Bet on Kindness: How Ocean Cares Gives Back

Published: March 2023

At Ocean Casino Resort, we want to provide more than just a luxury casino experience and a chance to win big. Through our “Season of Giving Charitable Campaign” and Ocean Cares program, we’re proud to support charities that are changing lives and making a difference in America’s favorite playground and surrounding neighboring communities.

First things first, we wish to sincerely thank the hundreds of guests who generously contributed to the 2022 “Change for Change” initiative. You donated over $90,000 in change vouchers.

That “small change” is going to make a big difference.

Today, we wanted to showcase the four incredibly worthy causes your donations will support in 2023: Atlantic City Rescue Mission, Covenant House of New Jersey, South Jersey Field of Dreams, and The Salvation Army of Atlantic City.

Atlantic City Rescue Mission

Since its inception in 1964, the Atlantic City Rescue Mission (ACRM) has made its mission to shelter, feed, and care for the downtrodden.

As the largest provider of comprehensive homeless support and prevention services in New Jersey, ACRM interacts with more than a quarter of the state’s homeless population, helping meet the physical, emotional, and other basic needs in several ways:

Sheltering over 4,000 people—2,000 men, 1,600 women, and 615 children—annually, with nearly twice as many individuals during the pandemic.
Serving around 500 meals to clients and the public through the Mission Kitchen each and every day.
Distributing approximately 3,600 baskets of food to members of the community.
Providing support to help people get back on their feet, including work therapy programs and addiction recovery services.

Want to volunteer or donate to their cause? Visit ACRM’s website to learn more.

Covenant House New Jersey

Covenant House New Jersey serves youths facing homelessness and human trafficking.

To that end, the two shelters—located right in the heart of Atlantic City and Newark—provide safe, temporary housing and specialized support services to homeless youth between 18-21 years old.

Covenant House is open all year round, 24/7, free of charge.

The foundation’s goal is to connect disaffected youths with stable housing and provide services that promote resilience and build healthy habits so youth can successfully transition to independent living. There, staff works closely with young adults to help them access resources and provide specialized supportive services both within Covenant House and in the greater community. These include:

Right of Passage (ROP) apartment-style youth living program
Case management
Medical care and health insurance enrollment support
Legal support and advisory services
Behavioral health and psychiatric consulting
Dove Learning Center (DLC) for youth education and training
NJ enhanced statewide human trafficking services (HTVS)
Covenant House action and research tank of New Jersey (CHART)

To learn more about their mission or donate, please visit their website.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is an international nonprofit dedicated to serving communities and assisting those in need, while providing a respectful environment.

The group aims to support and serve the people of Atlantic City in a variety of ways through:

A food pantry
A soup kitchen
A shower and laundry ministry
Afterschool programs
Summer day camps for at-risk youth

The facility, located on Texas Avenue in Atlantic City, welcomes more than 100 community members each day for a free, hot lunch. Their goal is simple: provide a holistic experience for each person that walks through their doors by meeting not just their physical needs, but their emotional and spiritual needs as well.

Want to get involved with their mission? Check out their website to contribute.

South Jersey Field of Dreams

The South Jersey Field of Dreams is where baseball wishes come true. It’s a place where physically and mentally disabled children and adults can play and participate in that Great American Pastime as well as other sports.

In the early 2000s, the organization built “Field of Dreams”—a baseball facility specially designed to create an inclusive sporting environment that allowed challenged youth and young adults to play the game they love in front of fans.

The league flourished. What started with 60 participants has expanded to more than 14 teams, with 300 children and young adults and 300 coaches and volunteers. The facility has grown too, developing into a sporting complex that includes:

A 9-hole miniature golf course
Accessible playground
Exercise trail
Concession stand

Special athletes who participate in Field of Dreams also have the opportunity to play basketball during the winter during “HOOPS for All” and join various sponsored activities like fishing trips, professional sporting events, and concerts.

Today, FOD has grown beyond South Jersey. The board has assisted in the development of five other "Field of Dreams Complexes" throughout the United States, even as they continuously improve the organization’s facilities and programs to better serve the differently-abled population in the area.

Interested in coaching or volunteering? Visit their website to see how you can give back.

Giving Back with Ocean Casino Resort

Ocean Cares is proud to be making a positive impact on the members of our community. And, thanks to your generous donations, Atlantic City Rescue Mission, Covenant House New Jersey, Salvation Army of Atlantic City, and South Jersey Field of Dreams will be even better equipped to serve the people of Atlantic City.

If you want to learn more about one of these worthy philanthropies, contact our Ocean Cares team today.

Sources:

Atlantic City Rescue Mission. https://acrescuemission.org/

Covenant House New Jersey. https://support.covenanthousenj.org/give/199383/#!/donation/checkout

The Salvation Army in Atlantic City. https://easternusa.salvationarmy.org/new-jersey/atlantic-city/

South Jersey Field of Dreams. https://southjerseyfieldofdreams.com/