The families of East Brunswick teens Jon Mustafa and Lesley Carness, killed in a car accident in 2007, award scholarships yearly in their memory. EAST BRUNSWICK — The families of Lesley Carness and Jon Mustafa are continuing their efforts to keep the memory of the late teens alive through a memorial scholarship fund.
Terry Carness, mother of Lesley, and Janan Mustafa, mother of Jon, have established the scholarship fund in their children’s names to help students achieve what Lesley and Jon had dreams of doing.
Lesley and Jon, a young couple from East Brunswick, died as the result of injuries sustained in an April 2007 car crash on Route 18. Lesley, 16, and Jon, 18, had hoped to pursue careers in cooking and accounting, respectively.
The foundation will hold an event 6-10 p.m. Saturday, July 16, at the East Brunswick Elks Club, 21B Oakmont Ave., to raise money for the scholarships that are awarded to students each year.
Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for students. Children under 10 years old are free. All proceeds will go to the scholarship fund.
This year the event will feature music from Jason Nazzaro, who will serenade his audience with music from “Ol’ Blue Eyes” Frank Sinatra.
The fun-filled evening will offer a hot Italian buffet, refreshments, dessert and a grand door prize, Carness said.
“We wanted to try something different this year,” Carness said .
The scholarship foundation awards two $1,000 scholarships each year to East Brunswick High School students: one to a student hoping to pursue a career in culinary arts and one to a student looking to pursue a career in accounting.
“It keeps the memory of Jon and Lesley alive,” Mustafa said. “We are helping other students to achieve [their similar career goals].”
In order to receive the scholarship, students are asked to fill out an application, which includes their grade-point average. They are also asked to write a short essay regarding their hopes for the future.
“It’s a nice feeling we have — helping these kids,” Carness said.
The winning students are chosen based on the essay and aspirations, grade-point average, school transcripts and overall performance in school, Carness said.
The scholarships are funded through donations and fundraising events like the one to be held July 16.
The families were recently notified by East Brunswick High School that one of the culinary scholarship winners fromtwo years ago will be an apprentice at Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken this summer. The bakery is home to the TLC television show “Cake Boss.” Carness said that they were very excited to hear the news.
“This is one thing we can do for our kids,” Carness said. “Everyone should always remember how important these kids are.”
Carness said the event is “a way to bring our families, friends and the community together.”
The Carness and Mustafa families joined together after the tragedy to ensure that the memory of their children does not fade.
“It shouldn’t be a loss that’s forgotten,” Carness said.
The families have gotten so close through their uncommon bond and have become more than just the parents of the lost teenagers.
“The Mustafas are my family now,” Carness said.
“Jon just adored Lesley,” she said, adding that their story as high school sweethearts was unlike any other and that Jon would do anything for Lesley.
“He was a very nice young man,” Carness said of Jon Mustafa.
Tragically, the pair died in an April 2007 car crash on Route 18 when Jon’s Honda Civic was cut off by what authorities believe was a dark-colored Jeep Liberty. The Liberty stopped abruptly in front of them, possibly in an act of road rage, causing Jon to lose control of his vehicle.
That car and its driver have yet to be found by police.
The families continue to offer a $10,000 reward for anyone who might have information about the April 2007 crash and the dark-colored Jeep Liberty that was believed to have a Tweety Bird sticker on the back of the vehicle.
“There are two people out there that know for sure that they did something very, very wrong,” Carness said.
The foundation that was created in their memory became a nonprofit organization this year, Mustafa said.
Mustafa said she would like to see the organization receive more funding and one day give scholarships to students throughout the entire state of New Jersey.
Donations can be mailed to The Lesley Carness & Jon Mustafa Memorial Scholarship Fund, 9 Marlow Road, East Brunswick, NJ 08816.
For more information about the scholarship fundraiser or to purchase tickets to the July 16 event, call Terry Carness at 732-841-4532 or Jan Mustafa at 908-217-9760.