Shore hosts first Make-A-Wish Upon A Star Benefit

By Matt Engel
West Long Branch — Nearly a full house gathered inside the Shore Regional auditorium on Friday night to watch all kinds of performances, from one-man dances to local bands, at the Make A Wish Upon A Star benefit.
The purpose of the three-hour event was to raise money for the children of Make a Wish New Jersey, a nonprofit organization that says its goal is to “grant the wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition in the Garden State.”
“We got asked to do this while filming a music video,” said Jimmy Franklin, the lead guitar player of Big Tom and the Guns, a band made up of Shore graduates. “This event has been going great so far.”
Other performers at the event included the cast of Shore Players Miss Mare’s All About Dance Team, and Emotion in Motion Dance Center. There were 26 individual acts in total, which surprised planners for the event, who said that the show started out with only three guaranteed acts.
“For very short notice, this went very well,” said student planner Corey Karpe, a junior.
Admission was $6 for adults and $4 for senior citizens/children.
Other major contributors included Carol Burkley, Councilwoman Susan Juliano, Melanie Luebs, Julianna Hansen-Fliedner, Carlisle Brush Stoll, Emily Ronan, and Liz Dunn.