A quick search for information about Long Beach Island brings a multitude of definitions from a beach lover’s paradise to barrier island and resort region along the Atlantic Ocean. What is missing from every description is the word “community,” which is much harder to define when a place is as beloved by the locals as it is by the throngs of seasonal visitors each year.

“We not only work here, we live here on Long Beach Island. Three generations are represented in our staff, some of us born and…