By Christina Leslie|Correspondent

A junior at Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, has organized a walkathon to help victims of Hurricane Sandy in the Union Beach area.

Elijah Rodriguez, a 16-year-old parishioner of St. Agnes, Atlantic Highlands, enlisted the help of family, friends and concerned citizens to conduct a walkathon which netted over $7,000 in donations for those still hurting a year after the superstorm.

Though Hurricane Sandy had not affected the Rodriguez house in Leonardo, some of Elijah’s friends in Union Beach were not as lucky.

“One of my friends told me he spent his sixteenth birthday salvaging his belongings after the storm,” Elijah said sadly. Anxious to help the devastated Monmouth County town, the 2011 Mother Teresa Regional School, Atlantic Highlands, graduate and current CBA junior decided to put his faith and compassion into action and plan a walkathon at his Lincroft high school track.

Young Rodriguez had experienced tragedy firsthand: while in first grade, his family lost their home to an electrical fire. Displaced for a year, the family lived in different motels and with extended family members. Elijah recounted, “I remember once asking my mother where some of my toys were, and her telling me we lost them in the fire.”

Rodriguez has a long history of philanthropic deeds. The teen has taken part in the non-profit “iCan Bike” program for children with disabilities; delivers bagels monthly to Daniel Towers, the senior and young adult disabled housing community in Middletown; and volunteers weekly at Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank, where he assists with delivering meals and discharging patients.

In August, Rodriguez visited the Union Beach Borough Hall and spoke with police sergeant Timothy Kelly about his plan for a benefit walk, then approached Key Clubs at local schools, his fellow students at CBA, and his friends in the Mother Teresa Regional School youth group. By posting electronic flyers, creating a website, and word of mouth, Rodriguez enlisted walkers and donors to aid the Union Beach residents.

The Union Beach Relief Walk was scheduled for Oct. 26, national “Make a Difference Day,” a volunteer project created by USA Weekend magazine and the “Points of Light” organization over 20 years ago, and which has grown to become the largest national day of community service. On the clear autumn morning of the walkathon, Mayor Paul Smith of Union Beach and Sgt. Kelly joined over 100 participants on the track as CBA president Brother Frank Byrne led an opening prayer.

The tally for the benefit was nearly $7,000, and some donations are still arriving. All proceeds will be donated to the Gateway Church of Christ disaster response team, which is spearheading repair and long-term recovery efforts in Union Beach.

“I hope this donation will help a family or families in Union Beach and send a message to Union Beach and all Sandy victims that we care,” Rodriguez reflected. Recalling the help his family had gratefully accepted in their time of need a decade ago, the young Catholic continued, “During the fire, so many people came to help us, and as I get older I realize the implications. They went out of their way to help, and I wanted to do the same.”