A Special Social Series with Help From Red Bank Elks

It’s all smiles here at the Red Bank Elks Lodge on every third Wednesday of the month. Some sit at the tables, pizza and chips at arms length, and enjoy the scene around them. Others take to the dance floor and are move under a disco ball to latest in pop music as a DJ spins it.

Each month the Red Bank Elks host a Special Needs Social for young adults in the area with special needs. It’s free, of course, and gives both those with special needs and their guardians a pressure-free atmosphere to have fun, socialize and, if they choose, get down on the dance floor.

The event, returning after a two-month hiatus following the lodge’s renovations of its bathrooms to make them wheelchair accessible, is a hit, attracting families from around the county and beyond. Held in conjunction with Red Bank’s parks and recreation department, the Special Needs Social has been something to look forward to for nearly eight years.

“We were getting calls all week, ‘Are you having the dance, are you having the dance,’” Eileen Brennan-Watts, past Red Bank lodge grand exalted ruler and current volunteer, said. “This is something people really look forward to. I think we get more people dancing than most mainstream high school dances do. There’s no pressure here, it’s just fun.”

Elks organizations throughout the state have made assisting families with special needs children one of their top priorities. Each year, Red Bank Elks honor a special needs child at their annual ball and help provide his or her family with assistance both financial and otherwise.

But, when past ruler John MacDonald was leading the Red Bank Elks, the idea of partnering with the borough and doing something on a regular basis, something that would benefit more families and more special needs individuals came up.

In looking for a solution, MacDonald and representatives from Red Bank needed only to visit the Elks lodge serving Keyport and Matawan for inspiration.

“We saw that they did something like this every week and attracted about 120 kids each time,” MacDonald said. “Parks and recreation came to me and said we wanted to do something for our special needs kids, so we took a drive up to (the Keyport-Matawan Elks Club) see what they were doing and decided to start our own. It’s been a joint effort since.”

The collaboration is simple enough. Red Bank provides the DJ and some of the snacks, the lodge provides food, drinks, the location, and, most importantly, all of the assistance from its loyal group of volunteers.

In September, the Red Bank Elks will have held their special needs social for eight years.

Maryanne Riegelman has been helping organize the event for years. She said she noticed plenty of things to do for kids, but nothing specifically for children, like her daughter Meghan, with special needs.

Over the years, she said, the event has grown. Many of the children who come to the socials are students of Harbor School in Eatontown. Many come to the dances with parents or guardians, and still, others come from group homes. Regardless of where they come from, or what special needs means to each, the social is something to look forward to.

Though geared towards young adults, the lodge doesn’t turn anyone who wants to participate away. It’s food, fun, and music for all.

“We have people who have come here since the very beginning,” Riegelman said. “It gives the kids an opportunity to socialize without having any pressure or having to worry about anything.”

The event is held on the third Wednesday of every month at the Red Bank Elks Lodge #233 at 40 W. Front Street from 6-8pm. The event is free, and though registration is not required, those looking to participate are asked to contact Eileen Brennan-Watts at 732-741-2750.