Maria Rath - New Jersey Herald

BLACK E1 MAGENTA E1 CYANYELLOW
E—1
A salute to
Sussex
County’s
heroes
Maria Rath
There are good people out
there.
In this age of cynicism and
skepticism, where bad news
seems to reign at every turn,
from the economy to the ecological tragedy in the Gulf,
the New Jersey Herald
decided to look for the good
news.
We polled our employees
and local residents for
remarkable and inspirational people in our community, and highlight a handful
of them in this section.
These are local people who
have stepped forward to
make a difference, many of
whom work tirelessly to better the communities in
which they live.
Some have suffered personal tragedy, but have used
those events to find a way to
help the community. Some
stay quietly in the background while working to help
others. Still others are in the
forefront as the people
often seen leading the effort
to make Sussex County a
better place to live.
Good people are of all
ages. Our youngest is 10, our
oldest is 80. All of them have
a giving spirit and a welcoming heart. When there was a
need, they did not walk away,
but rather jumped in to fill it.
A hero is defined as one
who is the central figure in
any important event or period, honored for outstanding
qualities. Those featured
here are just a sampling
of the good people in our
community.
As you read our section,
we hope you agree there are
truly Heroes Among Us.
To all of our heroes:
Thank you.
Index
• Maria Rath
Page E1
• Isabella Ilaria
• Skylar Hildebrant
Page E2
• Debra Masterson
• Elenora Benz
Page E3
• Glen Vetrano
• Richard D.
Pompelio
Page E4
• Suzanne Stigers
• Jean-Paul Bonnet
Page E5
• Champions for
Charity
• John Mathews
Page E6
Photo by Phillip Molnar/New Jersey Herald
Maria Rath, 80, packages day-old bread at First Presbyterian Church in Sparta to give to the poor.
Profession: Retired opera singer, but currently performs in a
cabaret act with pianist/singer Rick Karabetsos.
Volunteer Work: The first (of two) Sussex County court-appointed special advocates (a volunteer position helping abused and
neglected children); an original member of the Sussex County
Narcotics Drug Force’s drug court; founder of bread and furniture
ministries, among others.
Age: 80
Hometown: Hainesville
Family: Husband Wilbur (“Will”), two adult children.
•••
Sitting in her black Chevrolet Silverado truck as a merciless sun raised
the temperature to nearly 90 degrees, the 5-foot-tall Maria Rath waited for
yet another person who needed her help.
A woman from Brookside Terrace needed a couch and told Rath she
would arrive between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Rath, 80, is never one to be late. She
was parked near the entrance of Space Relief Center in Newton at 10:25
a.m.
Rath was up at 7 a.m. that day picking up day-old bread at Bagful O’
Bagels in Lafayette to give to the needy.
Four days a week, she repeats this process, going to Panera Bread in
Sparta and Weis supermarket in Newton and giving their donated bread to
those in need.
While she wrapped up the bread in plastic bags at First Presbyterian
Church in Sparta, her friend and fellow volunteer Barbara Hayas explained
why Rath is her “role model.”
What would you say to people that feel they
don’t have time to help out?
Make time! There is so much wasted time.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by the need to help the poor and
needy. I believe we are our brother’s keeper. I
“She just amazes me,” Hayes said. “She’s like that Energizer bunny.”
Rath spends each of her days in a dead sprint from bread stores to food
pantries to collecting furniture. She has little patience for lateness and
wasted time.
She has 10 different places she delivers, but on a recent Monday, the
bagels, loaves of bread and pastries were being dropped off at Catholic
Family & Community Services in Franklin.
The Franklin pantry gave out 686 bags of food last month, so there is
little doubt the bread will go to use.
Bread store employees and social workers light up when they see Rath,
and organizations are lining up to give her awards. She won the Senior of
the Year Award in 2007 from the Sussex County Division of Senior Services
and the 2005 Division of Youth and Family Services award.
But Rath doesn’t pay much attention to her accolades. “I have them in a
box up in the closet,” she said of her awards.
When the Brookside Terrace woman arrived at the storage center at
10:45 a.m., Rath took her to a room jammed with donated furniture. Rath
lifted chairs and cushions, relying on the woman and a reporter to move the
couch into her truck.
After moving the couch — and a roll of carpet that Rath gave the woman
— she sped up Route 15 back to Lafayette. Missing a turn, she quickly
turned her truck around. “My friends call me Maria Andretti,” she said.
“Seventy-five percent of people really want to help themselves.”
Rath would know. She has been serving the underprivileged of Sussex
County for decades and started her furniture ministry nine years ago and
her bread ministry four years ago.
Few people, not just senior citizens, are as active as Rath.
can’t do this without (God’s) help. I can only do it
through his grace.
Did you ever think about giving up your
charity work?
What about, for example, a single mom that
is extremely busy?
No. When I was ill (Rath had two heart attacks
in 1999), Will said, “You can’t do this all by
yourself.” I said, “All you need is a truck and two
people.”
Take (the kids) over to Manna House (in
Newton) and teach them how to feed the poor.
— Phillip Molnar
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E—2
Isabella
Ilaria
Profession: Student, attending college in the fall.
Volunteer Work: Involved with Project Self
Sufficiency. Founder of Sister-to-Sister Prom Shop.
Age: 18
Hometown: Former Sparta resident, now living in
Chester.
Family: Father Peter Ilaria, mother Dee Slade,
younger sister Sophie Ilaria
•••
Isabella Ilaria helps girls get to the prom, no matter how
tough times might be.
The recent high school graduate, now 18, created the Sisterto-Sister Prom Shop at Project Self-Sufficiency, in Newton, in
2007, and has continued to run the shop. For four years
straight, she’s drawn out hundreds of donations of dresses,
jewelry, shoes and accessories for that magical night for girls
and parents who might not otherwise be able to foot the
fashion bill.
