It's a Beautiful Day

2006-10-24T09:36:00.000-05:00

Deadman's Tavern Presents
THE FIRST ANNUAL HALLOWEEN BENEFIT
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29TH, 2006

All proceeds will go to the Hunter family.

Please RSVP to Jeni at 856-297-2063.

Calling all Witches, Wizards and even Goblins!

We need your help! Please come, and bring a donation and help give one of our own… "A Beautiful Day!"

From 4pm - 7pm there will be Special Entertainment for the little monsters!
$0.25 Games...Face Painting...Candy...Prizes...Candy Apples...Magic...$3 Pony Rides...And more!

But don't leave after the games!
There are still webs to weave and spells to cast! There will be $1 & $5 raffles as well as brain tidbits & witches brew for all!

Interested in handing out/posting flyers? We have provided a printable pdf version of the Halloween Fundraiser flyer for your convenience!

2006-10-04T14:13:00.000-05:00

STATE OF THE UNION: Good news bad news
Its been a while so we thought it was time for a update on what is going on with Barry and the family as well as the house--Good news bad news.

Living Arrangements. The family has settled in (if you can call it that) with their living arrangements for now. However, in about a month they will be homeless again as Marylyn needs occupancy of the house again. Even though Veronica and Barry will need to leave, they are grateful for Marylyn's generosity. The kids are doing fine and the youngest is adjusting to her new school.

Treasures. The Hunters were able to save most of their stuff from the slow forward-march of the mold....But a mishap with the moving van damaged some items. Good news: At least the family photos and treasures are safe!

Construction. The bad news is nothing has been done with the house as of yet. Finally everything is in place for the shoring as far as commitments from NJ-TF1. The engineering plan has been accepted by the township. We are now searching for place to get the construction materials donated so TF1 can actually do the work. Barry has also contacted some construction companies to get a quote to rebuild the basement walls as the first step in getting the house livable. He will still need plumbing and electrical as well as heat!

SPECIAL THANKS
The Hunters would like to thank Kelly Hualer so orchestrating the "Extreme House Makeover" submission. Its in... so keep your fingers crossed that they choose to take on the Hunter's plight. Also a hug thanks to Lenny Lannon for doing the video work that was needed.

FUNDRAISERS
Stay tuned as there a lot fundraisers on the horizon.

You can find the info of the THE FIRST ANNUAL HALLOWEEN BENEFIT posted on this page. I have seen some of the preliminary plans and it looks like a great time for all ages. Talk about a class "A" operation! Jen has this thing planned from soup-to-nuts, or should I say from witches brewarlikerlock eyes. Hope to see you there!

Also being planed is a Emergency Services Photo and Video Night. Dust off those old photos and get ready to show them off sell or trade them. As soon as plans are finalized we will post them. We have also received quiet a few items to be raffled that will be coming real soon. Also, to raise money, we are designing a memorial tee shirt. What will it be celebrating? Well, the 20th year of service here in Camden as well as the NARCAN task force (those of you in the know know all about it!).

GRATITUDE
Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their generosity and support. The Hunters have a long way to go before their family and house is made whole. Thank you to every one who is doing their best to make sure this cause is not forgotten and continues.

2006-10-01T22:45:00.000-05:00

2006-09-20T09:07:00.000-05:00

Update from Veronica

Extreme Home Makeover Submission Thanks
A special thank you is being sent by the Hunter family to: The Cooper Hospital staff members, U.M.D.N.J. Staff members, Chris Williams, & Lenny aka " Jester" for helping us put together a video for Extreme Home Makeover. The biggest thank you goes to Kelly Hauler for coming up with the idea and doing all the leg work to get it started and then-some! (If it weren't for Kelly, I would have lost my mind already!) Kelly is even finding donor's in the event that we are chosen, talk about proactive!

Fundraising Efforts: Where we stand
Everyone has been very generous but we don't have nearly what we need to start the work that we need to have done or even misplace a lot of what has been lost. Donations are good and below is a list for all who would rather contribute besides monetary amounts. We have also come up with our own fund drive and all it involves is giving us your old cell phones...

