Carnival for Madeline chairwomen thank com­munity

This past week we were totally awed by the community spirit that South Brunswick showed at the Carnival for Madeline.

Madeline, a 2-year-old child with cancer, is the daughter of Julie Benoff, a teacher in our district.

For five days, teachers, parents and community members rallied together to help a family during a time of crisis. Despite the rain and overcast skies, we were able to raise a significant amount of money for the Benoff family.

We are so appreciative of all the help from the volunteers who pitched in so willingly. There are so many people to thank. We hope we don’t leave anyone out: DJ’s Ferris the Great, Tom from Soundz Good Entertainment, Ray from Ray-Dee-Oh DJ’s, Missy Vacchio, the band Due Diligence, and Mr. Ray, the well-known children’s singer, for donating their entertainment services.

Our very generous sponsor Brad Benson Mitsubishi/
Hyundai.

Pets, Pets, Pets for the great reptile show. Friendly Rental, Bob’s Tents, Stop & Shop in Franklin, the Walters family, who donated candy to sell, and the other vendors who provided silent auction items. Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who participated.

We were so impressed by the number of teenagers who offered their help. Many of them came night after night and walked around for hours collecting donations. We wish we could list them all by name, but we might inadvertently leave someone out. Other teenagers personally donated money or did fund-raisers on the side. We are totally awed by these young people and are grateful to have them as part of our community. Parents, you should feel really good about the children you are raising.

A special thank you to Joe Anzek, principal of Brunswick Acres School who had to put up with a lot from us and did it willingly. He supported us every step of the way. We won’t let on to the kids how nice he really is. Bob, the custodian, was there every hour the carnival was open and was a big asset. Thank you to the town for helping us get through the licensing and paperwork so quickly, and to the fire and police departments who watched out for our safety each day.

Tolve Productions, the carnival company, and Ron from Daisy Fair were incredible to work with. They supported and encouraged us in the hopes that we would raise a lot of money for the Benoff family.

It was especially wonderful to have Madeline at the carnival two of the nights. She totally enjoyed the rides and games, as well as the armload of stuffed animals she left with. She is back in the hospital this week for another round of chemotherapy, so we are grateful that she was able to derive so much pleasure from the carnival while she was feeling well.

Our theme for the carnival was "Together We Can Make a Difference." We know now, more than ever, that those words are true. Thank you to all who came out and supported the carnival in any way.

Tammy Zimmerman

and Jodi Marcou

South Brunswick

co-chairwomen

Carnival for Madeline