The operation has expanded to include as many as 500
dresses that are given free to girls who need some extra help
to make it to the teenage rite of passage.
The venture has steadily grown since its debut, and is now
becoming a fixture among teens who need a helping hand
getting to the dance. What was once a one-day event held at a
local church has now grown to a multiple-day event that’s held
at the even-bigger facilities right at Project Self-Sufficiency’s
campus. As the operation has grown, so to has the selection of
colors, styles, eras and varieties of taste.
Ilaria has always been a supporter of Project SelfSufficiency, since she contributed $100 to the organization at
age 11, and was a featured speaker at one of the group’s
fundraisers at age 13. She also spent two summers volunteering at the agency’s Little Sprouts Day Care Center.
Ilaria graduated from Gill St. Bernard’s School early this
month. She will travel to Franklin and Marshall for college in
the fall, where she plans on studying psychology. But she will
remain involved — especially if younger sister Sophie continues in her footsteps helping at Project Self-Sufficiency.
“The community is just so appreciative,” said PSS director
Deborah Berry-Toon, also a family friend. “Everyone just
cleans out their closets.”
Photo by Anna Murphey/New Jersey Herald
Isabella Ilaria started the Project Self-Sufficiency Sister-to-Sister Prom Shop, where promgoers can get dresses and
accessories at no cost.
I wanted to do something with the
dresses without just throwing them
away. ... Now I can’t even tell you how
many dresses we have.
We recently started decorating the
tables (at the prom shop), and making
everything prettier than it’s ever been.
We were trying to make it feel special for
them.
I guess I get it from my mom. She’s
a really compassionate person. It touches me — it really means a lot.
I donated my favorite dress ever. I
wore it to a wedding and two proms, and
I figured I would never have the chance
to wear it again. ... So we put it on one of
the mannequins. The second girl to
come in got really excited and asked to
try it on. This tailored dress fit her
perfectly, and we were all excited. We
even took a picture together. ... If anyone
deserved a dress to fit perfectly, it was
her.
I’m only two hours away (at college)
— I’ll be around.
— Seth Augenstein
Skylar
Hildebrant
Profession: Getting ready to start sixth grade at the
Halsted Middle School
Volunteer Work: Organizer of the Skylar Hildebrant
Trust, Respect, Support (TRS) book drive, which collects
books for Project Self-Sufficiency, students at Merriam
Avenue School in Newton, Tender Hearts Day Care and
the Discovery Years Day Care for Early Childhood
Education, both in Newton.
Hildebrant also participates in a Thanksgiving food
drive for Project Self-Sufficiency, participates in the
March of Dimes, and holds an annual toy drive.
Age: 10
Hometown: Newton
Family: Mom Sandy Hildebrant
•••
At 10 years old, Skylar Hildebrant has already done more
volunteer work than most adults.
The fifth-grader’s passion for helping others began in the
second grade with a Martin Luther King Day assignment that
required students to come up with a project to help their community.
Skylar decided to focus on eliminating illiteracy, and so her
annual book drive was born — recently dubbed the Skylar
Hildebrant Trust, Respect, Support (TRS) Book Drive by her
principal at the Merriam Avenue School.
The drive provides free books to individuals who may not be
able to afford them, and benefits Hildebrant’s school, Project
Self-Sufficiency, and the Tender Hearts Day Care and
Discovery Years Day Care for Early Childhood Education, both
in Newton.
School officials have dedicated a special bookshelf in the
hallway for students to leave donated books throughout the
year. Skylar and her mom, Sandy, go through the books several times during the year, tossing the damaged ones, and keeping the good ones for a month-long giveaway each January.
“I’ve never been so proud,” said Sandy Hildebrant. “She
never asks for anything in return and you don’t see that with
many kids her age. She just knows she is helping someone else
whose family may not be able to buy a book.”
During the first year, Skylar collected 1,009 books. The second drive provided 1,100 books, and this year’s drive more than
doubled in size, providing 2,700 books to children and adults in
need.
Photo by Daniel Freel/New Jersey Herald
Skylar Hildenbrandt, 10, of Newton, sits on her bed as she talks about her experiences collecting books as part of a book
drive to help prevent illiteracy.
For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the
teacher wanted us to design T-shirts
about our dream. I wanted to prevent
illiteracy. The teacher wanted us to find
a way to make the dream come true, so
I started a book drive and gave the
books to Project Self-Sufficiency. ... I
wanted everyone to know how important it is to read and write every day,
because no matter what you do, you are
going to need to know how to read and
write.
I like knowing that I’m helping
other people, making people happy
and am able to get them somewhere
more in life. They know someone is out
there who can help them. ... I think it’s
cool and interesting because sometimes
people ask me about (the book drive)
and I’m able to help them out. (Because
of the book drive) I know what boys and
girls are reading. Teachers have asked
me what books would be good for thirdand fourth-grade level.
I just started this year with a
Thanksgiving Food Drive (at Project
Self-Sufficiency) to help families that
don’t have meals. This year, I did two
turkeys and got lots of miscellaneous
items that helped to feed over 200 families.
My friend’s mom told me about
(March of Dimes) and I started doing
its annual walk. I helped to raise $300 for
it. I also made bookmarks to sell at a deli
to raise money for Project SelfSufficiency.
I have wanted to be a teacher since
pre-school. I’ve always wanted to work
with little kids because I’ve always
enjoyed being with them. This year, in
fifth grade, they started a kindergarten
helper. Every week for three months,
I’ve been helping during my recess.
I like sign language. In kindergarten,
our teacher taught us sign language
every day. ... I would like to work with
special education kids.
