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WEST WINDSOR: Fore! Joshua Classic scores big for charity

By Matt Nelson, Special Writer
  WEST WINDSOR — The 11th annual Joshua Classic celebrated goodwill and friendly, competitive golf at Mercer Oaks in West Windsor on Tuesday.
   It raised more than $35,000, according to Judy Shane, of East Windsor.
   The Joshua Classic is an annual event of the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation, an East Windsor-based charity. The event was led by Ms. Shane and her two daughters, Jessica Albert and Bree Shane, in addition to a vast number of volunteers and supporters.
   Judy Shane is the mother of Joshua, who died in a June 2000 car accident. He had just completed his first year of college.
   The Joshua Harr Shane Foundation was founded to honor his giving spirit to bring smiles to people in need as previously reported by the Packet Media Group.
   Over the past decade, the foundation has raised tens of the thousands of dollars for its programs to benefit members of the military serving in war zones, military families and children in need.
   All proceeds from Tuesday’s 11th annual Joshua Classic will go toward the nonprofit’s programs benefiting folks locally, regionally and around the world. It offers scholarships, including at Hightstown High School, and also donates items, such as winter coats and supplies, to Better Beginnings Childhood Development Center, which serves children in the East Windsor and Hightstown communities.
   Last year, the 10th annual Joshua Class raised approximately $30,000.
   Tuesday, more than 150 golfers from multiple parts of New Jersey as well as from elsewhere across America competed in the Joshua Classic.
   Ms. Shane expressed her gratitude for this year’s golf classic, noting, “even the hard rain that hit us” did not impact the excitement of golfers.
   The event began with registration at 11 a.m., which also included a buffet lunch featuring hot dogs, sausages, pasta salad and drinks.
   Despite moderate rainfall during the registration, 154 golfers began to head out to their respective starting holes on the east and west courses of Mercer Oaks at 1 p.m.
   ”You know that the money that gets raised goes to many good causes,” said Jane Sost, of East Windsor. “People are very kind and friendly, and everybody is here for the same reason, and I think that’s really important.”
   Along with the 18-hole scramble tournament, participants could bid on multiple items in the Chinese and the live auctions later in the day during the event’s banquet dinner. The live auction featured collectible sports memorabilia affiliated with teams such as the New York Yankees, New York Jets and Trenton Thunder.
   After the outing, folks made their way inside Mercer Oaks for an open bar, which lasted all night, and appetizers. There were 215 people who attended the dinner.
   Another contest that took place was the Joshua Challenge, which gave people a chance to win prizes on numerous holes on both the east and west golf courses. Golfers had an opportunity to win different awards for the longest drive, closest to the pin and hole-in-one and awards for the first- and second-place teams on both the east and west courses.
   ”Each year, it gets bigger and better, and I think since we changed from Cranbury to Mercer Oaks years ago, everything has been (growing) faster,” said Brett Shane, of Norwalk, Connecticut.
   Brett Shane is Joshua’s brother.
   Some of the prizes that were given out during the banquet included vacations to Orlando, Florida, New York City, London and Jamaica; electronics; gift baskets; golf equipment; and patio fixtures.
   Mr. Shane said, “My mom has been doing a great job of getting more prizes and more donations to make everything that much more fun for the people who are playing. It’s all about watching people have fun.”
   Some of the volunteers to help the foundation run the golf outing came from McGuire Air Force Base in New Hanover Township.
   ”This is my third time helping out,” said senior airman Mandeep Singh, of Queens, New York, of the Joshua Classic. He is based at McGuire Air Force base. “The first time I did this, I had fun; I enjoyed it, and that’s made me want to do it again.”
   He continued, “The foundation does a lot for the military. I remember Judy gave the McGuire Air Force base golf clubs and also care packages for the deployed soldiers. We’re doing our part to give back to the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation.”
   Ms. Shane said, “We have a great group of people who support us every year, and we always have newcomers that are wonderful to see. It makes us happy that so many people come out to support this event. What’s more important is that everybody has a day to remember, and the feedback that we’re getting is wonderful.”
   The Joshua Harr Shane Foundation expressed its thanks during the banquet to its business supporters, including Triangle, of East Windsor; Mercedes Benz, of Princeton; Dayton Toyota; Rita’s Water Ice; Essential Pharmaceuticals; Hamilton Honda; Kids Kottage Learning Center; Starbucks; Sun National Bank Center; Trenton Thunder; Labaton Sucharow; PNC Bank; Shane and White LLC; World-check; and Wetac LLC.
   For more information on the Joshua Harr Shane Foundation, visit www.joshuaharrshane.org or email [email protected].
   — Jen Samuel, managing editor, contributed to this report.