Event will raise money to help buy speech device
The third annual “A Pig Roast for Alex” charity barbecue will be held Sunday to assist a local family.
”We are praying for a great day to do a great thing for a great young man from Hillsborough. Anyone wishing to join in our Random Act of Kindness and make Eric’s Benefit a GREAT one, please come on down,” said Andrea Liptak, exalted ruler of Manville-Hillsborough Elks, the sponsor.
”This is our third annual pig roast and poker run and, with the help of our motorcycle club, we are putting together a fun day” she said.
The fundraiser will run from noon to 5 p.m. at the Elks Lodge at 1500 Brooks Blvd. The vendor show is open to the public in the front of the lodge and will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children 10 and older. Admission includes all-you-can-eat pork, burgers, hot dogs and fixings. In addition to food, vendor show and crafts, there will be face painting, music, dancing and tarot card readings.
The proceeds will benefit Eric Nivison, a 21-year-old who has lived his entire life in Hillsborough with his parents Lisa and Bill, younger brother Karl and canine companion Anela.
According to his family, “Eric loves a good joke, music and sports and in spite of his physical limitations, he is very social. As some of the Elks know, Eric has a wicked sense of humor and a contagious laugh. When he is relaxed, he has a smile that can light up a room.”
Eric has been “included” in regular classes in the Hillsborough public schools his entire life and is now a “super-senior.” He has stayed in high school for three additional years due to disabilities associated with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He will graduate in June and continue to live at home. Assuming there are sufficient funds in the state budget, he will begin to receive adult services for people with significant disabilities. Eric’s brother, Karl, is a junior at the same school and will graduate in 2012.
Eric has always been dependent on others for just about everything including eating, dressing and bathing. Eric has received physical, occupational and speech therapy services his entire life. Although generally healthy, he has had to have numerous surgeries and has had many hospital stays.
When Eric was 9, he started attending the Elks’ Camp Moore. The camp provided Eric with an opportunity to have fun while learning to allow other people to help him. It wasn’t always easy for Eric or the counselors, but after a week at camp, Eric always came home beaming and proud of his accomplishments.
Eric uses a wheelchair and has both a manual and a power wheelchair. Depending on where he is going and how accessible it is, he decides which chair to use.
Eric has been developing the ability to communicate in more “formal” settings with a Dynavox. The Dynavox (an augmentative communication device) enables him to communicate without speaking since his speech can be difficult to understand. The school purchased a Dynavox and provided therapy and training so Eric could learn to use it effectively. Eric listens for what he wants to say and then uses an elbow switch to activate a voice. Unfortunately, upon graduation, Eric has to return the Dynavox to the school unless it can be purchased for him.
Proceeds from the pig roast and other fundraisers will be used to buy the Dynavox so Eric will continue to have a clear voice after graduation. If there are additional money, Eric would like to go to summer camp, although he cannot return to ECM because he is too old for the program.
”’”We managed to raise approximately $2,500 last year,” Ms. Liptak said. “It was very successful and the family was very happy and appreciative of our generosity. We decided to make this pig roast an annual event and we incorporated in with our motorcycle club to make it a poker run and vendor show.”
The Elks are looking to expand with more vendors than the current 13. A space is $30 and it includes admission to the pig roast with food and drinks.
Other ways the Elks will add to the funds beside ticket sales are to include a 50/50 and a Chinese auction.
For information or tickets, call the Elks at 908-725-1717 or Ms. Liptak at 908-722-4691.

