Nonprofit Offers Free Jersey Shore Beach Tags To Families Who Can't Afford Them

CAPE MAY, NJ — Getting beach tags for the family can be a hefty cost, especially for lower income households. But thanks to a local nonprofit, 25 Cape May kids can enjoy a summer at the beach.

Cape May Cares, which provides assistance to households in the Cape May Housing Authority and other low-income areas, awarded 25 resident students with summer beach tags after earning them in the organization’s first-ever Beach Tag Scholarship Program, the nonprofit announced in a news release.

Founders of the nonprofit believe this program is the first of its kind. Since the beginning of the year, housing authority students age 12 and over who participated in Cape May Cares Homework Help Program or engaged in the organization’s after-school programs had a goal of earning two Cape May beach tags for summer 2025: one for themselves and one for a parent. Students under 12 are not required to have a beach tag in Cape May, however, they earned one for a parent.

“We're thrilled by the success of the Beach Tag Scholarship program in its inaugural year. The feedback we've received from the children and families who participated, and from the community of Cape May, has been universally positive, and very encouraging for the future of the program,” said Martin Van Walsum who, along with his wife Deb, brought the idea for scholarships to Keith Lafferty and Claudia Von Savage, founder and vice chair of Cape May Cares respectively, to assist families who cannot afford the $40 price tag for seasonal beach tags. “Deb and I hope that this program brings smiles to the faces of these precious kids who are growing up at our beautiful beaches, yet have been unable to go until now.”

In a previous news release, the Van Walsums emphasized the importance of having the children earn the tags.

“We want kids in this program to not only have the opportunity to cherish and enjoy the beaches where they are growing up, but to understand that what you get in life must be earned,” said Martin Van Walsum. “Who knows? This program can be just one small step to a great future for a kid—and how fantastic would that be?”

They hope to grow the scholarship program in the future, possibly even extending it to senior citizens and others involved with Cape May Cares.

Students were presented with summer beach tags for themselves and a parent during the program’s honorary Earth Day Clean-Up Event.

Cape May Cares is located at 639 Lafayette St., Cape May. Go to CapeMayCares.org for more information.