Still Time for Joy

HOPE Sheds Light was born out of the tragic loss of three young men to addiction at the New Jersey Shore. The three families banded together to start a nonprofit that provides help and hope to people looking for answers and resources.

CEO Pam Capaci talks about the origins of the group, the need to reduce shame and stigma around addiction, and trends like "sober curious", that are gaining traction after research has shown that no amount of alcohol is safe.

Today, HOPE Sheds Light provides a 24/7 hotline (855-850-HOPE), a comprehensive resource guide, numerous support groups, and more.

The 12th Annual Celebration of HOPE Walk was held September 6th, 2025, in Seaside Heights, NJ, where people in recovery shared their inspiring stories, and numerous vendors provided information about their services.

HOPE Sheds Light https://hopeshedslight.org/
Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch "Still Time for Joy" as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

The beloved, iconic monarch butterfly is in serious trouble; its population has plummeted in recent decades due to pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change.
For five years, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County has held a butterfly tent event in Toms River, NJ, to teach visitors about the importance of pollinators-including monarch butterflies-and the benefits of growing more native plants in your yard.
Susan Emhardt-Servidio, Rutgers Master Gardener Coordinator, Ocean County, explains how the tent event inspires young and old to take better care of the environment. Phyllis Delesandro, Rutgers Master Gardener, encourages people to live in harmony with the beneficial insects in their yards, and eliminate use of pesticides and insecticides whenever possible.
The life cycle of the monarch is fascinating. Watch this story to learn how a tiny egg transforms within about a month, into a spectacular butterfly.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Ocean County https://ocean.njaes.rutgers.edu/
US Fish & Wildlife Service  https://www.fws.gov/
Native Plant Finder https://nativeplantfinder.nwf.org/
Jersey Friendly Yards https://www.jerseyyards.org/
Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch "Still Time for Joy" as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

In the United States, the beautiful, pink and white roseate spoonbills typically live in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. In mid-July of 2025, three of the birds were spotted along the shores of Forked River, New Jersey. Since then, throngs of birders and photographers - dubbed the Pink Paparazzi - have flocked to a salt marsh, to admire and photograph the stunning birds.

Josh Gant, president of the Atlantic Audubon Society, explains that climate change is likely responsible for these juvenile birds wandering so far north. For more than a decade, in this area, at least one spoonbill has been spotted as far north as Delaware. 

By the early 1900s, roseate spoonbills were among the bird species on the brink of extinction, after being hunted for their feathers used to make women's hats.
Protections for the birds and their habitat have helped populations rebound. Gant says all the attention the spoonbills are receiving here is serving as an important reminder to the birds' fans of the importance of protecting habitat and respecting wildlife.

Special thanks to Kelly Lombardi for sharing her amazing photographs for this story.
Atlantic Audubon Society https://www.atlanticaudubon.org/
Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch Still Time for Joy as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

The 85-foot-long AJ Meerwald is New Jersey's official tall ship, whose home port is in South Jersey. In July, the Meerwald embarked on a two-hour environmental educational sail around New York Harbor, during which passengers learned about the history of the oyster schooner, trawled for fish, and helped hoist the sail.

Captain Fern Hoffmann talks about the importance of exposing people to the marine environment and its life, to help create better stewards of our natural resources.

The AJ Meerwald is operated by the nonprofit Bayshore Center in Bivalve, NJ. For information and tickets: https://www.bayshorecenter.org/
Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch Still Time for Joy as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

Spending time in nature on a short hike in the woods brings many physical and mental health benefits, but it's smart to prepare first, so you don't get lost in the woods.

Rebecca Fitzgerald, administrator of the New Jersey State Park Service, and Chief George Fedorczyk, of the New Jersey State Park Police, provide tips on what to do before you go for a hike in the woods to stay safe. Packing essentials, like a cell phone and plenty of water is just a start; you also should have a map, and tell a family member or friend before you leave about your hiking plans.

While New Jersey is among the smallest states in the nation, and is the most densely populated, there are plenty of wild places where people can get lost. 
The phone number for help in a New Jersey State Park is 1-877-WARN-DEP. The universal emergency phone number throughout the US is 9-1-1-.  

