News Transcript, July 8, 2009

Veterans alliance hosts celebration of U.S. spirit
BY MARK ROSMAN Staff Writer

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Red, white and blue will be the colors of the evening at the sixth annual Freehold Township Day, A Concert and Movie in the Park, to be held from 5-11 p.m. July 11 at Michael J. Tighe Park, Georgia Road.

The event is presented by the Veterans Community Alliance with support from local businesses. Residents of all communities are invited to join the celebration.

David Clemenko, of Freehold Township, the founder of the Veterans Community Alliance, said the purpose of the event is twofold: to give the community a place to come and enjoy a night of camaraderie and American spirit, and to raise money for wounded veterans needing assistance transitioning back into the community and to provide that assistance.

"We look for real people who need real solutions, real fast," he said.

The 2008 event raised more than $7,000 and benefited a veteran from Middlesex County. The proceeds helped to provide improvements to his home which improved his quality of life, Clemenko said.

This year's recipient of assistance will be Jason Leisey, a U.S. Army staff sergeant who is medically retired after a roadside bomb left him severely wounded. Leisey, of Lancaster, Pa., lost a hand and an ear and is now rebuilding his life trying to become a financial adviser.

Proceeds from the July 11 event in Freehold Township will help Leisey pay for lodging and food as he goes through training provided by the Wall Street Warfighters.

The Wall Street Warfighters is an organization focused on benefiting service-disabled veterans. Its mission is to identify, develop and place disabled veterans in longterm professions in the financial services industry following their military service.

The Wall Street Warfighters Foundation is designed to mentor and train wounded warriors interested in a career in the finance industry. The program helps disabled veterans realize financial security, professional satisfaction and personal independence. Corporate partners benefit by adding proven problem solvers to their organization's workforce, and are enriched through the mentorship and leadership opportunities the program offers, according to information Clemenko provided.

Activities at Freehold Township Day, A Concert and Movie in the Park, will begin at 5 p.m. July 11 with rides, a car show, food vendors and merchandise vendors. At 5:45 p.m. the Nerds will perform.

The concert by the Nerds will be followed by a tribute to service members and veterans at 8 p.m. There will be a video presentation about Leisey and guests will be asked for donations.

Fireworks and a family movie presented on a large screen will follow that special tribute. Guests should bring chairs for the movie. Free popcorn and free bottled water will be provided.

The event will take place in the open field near the stage in Tighe park.

"We would especially like to thank our two primary sponsors, Irwin Lincoln Mercury Mazda of Freehold Township and Freehold Raceway Mall of Freehold Township, and people like Gus Fingado of Merrill Lynch in Freehold, who stepped up as an individual sponsor," Clemenko said.

"We work hard to ask local businesses to donate money in order to keep the event, including rides, free. This is something not often found in New Jersey. It never ceases to amaze me, the generosity of our local businesses, especially in these difficult economic times. It is because of them that this event happens every year," he added.

Tom Yaeger, a resident of Freehold Township, will coordinate the "Remember the Vets" car show. Proceeds from the car show will be donated to the Veterans Community Alliance.

Clemenko, a Marine Corps veteran, said he founded the Veterans Community Alliance "as a way to help my fellow veterans and to use this event as a way to celebrate America."

"What we pledge to do every year, we are going to tell the people who donated money to our event where their money went and how it helped a veteran. This gives people the opportunity to see how their generous donations changed someone's life," Clemenko said.

For more information call Freehold Township Recreation at 732-294-2190.

News Transcript, November 30, 2011

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Hunter Rewis, 10, of Buford, Ga., will be able to reach a school playground in his wheelchair because of funds that have been contributed to him from the Veterans Community Alliance in Freehold Township.

His parents, Corey and Paula Rewis, wanted Hunter, who has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair, to be able to enjoy the playground just like other children in the school, but the playground plans were missing one thing that would make that happen for him — a ramp that would accommodate his wheelchair.

