Press Release

(Pictured above: Bradley Beach Elementary School Principal and Superintendent Dr. Wisniewski and Alison Zylinski).

FREEHOLD, N.J. – Bradley Beach Elementary School social worker and anti-bullying specialist, Alison Zylinski, was surprised by members of the First Financial Foundation with the final Erma Dorrer classroom grant for the 2018-2019 school year.

Zylinski submitted a grant application to purchase supplies to create vinyl inspirational messages to promote students’ actions of kindness, respect, empowerment, and positive self-esteem on a daily basis.

“It is my responsibility to improve school climate and culture,” said Zylinski. “This year, every class in our K-8 school will engage in a 20 minute morning meeting, where the focus is to develop a sense of connection among students, work on social-emotional skills, and improve each classroom’s overall culture and climate. Creating inspirational messages would be a fantastic environmental change for our school.”

(Pictured above: First Financial’s President/CEO, First Financial’s VP of Marketing & Business Development, Alison Zylinski, and First Financial’s AVP of Business Development).

Since First Financial began with a group of Asbury Park schoolteachers back in 1936, the credit union has not forgotten its educational roots. That is why its Foundation offered current Monmouth and Ocean County educators six (6) classroom grants to use at their schools for the 2018-2019 school year.

“Education has and always will be a pivotal piece of our organization, and we’re delighted to be able to help our local educators enhance their classroom experience,” noted First Financial President & CEO, Issa Stephan.

Stephan also noted that the Foundation committee had a tough job of choosing just six winning teachers out of the numerous applications received this year. “We received dozens of heart warming essays from educators hoping to use the grant money to implement or maintain a variety of creative programs in their schools such as flexible seating, virtual reality glasses, book stands and shelving, new classroom cabinets, and interactive books and games – to name a few,” said Stephan. “We wish we were able to reward each and every one of our participants, and after extremely careful consideration we selected the six classrooms in which we felt the grant money would have the largest impact.”