Give us your old Cell Phone!
Cell phones that- if turned on- still work, of course. If everyone could contribute by taking up a collection of old cell phones from any & everyone, this would help tremendously. Turn in the old cell phones to a U.M.D. employee such as Kelly, Alba, Barry, or ( anyone else interested in helping). I will make sure I get them off for credit at the end of each week.

Rather contribute besides monetary?
Here is a list of items needed:

Sheet Sets- Full & Queen size
Toys for a 5 year old girl - game boards, dolls, sponge bob, stuffed animals, etc
Drinking glasses- All sizes
Towels, washcloths
Cooking - Pots, pans, deep fryer
Small trashcan
2 Steel file cabinets
Anything for Thanksgiving: Pot holders, napkin holders, gravy bowl
Anything for Christmas: ornaments, decorations
Gift Cards- Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
Anything used for organization!!
& a Giant bottle of liqueur or 2!!!!! ( just joking! )

2006-09-20T08:43:00.000-05:00

Deadman's Tavern Presents
THE FIRST ANNUAL HALLOWEEN BENEFIT
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29TH, 2006

Calling all Witches, Wizards and even Goblins!
We need your help! Please come, and bring a donation and help give one of our own… "A Beautiful Day!" All proceeds will go to the Hunter family.

Please RSVP to Jeni at 856-297-2063.

From 4pm - 7pm there will be Special Entertainment for the little monsters! $0.25 Games...Face Painting...Candy...Prizes...Candy Apples...Magic...$3 Pony Rides...
And more!

But don't leave after the games! There are still webs to weave and spells to cast! There will be $1 & $5 raffles as well as brain tidbits & witches brew for all!

Interested in handing out/posting flyers? We have provided a printable pdf version of the Halloween Fundraiser flyer for your convenience!

2006-09-15T07:38:00.000-05:00

A Big Thanks
A big thanks goes to Our Lady of Lourdes ER and Camden County Communication for their kind donations!

Coming Soon
Rumor has it that someone is planning a Halloween carnival to raise money- complete with a haunted pony ride and moon bounces! Check back soon for more information.

2006-09-13T23:08:00.000-05:00

A Shout Out
Let's take a moment to recognize and thank Marilyn Rodriguez for her selfless act of allowing the Hunters use her vacant house for the next two months. If you did not pick it up in Veronica's post, Marilyn is allowing Mr. & Mrs. Hunter to stay in her house in Camden- no strings attached. The value of this is unmeasurable not only financially but also mentally. This will hopefully give them the time they need to get themselves on their feet and make more permanent arrangements.

Marilyn: Thank you.

--Rob Waszazak

2006-09-12T22:17:00.000-05:00

Update from Veronica
We have not heard anything more from the insurance company as of yet. We are paying an Engineer $500.00 dollars for a plan to shore-up our home and another $850.00 for permanent plan of the final work that needs to be done.

Were are praying and keeping faith that the additional money or work that needs to be done to the home, so we can move back in comes through some how. We have no idea how or where we will come up with close to $100,000 to repair all of the damage and necessary items we will need to replace. We lost our hot water heaters, heating & cooling unit, washers & dryers, deep freezer, & a host of other vital things in order to make our home livable.

We are now living in a small two-bedroom home donated by Barry's co-worker, Marilyn Rodriguez. The home is comfortable but not large enough to accommodate our family size.

Things will work out some how, as we would have never been able to imagine friends, family and strangers could be so loving and selfless in a time of great need! We thank each and everyone who have helped us and kept us in their prayers.

2006-09-11T19:34:00.000-05:00

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words [Part 1 of 2]
(Click on an image to view a larger size)

--------New Cracks

----------Mold

2006-09-11T12:40:00.000-05:00

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words [Part 2 of 2]
(Click on an image to view a larger size)

2006-09-08T21:52:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! We wanted to give an update on the Hunters since the big flood. Unfortunately, there is not much good news but Barry and Veronica want to thank everyone for their efforts to help them.

