Stand Up Paddle Event on the Navesink River Supports The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center

The Unterberg Children’s Hospital Leadership Council hosted the second annual ‘WhatSUP’ Stand Up Paddle event on Saturday, August 6 at Victory Park on the Navesink River in Rumson to raise funds and awareness for The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center. More than 70 paddlers participated in this year’s activities for those 18 and older, which included a one-mile ‘FUN’ ride or a five mile race on the river.

WhatSUP is the brainchild of local restaurateur, wine critic and host of “Eat Drink Italy,” Victor Rallo and his wife Kari, who chaired the event for the second year in a row. The Rallos also hosted an exclusive pre-paddle dinner with gourmet food and wine from Undici at their Fair Haven home to kick-off the weekend’s race.

“My wife Kari and I support The Unterberg Children’s Hospital because it is important to have cutting-edge hospital for children in our community, right in our own backyard,” said Victor Rallo. “We strongly believe that happy and healthy children are our future.”

Members of the enthusiastic Stand Up Paddle Committee are dedicated to ensuring the children of this community live happy and healthy lives. In the past year alone, they have raised more than $130,000 in the past year to directly benefit The Unterberg Children’s Hospital.

“A few years ago I found myself in the waiting room of the Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Monmouth Medical Center with one of our children. From the moment I walked in the door, I felt a feeling of comfort and compassion from the clinical staff. I knew I had made the right decision for my child,” said Kari Rallo. “At that moment I knew I wanted to support The Unterberg Children’s Hospital.”

The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center offers the highest level of pediatric services for newborns to adolescents, including cutting-edge treatment, specialized expertise and an unsurpassed dedication to medical excellence in 26 pediatric sub-specialty areas. Every aspect of care benefits from a child-friendly, family-centered approach. This year, The Unterberg Children’s Hospital celebrates 10 years of proudly serving as a state-designated children’s hospital for Monmouth and Ocean counties. As the community keeps its promise to raise a generation of healthy and strong children, The Unterberg Children’s Hospital will treat the more than 22,000 young patients who will visit the hospital this year alone.

For more information about Monmouth Medical Center, call 732.222.5200 or visit www.barnabashealth.org/Monmouth-Medical-Center.

PHOTO 1: (left to right): Event sponsor Andy Safran, Ann Unterberg and Bill Arnold, President and CEO of Monmouth Medical Center, cheer on paddlers participating in the second annual ‘WhatSUP’ Stand Up Paddle event to raise funds for The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center.

About Monmouth Medical Center

Located in Long Branch, N.J., Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, along with The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, is one of New Jersey's largest academic medical centers and has been a teaching affiliate of Philadelphia’s Drexel University College of Medicine for more than 40 years. From its earliest days, Monmouth Medical Center has been a leader in surgical advancement and has introduced many technological firsts to the region, including robotic surgery and other minimally invasive techniques. U.S. News & World Report has recognized Monmouth as a regional leader in cancer, geriatrics, gynecology, neurology and neurosurgery. Monmouth Medical Center is the only hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties to receive an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization of employer purchasers of health care and the nation’s leading experts on patient safety.