Drive – littoralsociety.org

Junior League of Monmouth County — 85+ Years of Trained Volunteer Leadership

From Red Bank's Junior Service League to a 200-Woman League

• Founded in 1939 as the Junior Service League of Red Bank; today JLMC brings together nearly 200 women across Monmouth and Ocean Counties – jlmc.org
• Members commit a collective 20,000 service hours annually to JLMC and more than a dozen partner organizations – jlmc.org
• Since March 2021, JLMC has collected over 103,000 period products distributed through partnerships throughout Monmouth County – jlmc.org
• The League's Women Making a Difference Community Volunteer Award is held at Navesink Country Club, recognizing women who make significant contributions to the community – jlmc.org
• October 15, 2026 — JLMC will host a Trivia Night at Skinny Flowers Brewing in Oceanport as part of its ongoing fundraising and community-building calendar – Patch

Why It Matters Locally

For Monmouth families, these three institutions represent different facets of the same commitment: MCF protects the land that makes the shore what it is; ALS turns conservation science into a hands-on career pathway for the next generation; and JLMC organizes the volunteer energy that keeps community projects moving from one season to the next. When a land trust changes leaders, a conservation nonprofit brings field work into community colleges, and a volunteer league marks another anniversary, the message to local families is simple: this shore has both the institutions and the people to sustain its giving for decades to come.

How to Get Involved

For families, donors, and new volunteers

• Monmouth Conservation Foundation: attend the Fall for Conservation Cocktail Party on October 10 at Navesink Country Club, or make a gift, bequest, or conservation easement – monmouthconservation.org · 732-671-7000
• American Littoral Society: join a fall bird walk at Sandy Hook, support the Coastal Conservation in Action program, or volunteer at a habitat restoration event – littoralsociety.org
• Junior League of Monmouth County: become a member, sponsor a project, or attend the October 15 Trivia Night in Oceanport – jlmc.org
• Consider a Community Foundation of New Jersey DAF grant to any of these institutions – cfnj.org

How Love of Humanity supports this work

Love of Humanity (LOH) operates as a peer 501(c)(3) partner, helping local philanthropic institutions expand family-focused education and civic engagement. We co-brand curricula that integrate conservation, environmental stewardship, and local history into school and community programs; we train volunteers in community-building best practices; and we amplify institution events through digital storytelling and media outreach — all without direct grant funding to the institutions themselves.

Support Love of Humanity: https://lovehumanity.charity/#donate · Stripe https://buy.stripe.com/bJe00javHcLX43OgnncAo00

Board leader, foundation director, head of school, or family-office trustee reading this? We build co-branded family education with Monmouth institutions. partnerships@donatetoloveofhumanity.com

*This roundup is editorial. No fees were paid. Love of Humanity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.*