1. Want to spread the word about your Asbury Park service organization? Write here! Since the city council took office on July 1, my telephone hasn't stopped ringing. (Just ask my mother, who wonders why I hate to pick up the phone these days.) Every day, I'm plied with requests ranging from "How can we stop speeders on my block?" to "How can I find a home in Asbury Park?"

Despite the constant ringing in my ears, I'm proud to report that the most frequently asked question -- by residents and out-of-towners alike -- is "What can I do to help Asbury Park?"

Okay, Asbury Park organizations, this is your chance! Do you belong to a group that contributes to Asbury Park and needs volunteers? If so, tell me about it, and I'll help spread the word in a future column dedicated to Asbury Park's volunteer organizations.

Just send me the name of your group, a sentence describing its mission, and a list of the kinds of projects you do (for example, lake clean-ups, after-school tutoring, historic preservation, whatever). Include a public phone number or other contact information, and I'll print a short description of each group in a future column.

So, whether it's the Boys & Girls Club, the Block Watch, the STARS program, or the Center, drop me a line and I'll tell Coaster readers what you need. (Send your short descriptions to Kate Mellina, c/o Coaster, 1011 Main Street, Asbury Park, NJ 07712.)

2. Show us your creative side! Asbury Park is on the move, and it's time to take that next big step in our redevelopment. Yes, you guessed it: It's time to unleash our own Asbury Park bumper sticker!

With support from the Coaster, I'm therefore announcing the first official "Design an Asbury Park Bumper Sticker That Will Make Other Towns Green With Envy Contest". What should it say? The choice is yours, but "Greetings from Asbury Park" has been over-used, and Dave (my favorite husband) thinks that my first impulse -- "We're Asbury Park: Get Out of Our Way" -- is a bit too blunt.

Entries can be sent to the Bumper Sticker Contest, c/o Coaster at 1011 Main Street, Asbury Park, NJ 07712, and should arrive by November 1, along with your name, address and telephone number. No need to design the whole bumper sticker unless you're feeling creative -- only an appealing phrase is needed. (Just remember that it has to work for everyone, from families to avant-garde artists.)

The most inspiring entry will be selected by an informal panel of city artists, council members and Coaster staffers, and the winner will receive a free Asbury Park house flag and a one-year subscription to the Coaster newspaper.

If more than one person submits the winning phrase, the prizes will go to the person whose entry was received first.

While you're dreaming up the winning entry, I'll be searching for a printer and a non-profit group to help us sell the bumper stickers. Proceeds will go to that non-profit, Asbury Park organization.

Given that not everyone in Asbury Park has a bumper, I'll also look into putting the winning phrase on a pin or button. And speaking of residents without bumpers...

3. Support the Communiversity -- please! As you know, we've been trying to convince Brookdale Community College and six associated New Jersey colleges to move the proposed Communiversity to Asbury Park. (It is currently scheduled to be placed at Camp Evans in Wall, a spot that is unreachable by Asbury Park residents using public transportation.)

Last week, the Asbury Park city council passed a resolution asking the Brookdale Board of Trustees, the Monmouth County Freeholders, and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (who obtained federal funds for the project) to reconsider Asbury Park as a location for this wonderful institution offering advanced degrees in everything from nursing to computer networking.

If you haven't contacted these individuals to voice your opinion, do so today! Time is short, and everyone is frankly hoping that we'll just give up and go away. Write or call Rep. Frank Pallone at 504 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740. (His phone number is 571-1140 and his fax number is 870-3890.)

Contact the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders at the Hall of Records, 1 East Main Street, Freehold, NJ 07728 (telephone 431-7380; fax 431-6519). Our five freeholders are Harry Larrison, Jr., Amy H. Handlin, Theodore J. Narozanick, Thomas J. Powers, and Edward J. Stominski. (Handlin and Stominski are up for re-election this year.)

Finally, Dr. Peter F. Burnham is Brookdale's President, and Dr. Donald D. Warner is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. You can write them at Brookdale Community College, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738 (telephone 224-2204; fax 224-2242).

And don't forget to express your opinions publicly in area newspapers and to ask the heads of city organizations and churches to add their voices (and authority) to ours.

Monmouth County boasts over two dozen parks, six golf courses, and classes in everything from dance to photography to soccer -- and none of them are in Asbury Park. It's time to demand our fair share of the educational and recreational pie.