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Undici Restaurant - Undici Restaurant is located in Rumson New Jersey on River Road, serving Italian food.
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Infiniti Car Dealer NJ - Circle Infiniti is New Jersey's best Infiniti car dealer, located in Monmouth County NJ.
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A 30 Day Goal to Deliver a Thanksgiving SurpriseBy: Brian Pasch An Open Letter: How do you react to a crisis? When devastation hits America, what is your reaction personally and within your community? This past week I was part of a national volunteer firefighter’s conference in Galveston Texas. Here I learned some remarkable stories of how ordinary people responded to tragedy. Two of the stories have moved me in ways I don’t understand fully, but they are the basis for this letter. Story One - A Fire Station in New York is Adopted On September 11, 2001 when the world was shocked at what they saw on television, the residents and firefighters in Texas were quick to act. Helen Johnson, the Executive Director of the Texas State Firefighters and the Fire Marshals Association (SFFMA) recounted one amazing story from that tragedy. The phone started ringing immediately at the Association headquarters. Firefighters called to see if they should go directly to New York that day. Residents also called asking how to help. Helen, the firefighters in Texas and WPI (Williams Pyro Inc.) quickly developed a plan to coordinate their physical resources as well as financial donations to help NY firefighters. Helen’s son Ronnie lives in New York. Every day in Greenwich Village, her son passed Fire Station Engine 24, Ladder 5 on his way to work. After the initial shock, he saw that 11 photographs were posted on the Fire House building. Eleven firefighters from that station lost their lives. The SFFMA decided to adopt this fire department and quickly made calls to learn the needs at hand. One month later, on October 25, 2001, with over $225,000 in hand, a delegation from SFFMA and WPI was thrown a dinner by the fire house staff to honor the "Texans". The fallen firefighters’ families where present, which included 18 children. They presented each wife with a check for over $20,000. Ironically, in October the wives had not received one penny from any other charity that was collecting money for this tragedy. This dinner scene, as told by Helen, left an indelible impression on me and it brought tears to my eyes to hear how ordinary people from thousands of miles away were the FIRST to respond to a small fire company in New York. I wished I was there to see the check presentation. I wished I was part of that healing process because it was so beautifully executed and demonstrated the great capacity to make a difference. One month later the delegation was back in New York with another $200,000 for those 11 families, and then a final round of over $60,000 was raised. In total, the SFFMA and WPI raised approximately $600,000 in three months for firefighter families in New York and got them the money quickly when it was needed most. Ironically, in December 2001 Helen Johnson was called to New York to testify in front of a NY Senate Panel chaired by Senator Michael Nazzolio. At this hearing representatives from the Red Cross, Twin Towers Fund and other large charities were scolded for their delays in aid and inaction when firefighter wives had their paychecks halted and needs that were pressing. Helen and the delegation from Texas was praised at the hearing and shown as an example of how things can be done. Story Two - The Welborn Family Bo and Sarah Welborn are ordinary people. Bo just completed his term as the President of the Texas State Firefighter and Fire Marshals Association (SFFMA) this summer. He has been a volunteer firefighter for 37 years in Texas, an amazing legacy of community service. Since my business has the SFFMA as a client, I had the pleasure of meeting Bo and Sarah this past summer as they toured our offices in Edison, New Jersey. Bo and Sarah are the type of people you’d want to adopt into your family. Warm and caring, these two ordinary people have Texas sized smiles and hearts to match. I was saddened to learn that this special family was struck hard by Hurricane Rita. You see, Bo and Sarah had lost another house in 1998 during hurricane Charlie, taking three years to rebuild. In 2002, Bo and Sarah purchased their current home in Silsbee, Texas to move closer to their children. They were within 2 months of completing a three year renovation project when the hurricane Rita hit their town. As an aside, during the first year and a half of renovations in Silsbee they were living in a small trailer on the site and after that they have been living in the house during the final renovations. When Rita struck, the winds were so severe in their area that two large trees fell down and crushed their home. Their one story home home was completely ruined by rain, structural damage from the trees and mold growing