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ROBBINSVILLE: Project Freedom fund-raising for backup generator

By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
   ROBBINSVILLE — When Project Freedom, the Hutchinson Road complex for people with disabilities, lost power after Hurricane Sandy, the elevators residents in wheelchairs depend on stopped working for several days, leaving many stranded.
   ”Our tenants were stuck; they couldn’t come down from their second-floor apartments,” Tim Doherty, executive director of Project Freedom, recounted Friday.
   Although management made sure residents had enough food and water until the power returned, the entire episode underscored the need for an integrated backup generator system to keep elevators working and the lights and heat on in the community center so that it can be used as shelter, Mr. Doherty said.
   ”We’d like to be proactive and a generator would help us be better prepared for future storms that may cause us to lose power,” Mr. Doherty said.
   Four local rotary clubs, including the local Robbinsville-Hamilton Sunrise, have stepped in with a collective pledge of $10,000 in seed money to help pay for backup generator system, which is estimated to cost about $60,000 to $70,000.
   The integrated backup generator system would only provide power for the complex’s two elevators and community center, because one large enough to power the entire complex would be too expensive, Mr. Doherty said.
   Mr. Doherty said the nonprofit Project Freedom has $30,000 set aside for the project, which when combined with the rotary clubs’ $10,000 pledge, puts the organization more than half way to its fundraising goal.
   Mr. Doherty said he hopes that area businesses and residents will also help with tax-deductible donations.
   Project Freedom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that develops and operates barrier-free housing to enable individuals with disabilities to live independently in their community.
   The Robbinsville complex was built in 1991 and contains 30 apartments for people with severe disabilities, and also provides support services such as recreation, training and advocacy.
   For more information about Project Freedom, or to make a donation for the backup generator project, visit www.projectfreedom.org.