The Monmouth County 200 Club, an organization dedicated to providing financial assistance to the children of full-time first responders, awarded the 2015 recipients on Aug. 6. The club hosted the event that has become known as "the Scholarship Social" at Bar Anticipation in Lake Como, New Jersey. This year, the 200 Club raised over $100,000 that children of first responders can use for books, living or tuition in college.
"I think it means so much to the recipients and their families when this type of an award goes to the children of first responders," Claire French, former Monmouth County Clerk, told NewJersey.com. "It also means a lot to the community, because our first responders are there for all of us."
Over 320 people attended the event, and French said that the group of individuals who received this year's scholarships were some of the most talented and goal-oriented in the award's history. The Monmouth 200 Club has been participating in the scholarship event for four years, but the national chapter has been involved for much longer. Since 1985, when the club began the event, it has provided over $2 million in scholarships to the children of local police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and other first responders.