By Mary Ellen Zangara, Special Writer
The third Annual “A Pig Roast for Alex” charity barbeque 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 lodge is the sponsor of the annual event.
”This is our third Annual Pig Roast and Poker Run and with the help of our motor cycle club we are putting together a fun day,” she said.
The fundraiser will run from noon to 5 p.m. at the Manville Hillsborough Elks Lodge at 1500 Brooks Boulevard, Hillsborough. 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 up. Admission includes all-you-can-eat pork, burgers, hot dogs and fixings. In addition to the 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 in Hillsborough all his life. He lives at home with his parents, Lisa and Bill, his younger brother, Karl, and his 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 his 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 Elk’s Camp Moore. The camp provided Eric with an opportunity to have some 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 EMC 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 (a communication device) enables him to communicate without speaking since his speech can be very 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.
The proceeds from the Pig Roast and any other fundraisers will be used to purchase the Dynavox so Eric will continue to have a clear voice after graduation. If there are any additional proceeds, Eric would like to use them to go to summer camp, although he cannot return to ECM because now he is too old for the program.
”The Elks’ Pig Roast has been very successful over the past two years.
”We managed to raise approximately $2,500 last year, Ms. Liptak said.””
There will be vendors in the front of the lodge and the Elks are looking to expand with more vendors. A space is $30 and it includes admission to the pig roast.
Also, the Elks will hold a 50/50 and a Chinese auction.
“’”“”&”For more information or tickets call the Elks at (908) 725-1717 or Ms. Liptak at (908) 722-4691.