I really like books about Abraham
Lincoln. I like him because he tried to
stop slavery, free the slaves and help all
people be equal.
I also like biographies, like about
Abraham Lincoln, Clara Barton, Harriet
Tubman, Anne Frank, Helen Keller. I
like learning about the people’s lives and
what it was like to live back then. Like
with Abraham Lincoln, he didn’t go to
school for a while, and when he did, it
was one room with kids of all different
ages.
Another thing I like doing: I started
going to young author conferences, and
I started writing my own stories. You
have to write it and share it with the
whole class. You can write about anything and I wrote a true life story about
my best friend going into foster care. It’s
called “Best Friends.”
I’m starting to write (a book) with
my best friend because we have free
time and she wants to make a book. It’s
called “A to Z Recipes” and “A to Z
Animals” for younger kids.
Best Wishes & Congratulations
To Our Local Heroes
from the
24th Legislative District
Senator Steve Oroho
Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose
Assemblyman Gary Chiusano
— Christina Tatu
E—3
Debra
Masterson
Volunteer Work: Founder of the Robie Foundation, a
group that provides cardiac testing for young people.
Her foundation is named for her 3-year-old son, Robie,
who died suddenly of cardiac arrest five years ago.
Hometown: Sparta
Family: Husband Robert Masterson; children: Robie,
his triplet sisters, Sophia and Grace, and youngest
child, Henry Robie Masterson.
•••
Debra Masterson’s courage has been a matter of the heart.
The founder of the Robie Foundation has been selflessly
trying to keep other people’s children from having the same
tragedy as her own son Robie. The 3-year-old, one of triplets,
died unexpectedly of sudden cardiac arrest in 2004, just short
of his fourth birthday.
But even as she was traveling to the cemetery to bury her
son, she realized she had to make something positive out of her
loss. She immediately set about setting up the nonprofit
organization to detect congential heart defects and raise
awareness about the phenomenon.
The organization has succeeded in bringing the issue to the
public. In 2006, the group organized a two-day screening of
more than 500 Sparta schoolchildren using electrocardiograms and echocardiograms. A couple dozen children needed
further evaluations, but one of the students had corrective surgery as a direct result of the screening.
Ensuing years brought the placement of automated external
defibrilators in Sparta’s public places, training sessions involving that equipment and CPR techniques, and a fruitful alliance
with the American Heart Association, a national group that
helps with broadcasting the message.
The Robie Foundation has slowed down since the birth of
Masterson’s fourth child, Henry Robie Masterson. But she
says she plans on getting the foundation up and running at full
speed — once her youngest son is a little bit older, and she can
spare the time.
Photo by Seth Augenstein/New Jersey Herald
Debra Masterson, a mother of three, took a parent’s worst fear — the loss of a child — and made it into a much-honored
community organization. After the death of her son Robie in 2004 from sudden cardiac arrest, Masterson founded The
Robie Foundation with her husband, Robert. It has since screened hundreds of local children for heart problems.
The girls (Sophia and Grace, the
other two-thirds of the triplets) are
now 9 years old and doing well. ... We
get their hearts checked regularly, of
course.”
I’ve been busy with my youngest
son
(1-year-old
Henry
Robie
Masterson). For now, we’re just taking
it easy. ... I figure once he turns 2, I can
start it all up again. Robie’s been gone
for five years, but for me, this is a lifelong commitment.”
There are some things that aren’t
preventable, but there are others that
are. ... I just don’t want this to happen to
anybody else, if it can be prevented.”
I knew right away I wanted to do a
foundation. Plus, it was a place to put
my grief. ... I try my best to master the
balance of joy and pain, say when it
comes to the birthday of the triplets. We
miss Robie, but we also have Sophia and
Grace.
— Seth Augenstein
Elenora
Benz
Profession: Attorney with special focus on issues
affecting senior citizens.
Volunteer Work: Started Earth Angels 12 years ago,
which provides necessities to homebound seniors. Also
started a penpal program between seniors and elementary students at the Sandyston-Walpack school.
Age: 67
Hometown: Stillwater
Family: An adult son and three grandchildren.
•••
For some seniors, attorney Elenora Benz is truly a guardian
angel.
Gift bags she delivers through her annual holiday drive,
Earth Angels, provide basic necessities, such as toiletries and
grocery store gift cards, to homebound seniors.
The drive was started 12 years ago when Benz asked Mary
Lou McCutcheon, then director of the county Department of
Senior Services, if there was something she could do for
Sussex County’s seniors.
McCutcheon pointed out the surprisingly large population of
area seniors who are isolated, either because they’ve outlived
friends and family or because they have limited mobility.
The drive serves about 40 seniors each year and has gathered more than $2,000 in gift cards annually that are used to
buy food or prescriptions.
Five years ago, Benz further extended her volunteer work
with Sussex County’s aging population by starting a penpal
program between Sandyston-Walpack teacher Margaret
Elenora Benz, in her Newton
Untig’s elementary school class and seniors at the independcoordinates.
ent living facility Liberty Towers, in Newton.
The children write to the seniors six times during the year,
can’t get out? You know, if you
mostly around holidays — including Christmas and
could bring them a little presThanksgiving — when a greeting is most welcome.
ent and a visit, they would
This year, Benz plans to invite other school districts to join
love it,” and that’s how it all
the program.
got started.
I do a lot with seniors. It’s thought, “How am I going to
There have been years
one of the main focuses of my help people?” I wanted to see when I’ve received more
practice.
results, and that’s when I than $2,000 worth of gift
It’s not like I’m working for decided to focus on the elder- cards. That’s quite a lot of
a corporation or litigating ly population.
generosity in the community.
people up in the courthouse. I
One year, a lady in Mount
It was holiday time, and I Arlington read about (Earth
have the hands-on ability to
said, “Is there anything we Angels) in the paper, and she
help people.
