Memorial Foundation Fills Brick Teachers' Requests

BRICK, NJ — Two Brick Township Schools teachers have received grants for their classrooms through the Crystal Marousis Handchen Walk With Me Foundation, the foundation announced.

Suzanne Kurasz, librarian at Veterans Memorial Elementary School, and Matthew Lafferty, a teacher at Veterans Memorial Middle School, were notified recently that they were receiving the grants to cover the costs on their Donors Choose lists, the foundation said.

Crystal Marousis Handchen and her husband, Rick Handchen, were teachers in the Brick Schools, including Veterans Memorial Elementary and Veterans Memorial Middle schools, for more than 30 years, and she was credited with touching the lives of hundreds of students, helping them in myriad ways. She died in April 2021 after suffering an aneyurism.

The foundation aims to honor her memory by providing athletic and academic opportunities through grants and scholarships to primary, middle and high school students.

Kurasz sought new chairs for the library for classes to use, while Lafferty requested several books chosen by his middle school students for their classroom library.

"Crystal was a kind, caring and compassionate person whose legacy will carry on through the

Crystal Marousis Handchen Walk With Me Foundation," the letters announcing the grants said. "Our vision is to build a community that will assist students in reaching their full potential, scholastically, socially, physically, and mentally. In addition, spread awareness of hypertension, stroke prevention and aneurysm awareness."