Thanks!
The day after the flood $530.00 was raised by Barry’s co-workers and others. Barry could not be more thankful and was sincerely humbled. He wants to know that the money was used to buy the uniforms and some of the supplies his children need to start school. This itself was more then he every expected and was a answer to one of the many immediate needs the Hunters had. The insurance company has been no help. They did write the $5000.00 check, as promised. Since then the Hunter's have not heard from this same company that is more than willing to accept their monthly payments. As of yet the family has not been able to get permanent temporary housing.

The Family
Barry and Veronica has decided for now it would be best to split up the family. It is apparent they will be out of their house for most of the school year. They felt it would be best that the kids have consistency while in school-- instead of bouncing from school to school as they find different housing. It’s devastating for these parents to have to send their children away. Thankfully it's not far and they are with family. As for the parents, they have been staying in a low budget hotel bidding their time until a housing solution can be found.

The House
As of yet nothing has been done with the house. The Hunter family has received many offers from friends with hammers and saws to try to fix the house but that was stopped short by Pennsauken Twp. The township is requiring the repairs be overseen by a building engineer with formally submitted plans. As you can imagine, this is expensive and well beyond the average "weekend warrior". There is a bright spot, though, as NJ Task Force One is exploring the possibility of sending a team to help. I am sure that the team that was one of the first into 9-11-01 can handle this job! If this can be done, at least salvageable items can be removed from the once cozy home.

The Truck
Sadly Barry was told that his truck was not going to be replaced. The insurance company did pay off the remaining loan but he no longer has his truck. Barry smiled and said "I guess I’ll just have to get another hoopty"--referring to his old 19__ LTD he finally got out of a year ago.

Upcoming Fundraisers
Several fund raisers are being planned and should be announced soon. If you would like to donate any thing please contact us at barryhunter_donation@yahoo.com.

2006-09-04T16:12:00.000-05:00

Drop a line to the Hunter family! Express your thoughts and prayers as they start to assess and rebuild.

2006-09-04T15:52:00.000-05:00

"I asked Barry what he was going to do, in typical ex-Marine fashion he said he would adapt and overcome. As he shook my hand with a smile he said he really didn’t know."
People become overwhelmed because they are trying to keep their jobs, they're trying to keep their life going. Do you have a some experience with flood recovery? Respond to this post if you have articles and sources of assistance that may be of use. If nothing else, read through the articles to push your local, state and federal officials to fight for flood victims.

2006-09-04T15:25:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have heard what happened to Barry's house in and car or seen it on Channel 6 news. During the heavy rain Barry and Victoria Hunter awoke to find the entire block (in Pennsauken, Camdem County, NJ) deluged by the downpour that evening. Checking his basement, he found it to be filling with water. He, his wife and children were forced to wait on the front porch for rescue as the water continued to rise. After being rescued, leaving their possession behind, the Hunters were put up at a Red Cross shelter for the night as their basement wall lost the fight against the pressure of the soaked soil.

When morning came the Hunters went about making arrangements for the essential needs and immediate housing. Naturally one of the first calls made was to the insurance agent. You know, that concerned agent that always shows up in the commercials? That guy must be on vacation. Barry was told that he wasn’t in a flood zone and he isn’t covered for flooding. They kindly offered him a one-time check for $5,000.00 but that was "all they could give him". This won’t even cover having the house shored and the basement pumped so he can enter the house to retrieve their possessions!

If they don’t make the house stable enough to get the contents of the house out in the next few days, the mold and mildew will destroy everything they own. Imagine... sitting right outside your house knowing that the precious pictures and keepsakes inside your home were going to be destroyed and you can't do anything.

We are asking for your help!
With school only weeks away Barry and his family are truly in need. If you are moved to make any donation, please contact Gloria Ortiz or Alba Rodriguez at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey headquarters @ 856-757-4800. A pick up can be arranged. If you know of anyone who is willing to help- from fundraising to something as simple as contractor referrals- there is a lot of work to be done to recover.

In advance, we thank you.

2006-09-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

After the Rain Stopped