I’ve worked in the legal can do to help the seniors?”
sent me $1,000 worth of gift
(Mary Lou McCutcheon) cards from her business. ...
profession my entire life —
not always as a lawyer — and said, “Do you know how Thanksgiving comes and the
I always thought it was a many seniors there are in stuff just starts arriving.
helping profession. When I Sussex County that live by From Thanksgiving until the
got out of law school, I themselves, have no family, second week of December,
Photo by Daniel Freel/New Jersey Herald
office, displays one of the cards written by schoolchildren to the elderly, a program she
you can hardly get into my
office.
What we are trying to do
is eliminate some of that feeling of isolation.
It’s hard when you have
outlived your family and
friends. I’ve met some seniors who are living from
Social Security check to
Social Security check. Their
main food is from Meals on
Wheels.
Those who don’t live in a
congregate situation are
really isolated. They have so
little contact with people, and
that’s not good for you —
unless you’ve decided to live
as a hermit. But there are
very few true hermits.
Human beings need socialization. (Earth Angels) can
provide a limited amount, but
that’s better than none.
(The seniors) really like
the idea that this younger
generation is interested in
them.
We have a lot of World War
II veterans, and they can tell
the kids stories because they
were there. You can read
about it in a history book, but
these people were there. For
me, it has been so gratifying
just to stand by and watch it.
It’s wonderful.
I had no clear idea of how
many people were living in
Sussex County, aging in
place.
They are just there and are
a quiet part of Sussex County.
There are an unlimited number of them, and there are
more each day as the population ages.
I think Sussex County has
one of the oldest senior populations in the state. The joke
is that it’s because of the
clean air and hard water. ... I
don’t have a clear answer, but
we are all going to get there
someday.
— Christina Tatu
Your generosity and tireless efforts to
Sussex County’s homebound
Senior Citizens is so appreciated…
Congratulations to you,
our Local Hero!
Your Friend,
BLACK E4 MAGENTA E4 CYAN E4 YELLOW E4
E—4
Glen
Vetrano
Profession: Battalion fire chief, Paterson
Volunteer work: co-chaired Sussex County Chapter
Red Cross Heroes Campaign; driving force behind the
Farmers Market (now called the Glen Vetrano Farmers
Market) at the Sussex County Fairgrounds; helped put
together the nonprofit group that runs Lusscroft Farm;
chairman of the Board of Trustees, Paterson and
Passaic Boys and Girls Clubs.
Age: 50
Hometown: Hampton
Family: Single
•••
A native of Hawthorne in Passaic County, Glen Vetrano
Photo by Amy Paterson/New Jersey Herald
moved to Sussex County in 1994 and a half-dozen years later
made an eight-month appearance on the Sussex County Board Glen Vetrano holds a variety of products available at the Sussex County Farmers Market at the fairgrounds in Augusta.
of Chosen Freeholders. Two years later, he was again appoint- Vetrano was instrumental in the creation of the market, which was renamed for him this month.
ed to the board and served through the end of 2009. He is also
fulfilling a lifelong dream of raising race horses on his farm in ed it should be used for help- early on to work with the Heroes and help out and it but in the early ’90s, I had
Hampton.
ing promote county agricul- state Parks and Forestry raised the money to keep the been on the Paterson Fire
Much of his work has been behind the scenes, helping organ- ture.
Department for a while and
which owns the property, and Red Cross Chapter going.
ize, making the necessary phone calls and bringing along othsomeone, a (Passaic) county
I helped with finding the we formed a Friends of
There were also projects freeholder, in fact, asked me
ers to help with the work. The Farmers Market grew out of a location, taking the project to Lusscroft Farm group to
federal Housing and Urban Development grant offered to the bid. When it came in more raise funds. We put together like the shared housing for if I’d be interested in working
county for an economic development project. With Lusscroft than the grant and there was a management plan, held senior citizens at the with the club. So I joined the
Farm, he helped grow an idea of how local people could pre- not enough money, then I public hearings and worked Homestead. That allows sen- board, served as president
ior citizens to remain indeserve a historic landmark into the Friends of Lusscroft Farm reached out for donations,
to set up the process. The pendent but still be close to for a few years and have been
which raises funds to restore and maintain the buildings at contacting suppliers and constate was very helpful and it’s needed services. And the 9/11 chairman of the board for a
what was once a cutting edge farm developing new agricultur- tractors. It took nearly three
working. The wine-and- monument, raising funds for few years, even though I
al processes and methods.
moved to Sussex County in
years, but we got it done.
cheese-tasting party (held that and getting it constructHe was the first chairman of the Red Cross Heroes
1994. I still work over there,
each
year)
is
a
big
part
of
that
ed on the community college so I stay involved.
On June 19, in a surprise
Campaign, a fundraising effort that became the financial
campus. I was proud to be
to Vetrano, the building, fundraising effort.
savior of the local chapter.
