(BELMAR, NJ.) — On Main Street in Belmar, an open door and smiling faces welcome passersby into Blue Dot Community’s first stand-alone location.
The Blue Dot Community Connection Project has brought people of all ages and abilities together, holding group therapy sessions, wellness classes, and community events with hundreds of attendees, since May 2023.
Inspired by Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot (1994), “Zooming out and seeing Earth as a pale blue dot changes everything. It reminds us that our differences should be celebrated, valued and supported,” according to the Blue Dot website.
“We are connecting people with disabilities to people without disabilities,” Chrissy D’Amico, Founder of Blue Dot, said. “There aren’t really authentic and meaningful opportunities to do that elsewhere that we’ve seen.”
Photo Credit: @blue_dot_community / Chrissy D’Amico with Blue Dot members.
D’Amico is an occupational therapist, certified applied positive psychology practitioner, and a certified yoga instructor. She leads Blue Dot with co-founders and special educators Lauren Payer and Kaylin Torres, and occupational therapist Jenny Loshiavo.
In addition to Belmar, the Asbury Book Cooperative and St. Andrew’s Church in Spring Lake share their spaces with the group to hold weekly events and classes. Their Belmar location houses the Blue Dot Market where they have merchandise for sale.
Local communities across the Jersey Shore have embraced Blue Dot especially after recent changes from the state legislature, forcing Blue Dot to become a nonprofit organization after being state-funded for three years.
“The state wanted us to change our model and gave us a 30-day time frame to choose to be in these specific service categories,” D’Amico said. “But if we did that, we wouldn't be able to keep our doors open with our current team, with our current mission. It would totally change who we are.”
Effective July 1, the New Jersey Department of Human Services announced a new law: enhancing protections for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and strengthening accountability among community-based service providers.
“The Residential Facility Quality of Care Improvement Fund ensures that resources generated through enforcement actions are reinvested into strengthening oversight, supporting quality improvement initiatives, and helping prevent future incidents,” Division of Developmental Disabilities Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Seifried said.
However, D’Amico explained that the state’s service categories wouldn’t recognize Blue Dot’s model as open to the public. D’Amico added that most groups for disabled people are “separate” and “field trip” based, compared to their locations in the middle of town.
“You guys belong here,” D’Amico said. “This is your community.”
OpGov.News spoke with some Blue Dot members about how the group has impacted them. All members are referred to by their first names, as requested by Blue Dot.
“I'm spreading kindness,” Ryan said. “And my friend Sean spreads joy.”
The group members each have a job within the community and support each other in these endeavors.
“For me, I design hats and shirts,” Ryan said. “I make them with Sean and Jenny. They helped me a lot.”
The colorful clothing with positive designs has taken flight, as members have worn the merch on trips to Italy, Greece, England, the Netherlands, and Japan.
“It’s gone global,” Sean said, who has been making merch for about a year.
“I always spread kindness with everybody in Blue Dot,” Ryan said. “They are family to me.”
The group shows up for each other and their local community by volunteering and hosting events open to the public.
“I like going to the community garden on Tuesdays,” Brielle, who likes to plant peppers and potatoes, said.
Blue Dot visits the Monmouth Community Garden, harvesting for food pantries and restaurants. Members weigh the produce and this year, they have collected up to 2,000 lbs, according to Payer.
“We volunteer because there are people who don’t have food or homes,” Victoria said, the ‘recruiter’ of the group and a founding member since 2023.
Blue Dot has been volunteering at the Jewish Family Children's Services, JFCS, on Summerfield in Asbury Park for three years. Blue Dot has also connected members with opportunities for employment.
Marisa, a member since September 2023, works at Destination Asbury, owned by Meg Boyle, on Cookman Ave next to Asbury Book Cooperative.
“It’s been fun,” Marisa, the longest-standing employee at Destination Asbury for over three years, said. “I've been taking clothes out of boxes, putting them on hangers, and putting new clothes out.”
Destination Asbury hosts an annual fashion show in collaboration with Blue Dot, showing off their pieces on members. Next spring will mark the fifth annual fashion show.
