The Hammonton Gazette 10/17/18 Edition | Page 5

Community unites for cancer foundation dinner Page 4 • Wednesday, October 17, 2018 • The Hammonton Gazette by Stephen Pistone G azeTTe S Taff W riTer HaMMONTON—for the past 11 years, the Hammonton Cancer foundation (HCf) has been able to provide more than $285,000 of aid to area cancer patients due to the continued support and gen- erosity of local residents, busi- nesses and civic organizations. That support and generosity was on full display during the HCf’s 11th annual “Helping Our Neighbors” Dinner on October 13 at Villa Manor in Winslow Twp. a large group of local residents attended the annual banquet fundraiser, which has greatly helped the HCf build a commu- nity presence since its inception, according to HCf President David Mauriello. “Our group has grown, we’ve added members and we’ve be- come more recognized as an or- ganization. and because of that, over the last about three or four years, our donations have gone up every year,” Mauriello said. Ninety-five percent of the money donated to the HCf is in turn donated to the South Jersey Cancer fund (SJCf)—a Brigan- tine-based nonprofit organization that has been providing aid to at- lantic, Cape May and Cumberland County cancer patients and their families since 1964. SJCf President Mary Crane at- tended her first “Helping Our Neighbors” Dinner this year, and said she was highly impressed by the generous backing the HCf re- ceived from the community dur- ing the event. “it brings tears to my eyes to see that a community has so much Env. Comm. meets and reviews Kramer Beverage’s expansion TREE, from Page 3 breaking, to be able to do that. Something that we talked about for a long time—being able to re- plant street trees and to plan addi- tional street trees around town. This is going to be just wonderful. There are so many opportunities for community input into it also,” Bachalis said regarding the tree bank. in other business, the commis- sion unanimously approved the following tree removal applica- tions during the meeting: Leslie Esposito, 417 13th Street—requesting the removal of one large black oak tree with a hollow base that is reportedly 85 inches in diameter. The applica- tion was tabled during the com- mission’s last meeting on September 12 because the tree was not marked. (a motion to ap- prove the removal of the tree was made by commission member an- gela Donio, seconded by Caruso- Cafiso and passed unanimously. Hozik abstained from voting.). Gary Mazza, 215 Winding Way—requesting the removal of one tree that is reportedly decay- ing and located near a child’s bed- room. (a motion to approve the removal of the tree was made by Menzel, seconded by Caruso- Cafiso and passed unanimously. The Hammonton environmen- tal Commission’s next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednes- day November 14 in town hall. support and love. i felt the love when i walked in here. i felt a warm feeling like they’re here be- cause they’re genuine and they’re sincere and they believe in helping people with cancer,” Crane said. Mauriello said between $13,000 and $15,000 has been raised dur- ing the “Helping Our Neighbors” Dinner each year. That money will be used by the SJCf to help local cancer patients and their families in a multitude of ways, whether it be covering the cost of prescrip- tions, transportation, utilities, medical supplies and more. Mauriello personally experi- enced the difficulties of cancer when he was diagnosed with the disease in 1993. He said he was fortunate to have a strong support system on his side during his can- cer treatment, but realized that there were many people battling cancer who weren’t as fortunate and needed extra help so they could channel all of their energy into winning the fight versus can- cer. “When this started for me, i knew that we needed something for an avenue to help other people. i was fortunate; i had a great sup- port system. i had great friends, family. i didn’t have a worry other than my health. There’s so many people that lack that same support system, that this can benefit them greatly and unburden them, re- lieve the stress and the anxiety and let them focus on what they need to do, and that’s getting better,” Mauriello said. Hammonton resident Julie Co- munale was in attendance during the “Helping Our Neighbors” Dinner, less than two years re- moved from her being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. in addition to a devoted contingency of friends and family members who are con- tinuously on hand to help her dur- ing her treatment, Comunale was also selected as one of the SJCf’s benefactors through the HCf. Co- munale said the support she re- ceived from the HCf and the rest of the community was touching, and even changed her perspective regarding when and how to reach out to people battling cancer. “People called just to talk. Be- fore i got cancer, i would never think to do that because i was afraid of ‘maybe they don’t want to talk about it,’ but i feel differ- ently now. i would reach out to somebody because it meant so much to me … There’s a lot of people out there to talk to, me being one. i don’t have a problem talking to anyone. i’ve met a few people through support groups that have helped me, and in turn now, i help the new people,” Co- munale said. Mauriello said one of the main reasons the HCf has been so well- supported over the past 11 years is because of the ubiquitous impact that cancer has left on nearly every family in the community, which was demonstrated during an audio/visual slideshow that was played during the dinner to honor the many Hammonton resi- dents who are either battling can- cer, beat cancer or succumbed to it. “i know i usually watch the a/V ceremony probably eight to 10 times before i even get here be- cause i like to reflect. i like to ap- preciate all the people who have made those sacrifices, who have contributed to what we do and are the reason why we do this. That really touches our hearts and it’s why it makes it easy for us to fill the room every year because it touches so many people’s hearts,” Mauriello said. There were forms of several en- tertainment featured during the “Helping Our Neighbors” Dinner, including vocal performances by zachary Taglioli, dance perform- ances by the students of Dance Magic dance studio and live DJ music from DJ Joe flood. Ham- monton native and local weather forecaster Nick “Nor’easter Nick” Pittman was the master of ceremonies during the dinner. Throughout the evening, Pittman addressed the audience and often provided laughs, but also gave a speech about how cancer—while a disease with many powerful and depleting effects—has several limitations when faced with love and support like that shown by the HCf and everyone who has do- nated to their cause. “Cancer cannot cripple love. it cannot shatter hope or erode faith. it cannot destroy peace or ruin friendships. it cannot silence courage or invade the soul. fi- nally, and i think most important of all, cancer cannot steal or sup- press the fond memories we have of our loved ones. i truly think that one day, with the help of the amazing organizations, such as the Hammonton Cancer founda- tion, we will find a cure to this dis- ease. We will be triumphant and conquer it once and for all,” Pittman said.