Working with people is
And he has been a member of the Paterson and Passaic which has been open nearly
And the Red Cross there for the dedication cereBoys and Girls Clubs since the early 1990s and currently a year and is located near Heroes. Two years ago, I mony just two years after what I enjoy. Obviously, I
don’t do it all; I’ve never done
the entrance to the Sussex was asked to help out with 9/11.
serves as board chairman.
this single-handedly. For
County Fairgrounds, was
Involvement with Boys myself, it’s a drive an a chalThe Farmers Market Frelinghuysen and had an renamed the Glen Vetrano their fundraising and be the
grew out of a HUD grant economic development com- Agriculture Building. The chairman. It was an idea that and Girls Club started lenge. I enjoy sitting around
had been used in other when I grew up in with other people and taking
the county received for ponent, using the money for farmers market is open
places. The local chapter was Hawthorne. I was a member the time and energy to create
almost $300,000. The grant actual bricks-and-mortar. It Saturdays.
in danger of closing because of the Boys Club and grew up it all and seeing it work.
came
to
us
from wasn’t project-specific but
Lusscroft Farm had a of a lack of funds. The pro- with it. As I got to be an adult,
— Bruce A. Scruton
Congressman
(Rodney) the (freeholder) board decid- similar history. I was asked gram asked local people to be I got away from it for a while
Richard D.
Pompelio
Profession: Attorney
Volunteer Work: Established the New Jersey Crime
Victims’ Law Center, the first pro bono (free) law center
of its kind in the nation, in 1992. Still operates the center
and does not draw any salary.
Age: 63
Hometown: Sparta
Family: Wife, Ana; children, Tony (deceased),
Nicholas, Stevyn, Katherine, Connor.
•••
In 1989, Richard Pompelio’s oldest son, Tony, was murdered
when he went to help a friend who was being held at knifepoint.
As the murder case wound its way through the legal system,
the Pompelios found the system had nothing to offer the
victims and families of victims of crime. Richard Pompelio got
involved in the effort to add a victims’ rights amendment to the
state constitution and in 1992 opened the New Jersey Crime
Victims’ Law Center. Sadly, even nearly two decades later,
there are only 11 such centers in the country.
Pompelio formed a law firm with Paul Foreman and David
Gray, which operates as a regular law firm; however, it has a
pro bono wing that allows Pompelio to spend all his time with
crime victims, offering legal and moral support, and seeking to
better state and federal laws governing how the system deals
with victims of crimes.
I think the government is
doing almost nothing in the
area of crime victims. On a
scale of 1-to-100, they’re not
doing much more than a 1.
People in government don’t
have a clue, they don’t have
the knowledge and there is a
lack of understanding. It’s a
combination of all those factors; victims are not treated
very well in the court system.
With a new governor
(Chris Christie), I think
there’s more understanding. Well, Number 1, he’s a
former prosecutor, so he
knows the system and what it
should be doing. Number 2,
he’s a good man and I think
he cares. Government is a
system of change; so many
things can be done. When
there is a crime, it affects
more than just the victim.
There’s a whole web of relationships that get shattered
emotionally and financially.
And what does the government do? Nothing. If a
woman’s husband is shot in a
drive-by, there may not be
any insurance. Her hope for
her children maybe going to
college, having a better life, is
Submitted Photo
After his son’s murder, Richard Pompelio got involved in the effort to add a victims’ rights amendment to the state
constitution, and in 1992 he opened the New Jersey Crime Victims’ Law Center.
gone. Then it becomes a matter of survival.
The
Tony
Pompelio
Scholarship Fund. The fund
was set up by a state law in
Tony’s memory. It was supposed to help children of
crime victims get to college
by offering scholarships.
How many scholarships have
been given? None. The state
never put one single dollar in
it.
Sussex County Chapter
would like to recognize our
“HERO”
l Glen
Vetrano l
His support and friendship mean a great
deal to the chapter and to the people of
Sussex County.
Thank you, Glen!
We have done a lot for
people. We recently counted up the numbers and
found we’ve represented
more than 10,000 since we
started in 1989. We have
been with the victims rights
movement since it started,
really, and every single person has become so special
to us. I have been blessed to
be able to help and it’s still
part of my ongoing healing.
You are always in a state of
survival.
herself and now has a family
law practice.
With Nicholas joining the
firm, the future looks
bright. I never pushed my
children to chose any path in
life, it’s all been their choice.
But when Nicholas decided
to become a lawyer, it was a
happy moment. And with him
joining the firm, it’s even
brighter. After Tony was
killed, Ana went to law school
I’m really optimistic
about the future. I’m not
really complaining, just commenting on the current status of affairs. I can’t fix it; I
don’t have that power. But I
am optimistic. If you don’t
have a vision, you can’t have
a plan.
— Bruce A. Scruton
Blacke5 Magentae5 Cyane5 Yellowr5
E—5
The local pantries were empty. There’s 32 million people
that are what we call food insecure, and in New Jersey, the
number of people that have become in need of a food pantry
has grown 62 percent, many of which are children. The
thought of not being able to provide for my children was a
scary thought, so that was motivation.
Suzanne
Stigers
Profession: Trade show and convention planner for
Travel Planners in Manhattan
Volunteer Work: Founded Coupons for the
Community in November 2009, which collects coupons
for various grocery stores and shopping centers
throughout the county and purchases items for local
food pantries. The organization is designed to bring
volunteers of all ages and backgrounds together to
support the community in simple ways: Donate unused
or unwanted coupons to the program or go grocery
shopping with the coupons and donate the purchased
items to food pantries.
Age: 41
Hometown: Byram
Family: Husband Jake, daughter Stella
•••
Suzanne Stigers sits at her kitchen table clipping coupons,
not out of boredom, but out of altruism.
In October 2009, Stigers read an article in the New Jersey
Herald with the headline: “Food pantries bare.” She learned
that in the down economy, more people were in need of food
pantry services, but fewer were inclined to donate groceries
and stock the facilities’ shelves.
For years, Stigers and her husband, Jake, tried to brainstorm ways of helping their community but concluded they
didn’t have the means to donate money to organizations. After
reading the article, “it sort of just sparked,” Stigers said.
In November 2009, the Byram resident founded Coupons for
the Community, a volunteer organization that aids local food
pantries by collecting unwanted or unused coupons and purchasing items at a discounted rate, thus stretching the dollar
and keeping several Sussex County food pantries stocked.