“Having Marissa at Destination Asbury means there’s never a shortage of positive energy,” Boyle said. “Her insanely contagious laugh and joyful energy make every shift brighter. She connects with our guests, sending them off with her signature, 'You look fantastic!' "
The shop is starting Destination Creation, a new craft workshop initiative focusing on repurposed materials like used denim. Every Wednesday, Marissa will lead a craft happy hour at the shop, where everything created will be sold in the Blue Dot Market at Destination Asbury for suggested donations, Boyle said.
Marisa’s favorite Blue Dot memory was dancing at the Joy Fest on June 3, where hundreds of people came together from all over Monmouth County to Pat's 30 Acres in Wall.
“We host these events and the community comes,” Payer said. “We are always so overwhelmed by the numbers. Rowdy wanted to specifically run a fundraiser for us.”
In August, the Rowdy Mermaid held a 45-minute sculpting class inside the Carousel on Asbury Park Boardwalk with suggested donations to Blue Dot.
“My favorite event was the exercise, that was really cool,” said Brielle, who has been with the group since May 2024. “They had a lot of vendors. I got a permanent bracelet.”
“Vic, I saw you at some point stopped the workout, cheering your friends on,” said Loshiavo.
Around 100 people attended the Rowdy Mermaid event supporting the group, according to Payer.
“What's cool is all of these local wellness small businesses– AMP’D, Rowdy, Mike Duffy training– have this mission to make a healthier community more connected,” D’Amico said. “We have very similar goals.”
Photo Credit: @ampdfitnessnj / AMP’D raised nearly $7,000 for Blue Dot at their August workout.
Blue Dot has also worked together with the Belmar Police Department incorporating sensory kits.
“We're going to be collaborating with them to create sensory kits for their patrol cars,” Loshiavo said. “The group is not a visitor, but an active participant and collaborator in our community, working every day to come up with ways to make it a better place.”
The group continues to be a resource for the community, recently helping design a new sensory-friendly playground in Spring Lake and creating sensory bags for haircuts for Handsome Devil Barbershop in Belmar.
“One of our members had experienced sensory overload during haircuts,” Loshiavo said, explaining that the group provided a kit with a book introducing the barbers, the tools used, and what to expect. “It also included some sensory tools that we have in our market.”
Blue Dot is making a social impact on its members and the broader community, according to its members.
“I think when we first started out, we thought we were going to have to convince everyone to sort of accept us, and it's been like the total opposite,” D’Amico said, who described it as a natural integration.
“We love Blue Dot because we go out in the community and we talk to people, we tell them about our program,” said Victoria. “It's really truly amazing. I like to see my friends every day here.”
According to the website as of July 3, “At this time, we are not currently accepting new members as we restructure. Please follow along on social media to stay up to date about our community offerings.”
Yet, Blue Dot is expanding its community gathering space by taking advantage of the market in the Belmar location by providing monthly opportunities with local artists each month.
“We want to bring people together through creativity, connection, and shared experience,” Loshiavo said. “Artists can present their personal work in our market to sell for their profit, then we're also going to do a monthly interactive workshop that's going to be donation-based to support Blue Dot.”
Photo Credit: @blue_dot_community
The first workshop featuring Loshiavo’s work @the.coastal.crafter on Instagram, was seashell suncatchers on Sept.10.
“There's no limits on who can come to any events,” said Loshiavo. “Our goal is to create a community space where people can feel comfortable and confident and feel like they belong somewhere because we all belong on this pale blue dot.”
Also launching this month, Blue Dot is asking local businesses and organizations to participate by giving anyone who comes in with the Blue Dot membership card a little perk.
“Scotty from Lola’s said he would do 10% off on cocktails on Thursdays,” explained Payer. “Every business is setting its own incentive.”
Anyone can be a member and receive a card and give a suggested donation of $120 each year, according to Payer. Some participating businesses are:
● Lola’s
● Cup of Literature
● Destination Asbury
● Boho House
● Robins Nest Diner
● The Handsome Devil barber shop
“It’s a way for us to formalize everyone’s commitment to supporting us while at the same time supporting our local business partners who have lifted us up,” said Payer.
To donate to Blue Dot, click here.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please get in touch with me at angelica.n@lead4earth.org.
Thumbnail Photo Credits: Blue Dot Website
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