The families of Jon Mustafa and Lesley Carness will honor their memories with a new scholarship fund for graduating East Brunswick High School seniors. Jon had been studying to be an accountant, and Lesley sought to pursue a career in cooking. EAST BRUNSWICK- The families of a young couple killed in a car accident last year will honor their memories through a new scholarship fund for those seeking degrees in the fields the late teenagers sought to pursue.
Jon Mustafa, 18, and Lesley Carness, 16, were both serious students, their families said, Lesley at East Brunswick High School and Jon at West Chester University. Both were determined to accomplish careers in what they loved to do most. Jon was studying to be an accountant, a career he felt would be solid and fulfilling, and Lesley’s dream was to expand her love of cooking. She would have started her culinary studies this fall.
“Our children were loving and passionate young adults who loved and cared for one another, and too young to have been taken from all of us,” the families wrote in a letter regarding the new scholarship fund. “Jon and Lesley were vibrant and ambitious, but most of all they were generous with their love to their families and friends. They were always there for everyone regardless of what was asked of them.”
Tragically, the pair died in an April 2007 car crash on Route 18 when Jon’s Honda Civic was cut off by what authorities believe was a dark-colored Jeep Liberty. The Liberty stopped abruptly in front of them, possibly in an act of road rage, causing Jon to lose control of his vehicle.
“We cannot let their dreams die with them,” their families wrote. “We must carry on the special love and dedication that Lesley and Jon had for each other and life.”
The Lesley Carness & Jon Mustafa Scholarship Fund will be awarded each year to two college-bound, graduating seniors from East Brunswick whose aspirations and dreams will also be to seek a degree in accounting and in culinary studies.
The families are hoping members of the community will help support the fund in memory of Jon and Lesley.All will have their chance to do so on June 14, when the East Brunswick Elks Club, P.O. Box 120, located on Hardenburg Lane near Farrington Lake, will host a tricky tray raffle to raise money for the scholarship fund. The benefit will take place between 6 and 10 p.m., along with a dinner the families are sponsoring.
The families are soliciting donations from businesses and organizations for prizes to be raffled off at the fundraiser. Businesses interested in donating to the project will be recognized at the fundraiser, as well as in a foundation newsletter.
The cost to attend the dinner is $30 for adults, $20 for students, and free for kids under 12. Dinner, refreshments and live entertainment will be included.
To donate funds, sponsor a raffle prize or attend the dinner, checks can be made payable to the scholarship fund and mailed to The Lesley Carness & Jon Mustafa Scholarship Fund, c/o The Provident Bank, 371 Spotswood Englishtown Road, Monroe Township, NJ, 08831. Indicate on the check how many will attend the dinner or if the payment is for a donation. Tickets may be purchased at the door on the evening of the benefit, but will be subject to availability. No tickets for the dinner will be mailed; instead, all guests will be listed on a guest list that will be checked at the door.
For questions regarding the scholarship fundraiser, call Terry Carness at 732- 841-4532 or JanMustafa at 908-217-9760.