The Republican Women of Mercer County have chosen Jean Hall Gianacaci, of Hopewell Township, as the 2010 Republican Woman of the Year and will be honoring her on Sunday.
The event will be held from noon-3 p.m. at the Hart Farm in Hopewell Township.
The event is open to the public. Families are encouraged to attend, as there will be hayrides, a petting zoo and pony rides. The cost is $30 per person, $15 for children and is capped at $75 per family.
Half of all proceeds from the event will benefit the honoree’s charity of choice, “Christine’s Hope for Kids.” Information about that charity can found at www.rwomc.org.
A lifelong Hopewell Valley resident, Mrs. Gianacaci has served as Republican municipal chairwoman of Hopewell Township for nearly a decade, “playing an integral part in electing numerous GOP candidates, including Hopewell Township Mayor Mike Markulec, Deputy Mayor Jim Burd and Committeewoman Kim Johnson,” said a spokeswoman.
”Known for her political savvy and boundless energy, she was tapped by the Chris Christie for Governor campaign to serve as a key grassroots community organizer,” said the spokeswoman.
”Jean is a political force. She runs a clean and nuanced campaign, never allowing her candidates to fall into the mire of wedge-politics; the Hopewell community is always first and foremost in her mind,” said Vanessa LaFranco, chairwoman of the Republican Women of Mercer County.
Mrs. Gianacaci’s charity of choice is “Christine’s Hope For Kids,” a 501(c)3 nonprofit foundation, established to continue her daughter Christine Gianacaci’s mission of helping underprivileged kids by putting a smile on the faces of those less fortunate.
A Lynn University (Boca Raton, Fla.) junior, Ms. Gianacaci was on a humanitarian mission in Haiti providing food and building shelter for the needy when the January 2010 earthquake ripped through the country, taking her life and those of several of her fellow students.
The foundation already has positively impacted the lives of over 600 local children — allowing the less fortunate to attend summer camp, and providing clean clothes and toys to battered children, said the spokeswoman.
All contributions to Christine’s Hope for Kids Foundation in 2010 will be matched dollar for dollar and are tax- deductible. More information about the Foundation can be found at www.christineshope.com.
