Lakewood Chamber News

“I Love to Cook; That’s My Passion,” Emeril Lagasse

Fifty men of distinction will serve samples of their favorite recipes at the 15th Annual “Look Who’s Cooking” benefit and food tasting festival, Friday, June 8, 2007, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, Washington Street, Toms River. This event, hosted by the Family Planning Center of Ocean County, will benefit uninsured and underinsured women.
Tickets, available at the door, cost $50.00 a person and include complimentary wine and beer, and a booklet featuring the chefs’ recipes and ads. For event information and advanced tickets sales, call Gale Yetman at 732-929-0049. For ad information call Penny Rone at 609-242-6927.

The amateur chefs are in professions that range from lawyers, accountants, and doctors to CEOs and CFOs, bank presidents, and radio personalities. These men of distinction come from Ocean, Monmouth, Mercer, and Middlesex counties to contribute to women’s health by sharing their love of cooking.

For more than 30 years, the Family Planning Center of Ocean County has been providing medical, educational, and informational services to the community. Thousand of women have received medical services, while others have received educational services through programs given at social service and health agencies, community groups, and schools throughout the county.

Submitted by Fran Kirschner, Frantasy Enterprises

An independent panel of judges has chosen Dr. Ronem Rotem, a dentist at The Center for Exceptional Cosmetic and Adult Dentistry, Lakehurst Road, Toms River, one of the five finalists in the Allied Healthcare Hero category in the Healthcare Hero competition sponsored by NJBIZ. All finalists will be recognized for their heroic actions in the healthcare industry at an awards program and breakfast on Monday, June 11, 2007, at the Sheraton Woodbridge, Iselin, New Jersey. At that time the winners in each category will also be announced. According to John Greenwald, publisher, “NJBIZ has created the Healthcare Heroes awards program in an effort to recognize excellence, promote innovation, and honor the efforts of organizations and individuals who a making a significant impact on the quality of healthcare in New Jersey.” Dr. Ronen Rotem, who practices adult dentistry, generously donates his time, his energy, and his money to educate children and parents, and especially helps the families of children who have cancer. Each October, Dr. Rotem (pronounced Row-tem) sends a Letter to the Editor (“The Halloween Candy Dilemma for Parents”), describing how parents can realistically manage all the candy children bring home from trick-or-treating. He describes how to safeguard their children’s teeth while letting them enjoy holiday treats. During the week that follows Halloween, Dr. Rotem holds a “Halloween Candy Buy Back Contest” to encourage children and families to bring their candy to his office where he gives them $1.00 a pound, up to 10 lbs. This year he collected 385 pounds of candy (last year, 200 lbs.). He also gave a local teacher $400.00 to spend for her class, gave a $50.00 gift card to the child who brought in the most candy, AND sent all the candy he collected to our troops overseas via the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Dr. Rotem says, “Because some teachers donated candy but didn’t want to take any money for it, I thought it would be nice to include teachers in this year’s contest. Of course, my objective is to get children to eat less candy. I am hoping that buying back Halloween candy will be an incentive for them and make someone else’s life a little sweeter at the same time.” For National Children’s Health Month in February, Dr. Rotem advises the public to start taking their children to the dentist by ages 2 or 3. “Let your children get used to sitting in a dental chair, even if it is in your lap,” Dr. Rotem says. “Parents should begin helping their children brush their teeth as early as possible. My own four-year-old was finally willing to brush twice a day when he got a Batman toothbrush and Hulk toothpaste.” Dr. Rotem followed this advice by talking to kindergarten children about brushing and letting them practice on an enormous set of teeth. From March to June each year, Dr. Rotem participates in the annual teeth-whitening campaign, “Smiles for Life.” During this period, he donates 100% of the money he receives to children’s charities, specifically Ocean of Love. In addition, he hosts an annual dinner cruise on the Toms River, all expenses paid by Dr. Rotem, to raise even more money for Ocean of Love through onboard Chinese auction. (Ocean of Love helps families with expenses, such a mortgage payments, gasoline, tolls, food, etc.) He has raised close to $7,000. just for this cause. Linda Gillick, director of Ocean of Love says, “He (Dr. Rotem) is just one individual trying to make a difference, and I think he is a phenomenal person. He is an asset to our community because of his talent as well as his generosity to so many.” Gary Puro, an account executive for NJBIZ says, “The number of nominations in all ten categories* was overwhelming. This is one of our most prestigious events of the year, and we will be producing and distributing to all attendees a very special supplement honoring all of the finalists. The supplement will also be included in the June 18 edition of NJBIZ, reaching our 47,500 readers statewide.” To purchase tickets or for more information, contact Cristina Palumbo, NJBIZ, at cpalumbo@njbiz.com. Dr. Rotem was graduated from NYU College of Dentistry in 1991. His practice focuses on cosmetic dentistry and conscious sedation. 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. He is president of Congregation B’nai Israel, Toms River, N.J. * The categories: Allied Healthcare Hero, Corporate Achievement Hero, Company Education Hero, Individual Education Hero, Company Innovation Hero, Individual Innovation Hero, Nurse of the Year, Physician of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and Emergency Services Hero. Submitted by Fran Kirschner, Frantasy Enterprises

