This is really impressive and touching. I hope many more celebrities can donate their money back to the community that gave it to them in the first place…….I gathered that Jon Bon Jovi went home Monday to
present a $1 million cheque from his band to a fund to help New Jersey recover
from Superstorm Sandy.
The rocker joined Gov. Chris Christie and first lady Mary
Pat Christie to announce the donation during a ceremony where the native son
rocker got bigger cheers than the popular governor.
"My being here is not political," “It’s emotional Bon
Jovi said during a news conference in front of the borough hall in the central
New Jersey town.
Bon Jovi, who has long had philanthropic interests, has been
highly visible in his home state since the storm hit.
Days after the October 2012 storm, he visited washed out
Sayreville, a flood-prone blue-collar community along the Raritan River.
He was a headliner of a relief concert and is, along with
Bill Bradley, Bruce Springsteen and others, a co-chairman of the storm relief
fund overseen by Mary Pat Christie. She said that the fund, which is designed
to help people with needs not covered by government aid or insurance, now has
brought in $38 million in donations from 29,000 people.
Christie thanked the star for staying true to his New Jersey
roots.
And Bon Jovi, who said that he thought playing local block
parties as a teenager meant he'd made the big-time, thanked the people of his
hometown for their good deeds after the storm.
If not for Bon Jovi, Sayreville might be best known for
floods.
Don Garboski, 79, who has lost property in five storms in
the last 21 years, is considering a buyout. But despite all the stress of the
storms, he was all smiles Monday after watching Bon Jovi announce the donation.
"He means a lot," Garboski said.
Thanks for staying true JBJ!
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