without boundaries. Ironically their brand new dishwasher, in their garage waiting to be installed, was right in the path of one of the trees and was crushed. (photos below) One month has passed and Bo and Sarah have still not had an insurance adjuster come to their home. (** see update and end of page). The house is basically totaled; estimated reconstruction costs are around $70,000 - $80,000 for their modest home. Currently, Bo and Sarah are living with their daughter and their grandkids during this stressful time. Sarah seems to be taking this the hardest. She was looking forward to hosting Christmas in her new home, after five years of obstacles. She saw the light at the end of the tunnel and now she is homeless again. I’m writing this letter to my friends across the US in the hope that we can return the favor and send our prayers and support to our friends in Texas. There are many ways people can help, so let me explain some options. I have spoken with Keisha, Bo and Sarah’s daughter, about bringing them up to New York City between Christmas and New Years to get away from the devastated area and enjoy NYC at the holidays. My plans include taking them to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes and to a Broadway show like Lion King. I want to bring up the whole family, 6 people in total. Some of you may have frequent flyer miles that you can use to purchase airfare for them on Continental. Some of you may have contacts at NYC hotels for a good rate or special suites for the family. Some of you may have contacts for theater tickets. If you are so moved, you can help financially make this trip a very special escape and break from their current crisis. I will coordinate the gifts and will report to everyone who contributed on how this appeal turned out. Everyone will be recognized individually when I present your checks and gifts to the Welborn's. As far as the larger issue, their home, you know that it will take some time for the insurance company to settle with the Welborn’s, since it is not a simple process of assessing the damage to possessions and then getting a plan together for a new home. Your financial gifts to the Welborn’s will help them in this transitional time since insurance does not cover all out of pocket costs, and often the insurance companies low- ball the damage to personal possessions. The holidays are quickly approaching and your generosity would make this family eternally grateful. They have not asked for this help, but I know that they need your encouragement and assistance. The construction company that Bo was working for was completely destroyed. The construction yard with the company’s equipments was completely swept away. The development that they were completing was flattened. Bo is without work and living with his daughter, so you can image the stress on him as the holidays approach. Financial gifts of any size would be appreciated. This is the first time I have taken on such a task for a friend in need. We all have many responsibilities, but it would be very special to send some love, encouragement and financial help back to Texas to a family that have dedicated their lives to public service and good will. Details Please send your checks made payable to: Bo & Sarah Welborn And mail them to me: Brian Pasch 18 Sheraton Lane Rumson, NJ 07760 If you would like to discuss any in-kind assistance with their December trip to New York, please e-mail me at: brian@brianpasch.com or call me on my cell phone at 732-672-2356. Please try to mail your gifts by November 20th. I will gather all the checks and present them to Bo and Sarah on November 22nd in Houston Texas. It will be a surprise visit that is being coordinated with their daughter. I hope to deliver a collection of gifts and checks that will make a special Thanksgiving package that I am sure they will always remember. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. I will be hosting a welcome reception for Bo, Sarah and their family between Christmas and New Years. Check the on-line itinerary for the exact date. Everyone who gets involved will be invited to meet them and show your support. This is a great opportunity for your family, children and friends to participate in and to see the fruits of their gifts firsthand. Brian Pasch
Bo and Sarah at Conference Hotel
Keisha, Bo and Sarah's Daughter and her family. I plan to bring them all six in the family to NYC for the holidays. PLEASE PASS THIS LINK TO YOUR FRIENDS! This could be a very special Thanksgiving for the Welborn's ** Update: This week, October 30th the adjuster came to the Welborn house and appraised the damage at $70,000. Unfortunately, the roof is still open and this week Silsbee had HEAVY rains. Wow, the house is a mess. The one contractor who saw the house said it would be best to start from scratch. He also stated that it would be months before he could start work on the house due to the demands on his time. Brian Pasch - October 25, 2006
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