I don’t need any extra motivation to pay a visit to The Office Restaurant & Lounge as I was there twice over the weekend but my guess is I will be stopping in at some point tomorrow as well to wish Phil Citta a happy 72nd birthday.

Of course the longtime owner of the popular Toms River eatery won’t be there, He lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2004. However that does not stop family, friends and co-workers from celebrating Phil’s birthday each year and doing so for a very good cause.

Shortly after his passing the Citta family made a $1 million dollar donation to help establish the J. Phillip Citta Regional Cancer Center at Community Medical Center.

That facility offers a comprehensive approach to cancer care with a full range of treatment options and support services so that local cancer patients and their families do not have to travel out of the area. Since the original donation there have been numerous fundraisers to help with the growth of the center and tomorrow The Office Restaurant & Lounge will host their 11th annual Phil Citta Memorial Fundraiser.

The event runs all day and all night and will feature raffles and gift auctions throughout including sports-related items, gift cards and much more. All proceeds from those will be donated to the cancer center along with a significant percentage of the gross profits from those who stop in for lunch, dinner or a cocktail or two.

The first ten of those events have resulted in over $200,000 donated to the cancer center to help the facility grow and do more for local cancer patients and their families.

Count me among those who has never walked into The Office without thinking of Phil standing by the host station wearing a colorful Tommy Bahama shirt even in the middle of the winter with this reading glasses draped around his neck. He may be gone but is clearly not forgotten and his spirit lives in every drink poured and entrée served. Tomorrow I will stop in to toast his 72nd birthday, maybe enjoy a little sushi and help out cancer research at the same time. That’s a true trifecta.

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