New OCEAN County Support -OCWLS Group Thursdays

Hello all you NJ peoples ! Recently Jack Martin and myself (Sandi's Timmy, or aka Timmy Ray) met with a Registered nurse from St. Barnabas Hospital in Lakewood. We have a confirmed location to meet on THURSDAYS, one night a month. This is for a new mid monthly surgery support group, an offshoot of the OCWLS Toms River group that has grown steadly over the last year. We have had a couple of meetings, but no permanent location up to now. Previously we have met on Weds, but by using Thursdays, we were able to tie down and lock in a location for ongoing meetings, long term. It is a huge room, in a building across the parking lot from the main hospital. MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW... but its 433am and Timmy is tired.. so just the basics for now...I promise to post more over the next few days. As many of you know, Nanette and Jack Martin have worked tirelessly to promote and facilitate the Ocean County Weight Loss -Surgical Support Group First Friday Monthly meeting in Toms River. Nanette in particular has done truly Stellar work, my hat is off to you Nanette for your organizational work, and communicating with everyone via the board here, word of mouth, and via email. : ))) She has compiled a list of names and contact information that is up to date, and without her the group would have faltered long ago. My thanks to Jack Martin, who being the cagey artful diplomat that he is, found, located and arrainged the meeting with St. Barnabas to set things up. We chose St. Barnabas location and hospital site partly because it is a sister hospital to Community Hospital, and thus we had a ready reference from the successful Toms River group. NOTE: In April, BOTH OCWLS groups have a different day than normal, see other posts for the specifics. (I think. Maybe. More to follow.. who is truly informed at 4am? Not I. :P ) As for the NEW Group... On an ongoing basis.. it will be the THIRD Thursday each month, at the building on the St. Barnabas grounds, Lakewood, NJ at 7pm. So starting in April we have TWO nights a month... we will have: OCWLS - Toms River Monthly the First Friday at 7pm Community Hospital , Toms River New Jersey on Route 37, Auditorium A. OCWLS- Lakewood Monthly the THIRD Thursday at 7pm, St. Barnabas Hospital Grounds, Lakewood New Jersey, on Route 9. The new Thursday group in Lakewood will have access to a VCR, TV, and various support services as scheduled. The Meeting room they will let us use, FREE of charge is HUGE... truly big. It has a small kitchen and coffee pot and stove access, plus accessable entrance and restrooms in the adjacent hallway. MOST months we will be the only folks in the building, and we have the entire conference room reserved each month. We have direct outside access, and secure, patrolled (every few minutes by St Barnabas hospital security) lighted parking right next to the building, literally 15 feet from the entrance door. The parking lot is well lit and secure. The new location is exciting, and the folks at this location seem excited to have us as new monthly tenants. In talking with them, they have been very supportive. One of the type of things they are willing to do, for example, is work with us to have a nurse do a blood pressure screening, off to the side, during the meeting people can check their blood pressure, etc. This is an exciting time of expansion, and the new location and time is to help have an alternate time and day of the month for people who cannot attend the Friday Toms River Group. Questions? Feel free to email me, or post them here. I PROMISE to follow up with more information, the location, the exact address, and other information in the next few days. But we have a location, day and time for ongoing Thursday monthly meetings : ) This month for the meeting Days...April is screwy I believe, but again, I will post more over the next few days. Normally, the two groups will be the First Friday, and the Third Thursday though, respectively My best to everbuddy : P God bless and keep you all Hugs Timmy Ray PS My thanks to Jack Martin for his advice, tuleage, support, assistance and friendship in this process of setting up another group.... plus I appreciate that you bought me lunch , dude : ))) Kudos, Mr Jack : )

Congrats Timmy and persevering on getting us a mid-month location. May I make one correction to your post though? The Lakewood hospital is actually named Kimball Medical Center, a branch of the St Barnabus hospital system. Also, our contact there that Jack called was provided by one of our new members of the Toms River OCWLS group, so thanks all around for a job well done! The Toms River OCWLS Group will meet on Friday, April 14th in April, then revert back to first Friday of the month on May, 5th. Hugs, Nannette

thanks Timmy- I am so excited to be able to see everyone more than 1x a mos or less when we are away and cannot come- yipeee