Emily and Ellen Mahoney of Basking Ridge, NJ, with their takeout pizza. Ellen is a member of the Junior Friends of Matheny.
On Thursday, March 19, members of the Junior Friends of Matheny, the youth extension of Matheny’s auxiliary group, patrolled the California Pizza Kitchen restaurant in the Bridgewater Commons Mall in Bridgewater, NJ, handing out flyers for customers to present to their server before ordering. The reason? For every order placed with a flyer, 20% of the check would be given to Matheny. The event raised $348.94 for Matheny.
The Friends of Matheny was organized in 1983 by a small group of volunteers and has raised more than $3 million since then, providing funds for recreational and therapeutic activities as well improvements and enhancements to Matheny’s physical facility. The Junior Friends consists mainly of high school students at both Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, NJ, and Bernards High in Bernardsville, NJ. However, some students who graduated, went off to college and returned to the area have remained active in the organization.
In addition to raising funds, the Junior Friends participate in Matheny events such as the annual prom and provide special programs for Matheny students and patients during holidays such as Christmas, Halloween and Valentine’s Day.
Clockwise, from left: Sharon, Aidan and Georgia Tompkins and Sarah Desatnick, all of Basking Ridge, NJ. Georgia and Sarah are members of the Junior Friends of Matheny.
