The Monsignor Donovan High School competition cheerleading team will be sponsoring a day-long scrapbooking event Jan. 14 in the school cafeteria at 711 Hooper Avenue, Toms River, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The cost of $35 per person includes light breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, snacks and prizes. Each person will have their own table top.

Participating vendors include Let It Shine Scrapbooking, Scrapbook Café, Firefly Scrapbooking, Stamp It Up, Close to My Heart, Tastefully Simple and Naptime Designers. Proceeds from this event will help defray the cost of the cheerleaders’ February trip to Walt Disney World where they plan to defend their grand national cheer title.

Reservations for this event can be made at snapitscrapit@aol.com or by calling Donna Milana at (732) 914-2237.

Registration under way for scholarship contest

The Mid-Atlantic AAA, Hamilton, has announced its fourth annual “Travel High School Challenge” offering more than $100,000 in scholarships to high school students in grades nine through 12 nationwide. The three-stage competition will begin Jan. 9-17 with a 40-question online contest. The top five scorers will compete in state finals with winners receiving prizes and a trip to the national finals in May in Orlando, Fla. Students may preregister at www.aaa.com/TravelChallenge.

Patience pays off

for car raffle winner

Kathleen Kostura, Howell, is the winner of the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey 2005 Car Raffle. Kostura has purchased a car raffle ticket in each of the last 10 years, according to Danielle Barr, VNACJ’s special events manager.

“She was overjoyed when I called her with the news,” Barr said, “and we were delighted that our winner was someone who has been such a loyal supporter of the agency.”

Kostura won a 2006 BMW Z4 roadster convertible valued at $34,300. She and her husband, Bob, picked up the car Dec. 6 at Circle BMW, Eatontown. She said that VNACJ had provided care for her late mother, who was herself a nurse.

“I buy the tickets as a way to support a wonderful organization,” she said, “and after this year, all my friends are going to buy them too.”

VNACJ, now in its 94th year of service, is a nonprofit provider of in-home health care and hospice services. The organization also offers extensive community-based health and wellness services throughout its service area of Middlesex and Monmouth counties. Hospice services are also available in northern Ocean County.

Mission will aid elderly

The Youth of DeBows United Metho-dist Church will be going on a youth mission trip to Auburn, N.Y., July 29 through Aug. 5. The purpose of the trip is to help low-income and elderly people repair their homes. The youth group will be joined by 350 additional youngsters and adults. Christian youth from the community are welcome to take part in the trip. Details: (732) 928-4475.

Monsignor Donovan H.S.

students receive honors

Nine members of the class of 2006 of Monsignor Donovan High School, Toms River, have been named as Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars for the collegiate year 2006-07. Distinguished scholars are offered a renewable annual award of $1,000 without regard to financial need at any New Jersey college or university, public or private.

These students are selected on the basis of the following criteria: class rank of one, two, or three in the graduating class and rank within the top 10 percent of the graduating class at the end of the junior year; or class rank within the top 10 percent of the graduating class at the end of the junior year with combined critical reading and math SAT scores of 1,260 or higher at the end of the junior year.

Monsignor Donovan’s Distinguished Scholars are: Nicole Foderaro of Brick; Allison Kochis of Jackson; William Loundy of Seaside Heights; Ryan Hague and Amanda Holst, both of Toms River; Michael Notarnicola of Whiting; Melissa Romanus of Bayville; and Michael Kasper and Kimberley Maffei, both of Forked River.

Lakewood student chosen

for Youth Art Month

Clifton Avenue School student Rand Abdul-Raziq, of Lakewood, was selected by the Art Educators of New Jersey to represent our state during celebrations of Youth Art Month 2006. Her winning design, submitted by her art teacher, Laura Petrovich-Cheney, will be reproduced onto invitations created for student artists, art teachers, and guests. In addition, Rand’s design will be displayed at this exhibit.

Children’s musical sings

praises for N.J. history

The Three Story Players of Ocean County College (OCC) will present “Jersey Jams,” a musical entertainment for children, Jan. 7 at 1 p.m. at the OCC Fine Arts Center, Main Campus, College Drive, Toms River.

The Three Story Players, under the direction of Beth Willetts-Brierley, in-vite the public to help celebrate the Garden State and those who made it great. This musical entertainment for children will introduce New Jersey inventor Thomas Edison in “Bright Tom;” and New Jersey’s state bird in “Goldie the Gold Finch;” as well as Old Barney in “The Tale of the Barnegat Lighthouse.”

The cost for tickets is $8. Children under 3 will not be permitted at any performance. Details: (732) 255-0500.