Before venturing out and enjoying the great outdoors, make sure you take some precautions against becoming infected with Lyme disease, a disease transmitted from the bite of an infected tick. The following are some tips that can protect you from tick bites:

a. Wear light-colored clothing. This allows you to see a tick more easily.

b. Wear a hat and long-sleeved shirt.

c. Tuck your clothes in, shirts into pants and pants into socks. Use a rubber band or tape the area where the socks and pants meet to prevent ticks from getting under clothing.

d. Use an insect repellant with DEET on exposed skin and clothes. Read the label instructions and cautions about use on young children.

e. When hiking, stay in the middle of trails, and avoid underbrush, fallen tress, and tall grass.

f. After being outdoors or if you are outdoors for a long period, perform a tick check. Shower immediately after coming indoors.

If you find a tick on your body, remove it by doing the following:
1. Using a pair of fine-tipped tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull slowly, steadily, and firmly. Avoid crushing the tick’s body.
2. Once removed, clean the area with antiseptic, such as alcohol.
3. Save the tick in a jar of alcohol or tape it to a piece of cardboard so it can be identified by your local health department.

The following are early signals of Lyme disease that may appear a few days or weeks after a tick bite:
a. Fever and chills
b. Muscle and joint aches
c. Weakness or fatigue
d. Headache
e. Swollen lymph nodes
f. Skin rash, which may have a bull’s-eye appearance

If any of these signals appear or you have bitten by a tick, consult your medical professional.

Submitted by Fran Kirschner, Frantasy Enterprises

As the warm weather approaches, people get more active outdoors. The Jersey Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross offers some tips on how to stay safe while biking this season. Each year, approximately 500,000 people are nonfatally injured while riding a bicycle. Close to 800 bicyclists died on U.S. roads in 2005; and 92% of them died in crashes with motor vehicles.

Always wear an approved helmet when cycling. The head or neck is the most seriously injured part of the body in most fatally injured cyclists. Children should wear a helmet even if they are still riding along the sidewalk on training wheels. Some states have helmet laws that apply to young children.

a. Many bicycle injuries can be prevented by wearing a helmet. Always wear a correctly-fitting helmet when riding. Even children using tricycles or bikes with training wheels should wear helmets. Adults should also wear helmets at all times, including when riding with children. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute has more information on how to fit a helmet.

b. Be sure that helmets meet standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the Snell Memorial Foundation or the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Look for a label or a sticker on the box or inside the helmet indicating that it meets the above standards.

c. Wear closed shoes when riding a bike.

d. Make sure your bike and your child's bike have good brakes, a front light and effective reflecting material.

e. Ride only in safe areas and at safe times.

f. Make sure bikes are the correct size for the rider.

g. Learn about bicycle etiquette, laws, and safe riding practices and teach your children about them.

Submitted by Fran Kirschner, Frantasy Enterprises

(TOMS RIVER) - WithumSmith+Brown (WS+B), Certified Public Accountants and Consultants, has ranked in the "Best Places to Work in New Jersey" list for the third consecutive year, placing 3rd in the large company category for 2007. Rankings were announced during a celebratory dinner at the East Brunswick Hilton on April 26, hosted by NJBIZ, New Jersey’s weekly business publication.

Coordinated through NJBIZ, the Best Places initiative is designed to honor those companies in New Jersey that demonstrate a commitment to their employees' growth and quality of life. Research was conducted through a two-part survey process gathering data from both corporate management and employees, with two-thirds of the company’s score based on the results of the employee surveys.

The information was then compiled and analyzed by The Best Companies Group, an independent organization in Harrisburg, PA, who developed the formula for determining which companies make the list.

Founded in 1974, WS+B is one of the largest regional accounting and consulting firms in the tristate area with office locations in Morristown, New Brunswick, Princeton, Red Bank, Cherry Hill, Somerville and Toms River, NJ; New York, NY; and Newtown, PA. With over 350 employees, the firm ranks among the top 35 CPA firms nationwide and in the top 10 in New Jersey. For more information about WithumSmith+Brown, please visit the WS+B Web site at www.withum.com.

Rhonda Maraziti, Marketing PR Coordinator, WithumSmith+Brown

Submitted by Fran Kirschner, Frantasy Enterprises