Max's Self-Esteem Craft Market
Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Lots has been happening at our Headquarters! We opened up our Market for a few weeks before Christmas with our wonderful craft vendors and volunteers. It was a huge success! 

We closed for the holidays and did some renovations to enhance the Market's appearance. A little bit of paint and some shelving done by some wonderful volunteers and we have a new, exciting welcoming place!

We have a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Thursday, January 27th at 11 a.m. with the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce all planned out and we would love to have all of you join us!

Please read the Press Release below to get all of the details!

PRESS RELEASE!
Join Max’s Self-Esteem Craft Market for their ribbon cutting ceremony to mark its Grand Opening on Thursday, January 27, 2022, at 11 a.m. The event will take place at the Maximilian Foundation Headquarters located in the plaza at 712 E. Bay Ave, Suite 6 in Manahawkin, NJ (next to DMV). Light refreshments will be provided. The market features a variety of talented local crafters who will be donating a percentage of each sale back to the Maximilian Foundation. The funds will help support the mission of Prevention, which supports programs that help build children’s self-esteem, confidence, and mental well-being.

The Maximilian Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2014 after the tragic death of the Schmids’ son, Maximilian Otto Schmid, due to a heroin overdose. The Schmid family immediately wanted to do all they could to prevent any other family from having to go through the same heart-wrenching ordeal. Thus began the foundation with the goal of educating children about the consequences of doing drugs and how other self-destructive behaviors can affect their lives.

Since 2016, The Foundation has been educating children by funding and providing local school programs that benefit children in these positive ways; preventing self-destructive behaviors created by adolescent insecurities; by nourishing character, building confidence, and growing the life skills needed to make better choices. Latest programs to look for in 2022 include DreamyKid in the Barnegat School District. Our children’s mental health is the most important part of why we raise funds ensuring they have the ability, through the programs we fund, to deal with what everyday life throws at them. Seeing the positive effects on vulnerable children participating in our programs is the reward we seek, making our efforts even more critical. 
 

Max's Self Esteem Market will feature works from these talented crafters:
Mr. Brown of Brownie's Woodcrafts - makes all his wooden home decor and gifts by hand using a scroll saw. 
GnomeSweetGnome - Handcrafted decorative gnomes for every occasion by Donna Catlow
Wreaths and Pieces by Maria - Designing wreaths for over 15 years
Mother of all Bottles - Beautiful and fun projects with sea glass
Dragonfly Designs by Kari A. Van Riper Thorn - Diamond painting, needlework, and crocheting
Anna Salibello Pottery –Throwing and hand building pottery on the wheel is her rediscovered passion, hand building functional and decorative sculptural pieces.
NJ Logowear has created a line, 609 Life, especially for the Maximilian Foundation with lots of exciting items just for our store.

DreamyKid
Why DreamyKid Mindfulness For Kids?

The original Kids Meditation app, DreamyKid, In just minutes every day, helps your kids live healthier and happier lives with DreamyKid. The Kids Meditation App. Meditation has categories for kids 3-17 which include a timer, gentle background ambiance selections, link to our online community and so much more. Our vision is to see mindfulness used as a fun and accessible practice for kids of any age.

BARNEGAT TWP. —  A new program that teaches children coping skills through meditation and mindfulness soon will be used throughout Barnegat Township School District (BTSD) elementary schools.  DreamyKid, an app that connects children and mindfulness through meditation, guided visualization, healing activities and affirmations, will begin being used in the district this fall thanks to a grant from the Maximilian Foundation. 
The Maximilian Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides funding to local schools for programs that benefit children in a positive way.  The Foundation’s mission is to support programs that prevent self-destructive behaviors created by adolescent insecurities by nourishing character, building confidence, and growing the life skills needed to make better
choices. 
“The combination of healthy coping skills and emotional intelligence speaks to the prevention of later in life substance abuse,” said Michele Cucinotta, BTSD Drug Free Community Grant Coordinator.  “It is our hope — and the mission of the Maximilian Foundation — that students choose healthy behaviors, like meditation, in their future when faced with stress.” 
BTSD began partnering with the Maximilian Foundation in 2018.  The Foundation helped bring Mind Yeti to the district during the 2019-2020 school year, to help children calm their minds, focus their attention and connect to the world around them. “Social-emotional learning is a very important part of educating the whole child,” said BTSD Superintendent Dr. Brian Latwis.  “We want to give all of our students the best tool kit to succeed in life, and that’s much more than just academics. Hopefully, teaching them healthy ways to deal with stress now will help them throughout their lives.”