Stigers said for every $10 the group spends, it can donate $100
worth of goods.
Within months, the organization grew to 15 volunteers.
They began providing groceries and non-edible essentials
such as toiletries and hygiene products that cannot be purchased with food stamps to the Sparta Ecumenical Food
Pantry. As interest and involvement in Coupons for the
Community grew, the group was able to extend its reach and
support six other food pantries or human service agencies.
There is now talk of adding more pantries to the tally.
“In Newton, (the pantry) was so absolutely empty. We
showed up with carloads and they were blown away,” Stigers
said.
Coupons for the Community has now made its way to Idaho.
Stigers’ family, which lives in Boise, saw promise in her altruistic endeavor and followed suit.
“This thing is so viral,” Stigers said.
I shopped with coupons myself to save money and found
in many cases you could get things for free. I thought,
“What if we got 10 volunteers together and we could shop with
the coupons and rather than bring the items home, we could
bring them to our local food pantry?”
I was trying to get involved at a grassroots level. The
great thing we learned is people want to help, but they’re
afraid of the time commitment. But everybody has to go grocery shopping and people can donate a coupon they’re not
going to use and it doesn’t cost a thing. It takes so little to
make such a big difference.
Photo by Amy Paterson/New Jersey Herald
Suzanne Stigers founded Coupons for the Community, a
group that clips coupons and uses them to buy food to
donate to local pantries.
The women of Coupons for the Community also have
expanded their efforts by involving Sussex County children. In
February, the women participated in a national initiative, the
“100th Day of School” celebration, where each student brings
in 100 items, such as 100 pencils or 100 erasers, to teach children how much 100 of some object looks like in bulk. Coupons
for the Community took a different spin on the learning activity by creating an exercise that teaches youth how much people can buy with 100 pennies while using a coupon. All students purchased what they could with their pennies and a
coupon and donated the purchased goods to the charity. Seven
schools participated this year, and Stigers hopes that all
Sussex County schools will participate next February.
Additionally, the organization will help provide 1,200 bagged
lunches to the Sparta Ecumenical Food Pantry in a summer
lunch program for children this season. Young students who
typically receive government subsidized lunches during the
school year are left with nothing once the final dismissal bell
rings in June. In the goodie bags, Coupons for the Community
tries to include small toys for the youngsters as well as
nutritional food and beverages such as fruits and whole milk.
Stigers said the people who look to food pantries for help
are everyday folks; they aren’t lazy or ungrateful, as some people stereotype, but rather are people who lost their jobs in the
poor economy, or are going through other trying circumstances.
“To be able to give them dignity and self-respect, to take
away that stigma and embarrassment, I think is just the
greatest thing,” Stigers said.
We meet once a week to gather the weekly fliers from
the stores and we look at what’s on sale. We match up the
sale item with coupons to get the best value. Like, Ban deodorant is on sale this week for $1.49, and we have a coupon for 75
cents off. You can do the math. I just went shopping yesterday
and I have a trunk full of groceries worth $250 that I got for $4
that we are bringing to the pantry.
As we started meeting in November, we started to brainstorm about how to make an impact. Some of our core volunteers are substitute teachers and they brought up the 100th
Day of School, which is usually the second week of February.
... Seven schools participated (in our initiative). ... We asked
what 100 pennies could buy and we encouraged the kids to use
coupons and we tried to focus on non-edible essentials like
toothbrushes and tissues and toilet paper. The 100 pennies
(project) gives kids a sense of helping one another at an early
age. It teaches them not only how to be generous human
beings, but also how to be financially responsible. We collected 3,000 items, and we are still handing them out. This is
tremendously valuable because it’s stuff you can’t get with
food stamps.
It is very much a “small world” angle to how this concept got to Boise. The original idea came from me, wife of
musician Jake Stigers and sister-in-law of musician Curtis
Stigers, both originally from Boise. One of the people that I
told about this great idea was my mother-in-law, Margaret
Stigers, in Boise. Margaret began to talk up project. Among
those who saw the potential were her son Curtis and co-worker Lacey Holzbauer. Lacey — already an expert shopper —
contacted me about starting Coupons for the Community in
Boise and reached out to the food bank.
The feedback is something that has made me cry every
time I hear it. Food pantries tell me people are cleaner and
happier. Our goal is to provide $100,000 worth of goods and
non-edible essentials by the end of 2010. I am hoping by the
end of this month that we will hit the halfway mark of $50,000.
— Lyndsay Cayetana Bouchal
Jean-Paul
Bonnet
I want to take care of people. I felt a calling to help others
and I’ve found happiness by helping.
Profession: Doctor of osteopathy
Volunteer Work: In an effort to help curb marginal
health care in Haiti, Dr. Jean-Paul Bonnet has traveled
to the Third World country more than 20 times to
provide his medical expertise in health clinics. He has
also founded the International Modular Medical
Educational Delivery Systems, a non-profit organization
that develops modular medical clinics that provide
medical services to the disadvantaged in Haiti and subSaharan Africa. After the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake in
January, Bonnet began focusing his efforts in Haiti by
creating the Healing Haiti Fund and was able to raise
nearly $80,000 that helped refurbish mobile medical
units, coined SanteBuses, (French for health buses)
and shipped them to the devastated country.
Age: 56
Hometown: Sparta
Family: Wife Mary Beth; five children: Andre, Ethan,
Arielle, Alex and Owen
I was kidnapped in Haiti in January of 1998. Haitian kids
had formed a vigilante (group). They dug a ditch in the road, 3
feet by 3 feet. There were 50 to 60 guys with torches and
machetes. They put rocks all around the car. There was a bonfire and then the drums and horns started. They took the driver and took me captive, but through body language, I was able
to become friends with my captors. Slowly, one by one, they
would peek in the window and I would smile at them and I
hugged them. They were dressed in loincloths. I was kidnapped for one night. I eventually got them to turn themselves
in to the United Nations.
