On the Road again...
Sometimes things just fall together perfectly. So goes the build in Pennsauken, New Jersey.
Now maybe I’m a little partial to the area because I was raised about 15 miles away across the Delaware River, but the family, the builder, the community, even the weather, made for a perfect week.
Our family – the Marrero family – consists of five boys and a dad. The family has done without many of the things that we tend to take for granted.
Our builder – J.S. Hovnanian & Sons -- is a family owned and operated company.
Peter and Steve Hovnanian are two of the most gracious builders I have ever met. They are really good people.
Volunteers from the community of South Jersey came out in great numbers. We were never more than a few feet away from someone handing us water or a cold towel to wipe our brows…this means a lot when the weather is in the 90s and humidity is 100%.
Our week began at one of my favorite places -- the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. I lost several games of “hit the gofer with the hammer” to a little girl named Sam (yeah, I know the game has a different name but I just can’t remember it).
I was able to bump Ty around in the bumper cars and I felt a little sick from eating way too much cotton candy. Tanya’s two boys, Caden and Cullin, were with us this week too. It’s always nice to witness kids seeing things for the first time.
We also visited Shriver’s on the boardwalk which is famous for its saltwater taffy. It’s been on the boardwalk for about 100 years so be sure and check it out if you’re ever in Ocean City. By the way, my favorite flavor is licorice.
The Morrero family lives in an apartment located in Camden. The city is, without a doubt, one of the toughest cities in America. From drug problems to murder, the city has a lot working against it but things are not all bad.
Like Richard Thompson says in one of his songs, …“down the darkest alley is where you will find the brightest jewel”…. That would be the Marrero Family when it comes to Camden.
Now I can not reveal all that happened because you’ll need to watch the show to find out. But I can tell you this much, the Morreros are one of the greatest families I have had the honor of meeting. And I’m not the only one saying that. It seems everyone who met them felt the same way.
I don’t know their last names but the gentlemen that helped me this week -- John, Carlos, John and Howard – I want to thank them all.
There is one other gentleman I had the chance to work all week with a man by the name of Mr. Garo Avesian. He is 65 years young and is originally from Armenia. He has been in this country for 12 years and when it comes to fixing something – whether it’s a squeaky door or burst water pipe - I think Mr. Garo is the “MacGyver” of fix it.
I also want to thank the people from Pro Audio - Dale, Michael, Kevin and Val, for making a boy’s dream come true. I could not of done what I did with out all of them.
I must also acknowledge the Tyson Chicken company that really made a difference this week. They donated 20,000 pounds of chicken to St. Johns food bank and filled the family’s freezer for a full year. Remember to buy Tyson chicken next time you’re in the grocery store!
Be sure to watch the show and see first-hand what an incredible week we had. The memories will certainly live on for me.
Before I sign off there is one more thing I would like to talk about… New Orleans.
With the second year anniversary of Katrina having come and gone, the fight to get people in proper housing still goes on. If you’re wondering what you can do to help out, please donate to this incredible charity out of New Orleans at: www.stbernardproject.org/id2.html. So far approximately 70 families are housed thanks to the incredible determination of the organization’s founders Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenberg and the phenomenal 2,500 volunteers.
Well, that is all for now - thanks for reading.
Paul
Now maybe I’m a little partial to the area because I was raised about 15 miles away across the Delaware River, but the family, the builder, the community, even the weather, made for a perfect week.
Our family – the Marrero family – consists of five boys and a dad. The family has done without many of the things that we tend to take for granted.
Our builder – J.S. Hovnanian & Sons -- is a family owned and operated company.
Peter and Steve Hovnanian are two of the most gracious builders I have ever met. They are really good people.
Volunteers from the community of South Jersey came out in great numbers. We were never more than a few feet away from someone handing us water or a cold towel to wipe our brows…this means a lot when the weather is in the 90s and humidity is 100%.
Our week began at one of my favorite places -- the boardwalk in Ocean City, New Jersey. I lost several games of “hit the gofer with the hammer” to a little girl named Sam (yeah, I know the game has a different name but I just can’t remember it).
I was able to bump Ty around in the bumper cars and I felt a little sick from eating way too much cotton candy. Tanya’s two boys, Caden and Cullin, were with us this week too. It’s always nice to witness kids seeing things for the first time.
We also visited Shriver’s on the boardwalk which is famous for its saltwater taffy. It’s been on the boardwalk for about 100 years so be sure and check it out if you’re ever in Ocean City. By the way, my favorite flavor is licorice.
The Morrero family lives in an apartment located in Camden. The city is, without a doubt, one of the toughest cities in America. From drug problems to murder, the city has a lot working against it but things are not all bad.
Like Richard Thompson says in one of his songs, …“down the darkest alley is where you will find the brightest jewel”…. That would be the Marrero Family when it comes to Camden.
Now I can not reveal all that happened because you’ll need to watch the show to find out. But I can tell you this much, the Morreros are one of the greatest families I have had the honor of meeting. And I’m not the only one saying that. It seems everyone who met them felt the same way.
I don’t know their last names but the gentlemen that helped me this week -- John, Carlos, John and Howard – I want to thank them all.
There is one other gentleman I had the chance to work all week with a man by the name of Mr. Garo Avesian. He is 65 years young and is originally from Armenia. He has been in this country for 12 years and when it comes to fixing something – whether it’s a squeaky door or burst water pipe - I think Mr. Garo is the “MacGyver” of fix it.
I also want to thank the people from Pro Audio - Dale, Michael, Kevin and Val, for making a boy’s dream come true. I could not of done what I did with out all of them.
I must also acknowledge the Tyson Chicken company that really made a difference this week. They donated 20,000 pounds of chicken to St. Johns food bank and filled the family’s freezer for a full year. Remember to buy Tyson chicken next time you’re in the grocery store!
Be sure to watch the show and see first-hand what an incredible week we had. The memories will certainly live on for me.
Before I sign off there is one more thing I would like to talk about… New Orleans.
With the second year anniversary of Katrina having come and gone, the fight to get people in proper housing still goes on. If you’re wondering what you can do to help out, please donate to this incredible charity out of New Orleans at: www.stbernardproject.org/id2.html. So far approximately 70 families are housed thanks to the incredible determination of the organization’s founders Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenberg and the phenomenal 2,500 volunteers.
Well, that is all for now - thanks for reading.
Paul
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