In light of the recent flood disaster in Bound Brook, Democrats transformed their planned St Patrick’s Day fundraiser to a dinner honoring the tireless work of emergency workers and volunteers
In an attempt to bring back a sense of normalcy to life in Bound Brook after the recent flooding, the local Democratic Organization decided to go ahead with a dinner planned for downtown, but needed a new location. The Bound Brook Elks was contacted and the St. Patrick’s Day dinner was moved to that location.
“We dropped the idea of the event being a fund raiser and asked anyone who could, to pay the $25.00 fee. We’re using that money for their dinner plus dinners for the volunteers and emergency personnel working to clean up our flooded downtown,” said Karen Carroll, chair of the Bound Brook Democratic Municipal Committee. “So we changed this to be a community service event.”
Everyone enjoyed a great corned beef and cabbage dinner made by Ceil Brody, a Bound Brook resident and owner of What's In The Ice Box?, on West Main Street, Somerville, NJ.
Desserts, coffee, decorations and the many other items needed to run the dinner were generously donated by: Stop & Shop of Raritan, as well as Bound Brook residents John Zsilavets and Beverly Pranzatelli.
Carroll noted that Bound Brook’s Council members have been working along side emergency workers in spite of experiencing their own difficulties during the flood. Council President, Tony Pranzatelli’s store on Main Street took in 3 feet of water, Councilmen Vinnie Petti and John Buckley both have homes in the affected flood zone. “So, in addition to the need to re-establish their own lives,” Carroll said, “each of these men is working with rescue, emergency and inspection teams to expedite the clean up and restoration of power in the flooded area.
“I want to also thank all the volunteers who helped with the preparation of dinner, serving, clean-up, or in other ways. With out the hard work of all involved it would not have been a success,” commented Carroll. Those who volunteered included: Ceil Brody, Ben Auletta, Jr., Councilman Tony Pranzatelli, Beverly Pranzatelli, Judy Naturale, Jullie Sealy, Faith Giovino, Michael Goldberg, John Graf and Ed Potosnak, a Democratic candidate for the 7th Congressional District.
As well as serving those who stopped by the Elks building, dinners were prepared and sent to Borough Hall to feed the worn-out and hungry members of the police, rescue and OEM who could not leave their posts. Pranzatelli said, “I was glad to be able to hand-deliver these dinners to our hard working emergency personnel. Having experienced a personal loss myself, it is especially gratifying to see the town and all the different departments come together to help our people.”
“I also had an opportunity to walk the downtown area with Assemblyman Upendra Chivakula,” said Pranzatelli. “It was good to see one of the state representatives from Somerset County taking an interest in the welfare of the town.”
The Bound Brook Democrats will be hosting a Road Rally on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Sign in starts at 1:00 PMand the actual rally will begin at 2. The rally will be followed by a picnic and a winner's ceremony where $500.00 in prizes will be awarded. Prizes will be: First Prize: $250.00, Second prize: $150.00, and Third prize: $100.00. The rally will be limited to 30 vehicles with two occupants each. Motorcycles will be allowed, but they must still have 2 riders. The entrance fee is $25.00 per person, or $50.00 per vehicle. Each entrant must contact and register with Beverly Pranzatelli, and start times will be given to each entrant upon receipt of their registration fee. There will be "stops" or "check points" over the course of the route to insure that participants are following the directions and completing the requirements to win.
This rally is open to the public and anyone interested in a fun and challenging Spring afternoon is encouraged to sign up. But remember: We're limited to only 30 cars and you should watch this website to see a countdown of available vehicle slots.
Beverly's contact information can be found on the poster.
See you there! Karen Carroll, Chair Bound Brook Democratic Municipal Committee BoundBrookDemocrats.org
Two years ago you voted me in office, and today I gratefully accept the position of Counsel President.What makes this a special moment for me is the fact that it comes from my peers:A talented group of individuals who volunteer their time for the good of our town.
I’ve learned a lot in the last 2 years.In the beginning I barely knew where borough hall was.I remember my first speech was in front a group of seniors.I talked about the good old days.The days when Bound Brook was the jewel of SomersetCounty.I mentioned many of the old stores, the old people and the memories.