•••
The sutures that thread the moments of Dr. Jean-Paul
Bonnet’s life together are his drive and dedication to help others. From his daily practices as a health care physician in
Jefferson to running a medical clinic out of an SUV in Haiti,
Bonnet’s line of work and unselfish acts of kindness have
aided people for more than a decade.
“This is why I’m here on Earth,” Bonnet said.
Bonnet graduated from the University of Scranton in 1976
and attended the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine, graduating in 1981. He now practices osteopathy in
Jefferson, where he grew up.
In the years that followed, Bonnet found himself involved in
a series of coincidences that led him to travel to Haiti. In
January 1996, after watching a segment on CNN about the
country, Bonnet thought to himself, “Maybe I can help there.”
A call from a stranger from the South, Debbie Brown, a
Going to Haiti was a spirit calling. In January of 1996, I
was watching CNN announce the new president of Haiti.
When I turned off the television, I thought, “Maybe I can help
in Haiti.” In early May, the journey began. I got a call from
Debbie Brown. She said, “You don’t know me. I’m a junior at a
Bible Study School in Tennessee. My father started a hospital
in Haiti several years ago, Hospital Lumiere, and they’re having trouble finding doctors and may close it.” ... My first trip
was the first week of June 1996.
Photo by Daniel Freel/New Jersey Herald
Dr. Jean-Paul Bonnet shows off a former school bus that is
being retrofitted and will be shipped to Haiti, where it will
be used as a “Medical Clinic in a Bus.”
Sometimes I go to board meetings in Haiti; other times
I work in clinics. I treat everything from exotic rashes to
advanced tumors. I evaluate and help patients, not unlike in
my office here, except I work with less tools.
teenager from Tennessee, brought him to Hospital Lumiere in
Haiti. From 1997 to 2000, Bonnet served as a board member at
Hospital Lumiere and helped the facility thrive.
After traveling to the country for two years, Bonnet ran into
his first major dilemma. In 1998, he was kidnapped by a group
of child revolutionaries. Bonnet said the disturbing incident
did not shake his determination to help the underprivileged in
Haiti.
This past January, after the massive 7.0 earthquake struck
Haiti, Bonnet founded the Healing Haiti Fund. Through a
series of local benefit concerts, he was able to raise $80,000
that went toward retrofitting Chevy Suburbans and old school
buses that were purchased at a reduced rate or donated by
the community to the Haiti Fund. These vehicles were then
dubbed “SanteBuses.” They were stocked with medical supplies and shipped to Haiti as mobile medical units.
Additionally, the units are to be kept in the country and used
as permanent medical clinics.
“Haiti will become the beacon of light for a troubled world
— I am certain and the time is now,” Bonnet said. “We will
transform this suffering island and the poor will be no more.”
In early to mid-2000s — 2003, 2004 — we came up with
the concept of the SanteBus because whatever medical
clinics were in Haiti were marginal at best. SanteBus
means “health bus.” They are modular medical supplements,
medical clinics. We refurbished old Suburbans. We’d buy old
ones, or they’d be donated through the help of local mechanics and local people. We have three Suburbans and one bus.
We also have two more buses and another Suburban to go, and
we have another box truck that one of my patients donated to
us. And we have an absolutely beautiful medical unit that was
purchased by a hospital for $90,000. It was donated last week.
Our goal is to build a model for health care delivery. We should
recognize health care as a human right.
I’ve stopped counting how many times I’ve gone to Haiti.
Over 20 trips. I just got back on Sunday. I went with five
Felician sisters to help set them set up an order in Haiti — orient them, introduce them to people and places. I will go back
until there’s no more hungry people or dying children. It won’t
feel good until we get there.
— Lyndsay Cayetana Bouchal
BLACK E6 MAGENTA E6 CYAN E6 YELLOW E6
E—6
Were you surprised at how competitive the students became against
other high schools?
Champions
for Charity
Competitive, and they also came up
with some incredible ideas, such as Joe
DiPasquale (superintendent at Wallkill
Valley Regional High School) having a
basketball game and saying, “If you
bring food we’ll give a pass into the
game,” Lenape Valley having a contest
between teachers and students, with
some willing to shave their heads if you
brought a certain amount of food in.
Sparta was actually weighing the food
and had a sign saying “Beat Pope John.”
What It Is: A first-time effort to get all county high
schools involved in collecting food for local food
pantries, whose shelves have often been empty.
The Result: More than 95,000 pounds of food collected, with a growing spirit of friendly competition among
the schools.
•••
Fierce competition can be a healthy thing.
Just ask the student-heroes at every Sussex County high
school who collected 95,520 pounds of food to feed needy families through the county food pantry.
Each high school took a turn stuffing a county bus with food
this past school year, buoyed by natural rivalries with the other
schools.
Pope John XXIII High School kicked off the inaugural competition with an impressive 12,000 pounds, but crosstown rival
Sparta High School topped the field with 19,930 pounds.
“We all definitely just wanted to beat Pope John,” said
Christopher Kerr, a senior and the school’s National Honor
Society president. “The amount of kids that contributed was
unbelievable. I was absolutely dumbfounded.”
Kerr and National Honor Society Vice President Jenny
Konecnik spearheaded Sparta High School’s effort as part of
the honor society’s annual service project.
It grew from there, including a heavy dose of support from
the Life Skills Program and competition among academic
departments, said Cathy Goodwin, dean of students for Sparta
High School.
