Jean Jacobson, President Ocean City Home Foundation
Ocean City Home Bank and its charitable wing, The Ocean City Home Charitable Foundation, continue to set a high standard for giving back to the community.
The Foundation has concentrated on such fundamental human needs as housing, food and education for the less fortunate. The Atlantic City Rescue Mission, area Food Banks and local scholarship funds have been the recipients of tens of thousands of dollars over the years, according to Jean Jacobson, Foundation President since its 2004 founding. Five local schools have shared in more than $150,000 in scholarship funds, she said.
Most recently, the Foundation provided a $5,000 grant to the Friends of Jean Webster, an Atlantic City nonprofit, and legacy of the late “Sister Jean” Webster’s Kitchen. The organization carries on Webster’s life mission of providing hot meals to those in need.
Jacobson, the bank’s Vice President of Public Relations, said it is quite gratifying to be a part of the bank’s and the Foundation’s efforts to directly impact peoples’ lives in a positive manner. “I have the best job in the entire world,” she said.
“We at Sister Jean’s Kitchen are very grateful for the support of the larger Atlantic City Community,” said Rev. John R. Scotland, executive director of Friends of Sister Jean Webster. “In honor of our founder, Jean Webster, a warrior for justice and compassion, we graciously accept this wonderful gift,” he said in a recent press release.
Closer to the bank’s home base, Jacobson said Ocean City Home Bank is the lead sponsor for the town’s popular First Night events, donating $10,000 annually. During the holidays, the bank hosted a tree lighting ceremony and gave $3,500 in gift certificates to local businesses. The donation encouraged shopping in Ocean City’s business district, aiding merchants, the city, and stretching families’ holiday budgets.
The bank also sponsors fund-raising walks for the March of Dimes, American Heart Association, purchases uniforms for local sports teams and much more.
The bank, which has Cape May County branches here in town and in Marmora and nine branches in Atlantic County, fosters a spirit and culture of volunteerism among its employees and sets an example for its corporate neighbors. Jacobson said the bank awards a Volunteer of the Quarter award four times per year and ultimately selects a Volunteer of the Year.
One of the organization’s leading events is Walk for the Wounded, in which Ocean City Home Bank partners with the Ocean City Fire Department. The event, now in its fifth year and held on the Ocean City boardwalk, raised over $100,000 last September, with 90 percent of the funds going directly to the aid of wounded veterans at Walter Reed Hospital, Jacobson said.
She said the Foundation also prides itself in helping to close funding gaps for arts organizations, which are often the first to feel the pinch of budget cutbacks. The Atlantic City Ballet is an example of a beneficiary.
In all, since the Foundation’s launch 12 years ago, it has distributed more than $1 million, 175,000 to local agencies, Jacobson said.
