Ninth Annual Chuck Nevins Surf Fishing Tournament and Fundraiser Kicks Off on Saturday

It was Charles "Chuck" Nevins dream to become a Berkeley Township police officer, just like his father Richard.

The young man was sworn into the Berkeley police force in 2002. He was going through the Ocean County Police Academy's rigorous training program when the vicious headaches began.

At first Nevins and his family chalked the headaches up to the stress of his training. But when he went to a chiropractor for an adjustment, he was told to have an MRI to check on a bone abnormality in his cervical spine.

It was shortly after that he was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor. Then came two surgeries at the University of Pennsylvania, chemotherapy and other treatments to keep the Bayville resident alive.

"He didn't let it get him down," his sister Kathie recalls. "He truly thought he was going to beat it."

Chuck Nevins died at the age of 23, two days after Christmas in 2003.

"There's not a day that goes by that he's not thought of, talked about and loved," his sister Kathie said. "It was devastating for the whole family."

Each year the Bayville Elks Lodge #2394 holds a surf fishing tournament and fundraiser named after Nevins. Proceeds from the event go to a Berkeley Township child with cancer each year.

This year's Saturday event is a two-parter. It begins with the surf fishing tournament, which runs from daylight until the 2 p.m. weigh-in at the Elks Club at 247 Route 9 in Bayville.

"You can surf fish from anywhere," Kathie Nevins said. "You just can't go out in a boat."

The rest of the program is also held at the Elks Club and features a Chinese auction, 50-50s and buffet-style food, cooked up by Elks Club members and donated by local merchants.

Anyone interested can register for the surf fishing tournament at the Elks Club through tomorrow night. The cost is $25 and includes a T-shirt. For more information, call the Elks Club at 732-269-2954.

The cost to attend just the fundraiser is $15. Some of the prizes for the Chinese auction include a big-screen TV, and a gas grill. All of the items for the auction were donated, Nevins said.