“We got the whole school involved,” she said.
Their efforts were mirrored in every high school, from
Vernon in the northeast down to Lenape Valley Regional in
Stanhope.
“Not one school declined to do it,” said Freeholder Jeff
Parrott, who organized the project.
Each school is receiving a plaque with the amount its students raised inscribed in it as a benchmark. So next year, students will likely amp up their efforts to be county champions
and best their school’s previous total.
Kerr, who will attend Liberty University in Virginia this fall,
didn’t hesitate when asked if his fellow Spartans will continue
the winning tradition: “Oh yeah, definitely.”
How gratifying was it to you, as a
county leader, to be able to see something so simple be so effective without
costing any public funds?
It was, candidly, extremely gratifying.
Everyone is going through difficult
times, but this project is something that
will continue in the county. If we join
together as people to work on solving
the problem, then it can be done.
Photo by Amy Paterson/New Jersey Herald
National Honor Society President Christopher Kerr, right, and Vice President
Jenny Konecnik organized Sparta High School’s winning Champions for
Charity campaign and collected 19,930 pounds of food for local food pantries.
Sussex County Freeholder Jeff
Parrott is credited with creating the
Champions for Charity competition with
assistance from state Sen. Steven Oroho
and the Rev. Kiernan McHugh, the
superintendent of Pope John XXIII High
School in Sparta, who got the ball rolling
with his students. The New Jersey
Herald talked with Parrott about the
project.
When did you first learn there was a
serious dearth of food in the county
pantry?
At our second meeting of October
2009, Carol Novrit (of Social Services)
came before the freeholders and there
was a discussion having to do with
transportation for the less fortunate in
the county. She brought the (food) issue
to our attention, and said anything help-
ful to the pantry would be greatly appreciated. I had experience dealing with
schools before and said, “Let me think
about it a while.”
Why did you turn to the youth of the
county in particular?
They’re like our troops on the ground.
... I spoke to Father McHugh and he
brought his whole staff together. Father
McHugh sprung into action and said we
could do this. Lo and behold, Pope John,
within two weeks, brought in 12,000
pounds of food.
How easy or difficult was it to get all
the high schools on board?
All of the principals and superintendents couldn’t have been more accommodating. They were terrific.
So what’s the future of Champions
for Charity?
Every single school that participated
last year is on board for next year.
There’s also talk about grammar
schools in the area participating by
bringing food to the high schools.
I think the entire state will take notice
of this. ... When people are asked to help,
they help. When you tax people, they feel
it’s an infringement on their rights.
Did the students go from padding
their college applications through
volunteerism, so to speak, to a more
sincere feeling of helping their
community?
I think the sincerity in this program
was like none I’ve ever seen. The students said, “You know what, it could be
my neighbor that needs this.” Let’s face
it, a lot of students in our high schools
use the food pantry, even if they don’t
talk about it.
— Tom Howell Jr.
John
Mathews
Profession: Co-owner of Hinkley Auto
Volunteer Work: Deacon Sisters Liver Fund, SCARC
radio fundraisers, charity concert organizer, Karen Ann
Quinlan Hospice, United Way and Sussex County
Scholar Athlete program.
Age: 70
Hometown: White Township
Family: Wife, Geilda, and adult daughter
•••
As a slight rain peppered his office in Newton, John
Mathews explained why it is a lot easier to be a charitable person once you take that first leap.
“It’s like the cold water in a pool,” he said. “You are not sure
if you want to get in, but once you do, it is so good.”
Mathews metaphorically jumped in the cold water in the 1980s.
A promoter representing Johnny Cash came into Mathews’ workplace, Condit Ford, and asked if he would like to buy an advertisement in a promotional booklet sold at the concert.
At first, Mathews was just going to buy one advertisement
for $250, but then he asked the promoter how much it would
cost to sponsor the whole booklet. With a $500 booklet sponsorship, Mathews began a second career promoting concerts
with Condit Ford.
Concerts in the 1980s featuring Reba McEntire, Alabama
and Willie Nelson were used to raise money for various charities. Most notable, Christmas concerts Mathews organized in
1991 and 1992 raised $30,000 for two Lafayette sisters in need of
liver transplants and made national headlines.
Mathews still continues the Deacon Sisters Liver Fund
today and regularly donates to community groups and children
with life-threatening diseases.
But Mathews did not limit his charity work to the liver fund.
In addition to raising money for dozens of county groups, he
started the well-known Scholar Athlete Program with a group
of business people. Since 1986, the athlete program has awarded college money to 275 student athletes.
The intertwining of Mathews’ charity work and automotive
work is still what defines him. Sitting on the desk in his office
are two money collection jars: One for the United Way and
another for a boy with cancer named Matthew Bell.
After decades of charity work, Mathews has learned a thing
or two about what it really takes to help a person. “You need to
change your attitude a bit,” he said. “(You) can’t expect someone to raise you up. You need to elevate yourself.”
Photo by Amy Paterson/New Jersey Herald
John Mathews, who started the Deacon Sisters Liver Fund and the Sussex County Scholar Athlete program, holds
collection cans for drives he is currently involved in. One can collects for the United Way, the other for Matthew Bell, a
young cancer survivor.
What inspired you to do charity
work?
My mom and dad were giving people.
(It was) not unusual for my dad to make
large pots of stew and give it out to people. (Also) the Condit Ford family was
very generous and involved in the community. I couldn’t help but not be
touched by that.
If you are not giving back to the community, how can you take anything from
the community?
Thank you for
giving back to
the community!
How is charity work like auto sales?
(It is) similar because with sales
you’re trying to fill a need. People don’t
ask for things unless they need it.
— Phillip Molnar