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Oct. 25 gala at ETS to honor Fred Vereen

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   Fred Vereen, the retiring manager of the Eggerts Crossing Village housing complex, will be honored at the “Trumpeting Success” gala set for Oct. 25 at the Educational Testing Service’s Conant Hall.
   Mr. Vereen is bowing out after 34 years of managing the 100-unit subsidized housing complex at 175 Johnson Ave. He has managed the development, owned and operated by Lawrence Non-Profit Housing Inc., since it opened its doors in 1974.
   There are still a few tickets left for the gala, which is a fundraiser for Eggerts Crossing Village’s “Every Child Valued” program, said Audrey Barton, who is the program’s financial administrator.
   Tickets are $150 apiece, and the proceeds go directly to the Every Child Valued Foundation, Ms. Barton said. The foundation funds the programs at the housing development. The gala is co-chaired by Janet Fearon and Joan Semenuk.
   ”We are celebrating Fred’s work with the community and the time and commitment he put toward Eggerts Crossing Village,” Ms. Barton said. “It’s a gala celebrating Fred’s work, but also celebrating the children at the same time — what he has done for the children and how it has made an ever-lasting change in their lives.”
   Ms. Barton said that like many nonprofit groups, the Every Child Valued Foundation is feeling the economic pinch. That’s why the gala fundraiser is so important, she said.
   The Every Child Valued program is a collaborative effort between the Lawrence Township public schools and the affordable housing development. The program offers an after-school homework program, as well as summer programs and a mentoring program to reinforce the children’s learning.
   For more information on the event, contact Ms. Barton at (609) 532-9289 or the Eggerts Crossing Village office at 609-883-7111.