NJ State Park Maps https://stateparks.nj.gov/
NJ Trail Tracker https://spstrailtracker.nj.gov/
Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch Still Time for Joy as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

For two days in early June 2025, the nonprofit, A Walk On Water, once again brought its California-based surf therapy program to Spring Lake, New Jersey. Dozens of children living with autism, Down syndrome, and other challenging conditions, had a chance to experience the thrill of riding waves on the ocean with trained surf therapists. The program also provides respite for parents, many of whom rarely get a chance to relax.

Renowned Jersey Shore surfer, Sam Hammer, who surfed professionally for about 25 years, is deeply involved with A Walk On Water, working with the children, fundraising, and bringing some of his instructors from Hammer Surf School to volunteer as surf therapists.

Parents say the surf therapy program is not only exhilarating for their children, it also helps them to form new friendships and to mature. Some participants graduate to become volunteers themselves, pitching in at the events.

A Walk On Water https://awalkonwater.org/
Hammer Surf School https://hammersurfschool.com/
Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch Still Time for Joy as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

If you're caring for a loved one with dementia, you've probably run across some resistance to bathing or showering. There are many reasons for this including a desire to maintain privacy, lack of trust, fear of falling, problems with depth perception, feeling cold, and more.

Deb Hallisey, a certified dementia practitioner, provides some helpful tips to make showering easier, and even more fun, for both caregiver and the person living with dementia. They include using towels or a robe to provide more privacy, cuing, and involving your loved one in the process.

Hallisey also assists family caregivers through Advocate for Mom and Dad. https://advocateformomanddad.com/
Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch Still Time for Joy as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

The Delaware Bay is known as the horseshoe crab capital of the world. In May and June, millions of crabs come onto the beaches to spawn, and each female lays thousands of eggs. 

While the horseshoe crab has existed for some 400 million years, more than once their population has been decimated by overharvesting. In turn, other species have been severely impacted - including the threatened red knot - that depend on horseshoe crab eggs for survival.

The nonprofit American Littoral Society recently restored Thompson's Beach in Cumberland County, NJ, with 32 thousand tons of sand, to make it into more suitable habitat for horseshoe crabs and shorebirds. Shane Godshall, habitat restoration project manager with the Littoral Society, talks about these fascinating animals, that are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than true crabs.

The Littoral Society invites the public to participate in horseshoe crab tagging and monitoring programs, to help keep tabs on the health and distribution of this critically important species.

American Littoral Society  https://www.littoralsociety.org
Sandra Levine Productions  https://sandralevine.com

Watch Still Time for Joy as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

On Saturday, May 24, 2025, the Lacey Elks Lodge in Ocean County, New Jersey, held a large party to thank first responders for their work battling the Jones Road Wildfire, with no loss of homes or lives. The fire, that started April 22 after a bonfire in the Pine Barrens was improperly extinguished, spread quickly, threatening homes and businesses in Lacey Township and Ocean Township, an alpaca farm, and even an inactive nuclear power plant. 

One commercial property in Lacey Township was completely destroyed, and some 15,300 acres of the Pinelands burned. Firefighters from throughout the region and members of the New Jersey Forest Fire Service worked together to put out the fire, which was 100% contained after about three weeks. It's the second largest wildfire in the state in 20 years.

There are more than one million acres of Pinelands in New Jersey; some species there depend on fire to reproduce, and today, there is already evidence of new growth in the scorched ground.

Two people have been arrested and face charges in connection with the fire, including aggravated arson.

Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch Still Time for Joy as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd

Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program matches women volunteers with home construction projects and opportunities to perform critical home repairs. In volunteering, the women learn new construction skills, help people in their community with housing needs, and forge lasting friendships.

Kristine Novakowski, chief executive officer of Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity in central New Jersey, at the Jersey Shore, explains how the program works, and talks about the mission of Habitat for Humanity, which operates throughout the United States and in about 70 other countries around the world.

Habitat for Humanity focuses on shelter and advocates for affordable housing, while promoting dignity and hope. Future homeowners provide sweat equity by participating in the construction of their homes, and then purchase the home with an interest-free mortgage. 

Novakowski says the need for affordable housing continues to rise; New Jersey is among states in the US with the highest housing costs.

Northern Ocean Habitat for Humanity https://northernoceanhabitat.org/
Sandra Levine Productions https://sandralevine.com/

Watch Still Time for Joy as a video podcast on YouTube @SandraLevineProd