The wheelchair ramp had a cost of $13,000 above what the playground was budgeted for, and that is where the Veterans Community Alliance, which was created to help veterans and their families, came into the picture.

According to Freehold Township Mayor David Salkin, who is a board member of the alliance, Corey Rewis, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, asked school administrators if they would build the wheelchair ramp if he could raise the money. The administrators said they would accommodate that request.

Salkin said the alliance learned about Rewis from the organization’s founder and president, David Clemenko.

As it turned out, funds were remaining from the annual Freehold Township Day celebration and the alliance presented Rewis with a check for $6,000 to help him reach his goal of providing his son with a way to reach the playground.

The alliance has been assisting veterans for several years and it has been educating the public about the sacrifices made by the men and women who serve in the armed forces.

“The Veterans Community Alliance is a very worthwhile organization,” Salkin said. “It definitely impacts the lives of the veterans and their families, and because we give the money to an individual we can actually see the impact the funds have on them.”

Clemenko said he and Rewis had worked together at one point and it came up in conversation that Rewis was trying to raise money for the wheelchair ramp for his son. That’s all Clemenko needed to hear and Hunter was chosen as a recipient for alliance funds.

“I’m flying down in February to film the opening of the playground so it will be ready to show at the next Freehold Township Day,” Clemenko said. “We want people to see exactly where their money is going. This is what we do, no bureaucracy. We give the money and we give it quickly, and then we show people where it’s going.”

Assisting veterans who have fought in combat is the goal of Freehold Township Day (formerly called Concert in the Park). The highlight of the annual event takes place when the alliance honors a wounded veteran and presents him or her with a check from donations that have been collected from local business owners and residents.

In addition to Hunter, this year’s recipient was Bridget Mervin, a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Iraq. Mervin received $10,000 to help her start a catering business.

Clemenko said that without the support and hard work of his board members and officers, the Veterans Community Alliance could not do the work it does.

“They have all surpassed my hopes and dreams,” he said.

Members of the Veterans Community Alliance are Charlie Decker, vice president; Shawn Smith, treasurer; Bill Gorman, secretary; and board members David Salkin, AnthonyAmmiano, MichaelWidmer, Tony Modzelewski, Tom Yaeger and A.J. Ammiano.





Asbury Park Press, July 7, 2009

Freehold Township's Concert and Movie in the Park will focus on patriotism
BY KIM PREDHAM

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — Patriotism will be the main attraction Saturday at the township's sixth annual Concert and Movie in the Park, the town's unofficial Freehold Township Day.

"It's just a great time to celebrate that fundamental thing we have in common, which is our freedom and being American," said Dave Clemenko, one of the event's organizers.

The free event will be held from 5 p.m. to around midnight at Michael J. Tighe Park, 65 Georgia Road.

There will be plenty for families to enjoy, including childrens' rides, games, a vintage automobile show, a beach volleyball tournament and fireworks. The Nerds will headline the evening's concert, which begins at 5:30 p.m. The movie will be Wall-E, which will be shown after the fireworks display.

Amidst the family fun will also be a celebration of the military veterans who have served this country.

A multimedia tribute to veterans will be coordinated with the fireworks. And Clemenko's organization, the Veterans Community Alliance, will hold raffles to fund projects that provide immediate assistance to injured veterans.

The Piscataway Marine who benefited from the group's generosity last year, Kamal Bowen, will be at the event. Also attending will be this year's chosen aid recipient, Jason Leisey of Lancaster, Pa., Clemenko said.

Leisey lost his left hand and ear to a roadside bomb in Iraq, Clemenko said.

Clemenko hopes to donate between $5,000 and $7,000 to Leisey. The money will be used for food and lodging while the veteran trains for a career in the financial services industry through a program offered by the Wall Street Warfighters Foundation. Leisey hopes to become a portfolio manager.

The program's first graduate will join Leisey Saturday, Clemenko said.

The Veterans Community Alliance teamed up with the township to host the event. For more information, call the Freehold Township Recreation Department at 732-294-2190.