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Community Corner

Blue Rock Cafe Fundraiser a Success

Sunday's fundraiser benefited a Blue Rock Cafe's waitress' son

The owners and employees of the Blue Rock Café spent Sunday afternoon raising money for an eight-year-old boy with leukemia.

Albert Ostervich is not just any boy, however. He is the son of Blue Rock Café waitress Danielle Zweidinger and all the proceeds went right from the Blue Rock Café family to her's.

“[The owner] Billy Parker is so awesome,” said Zweidinger. “He’s a really family oriented guy and this is one of those things he does for people in the community when something happens. He’ll do little things like donate food and whatever else it takes to help the people out. The owners here are very good people.”

Albert was first diagnosed with leukemia in 2007 at the age of four and relapsed in March 2011. Currently, he is at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and travels to Monmouth Medical Center.

Zweidinger has been a waitress at the Blue Rock Café for the last seven years, but had to take a leave of absence recently to attend to her son.

“Danielle is one of the waitresses and she’s been out of work for a couple of months with her child being in the hospital so we threw this together to help her,” said Parker. “I don’t care if she decides to takes son kid to Disney World with money and as long as he’s happy.”

For a $30 donation, the two hour charity event included access to an array of food and drinks donated by the restaurant that included a buffet with 20 hot dishes, six-foot subs, seafood, barbeque, free soda and an open bar. Also, there were a variety of games to play while a live band and DJ performed.

Inside, raffle tickets for an auction were sold. All the prizes were donated from outside vendors with all proceeds for Ostrich. The restaurant’s staff donated its own prize, a new large HD LCD TV.

Every employee at the event worked on a volunteer basis according to Parker.

“We’re just one family and we all come together when we’re needed,” said Collen Kennedy, waitress.

“We take care of each other and that’s what makes us a big happy family,” said Karen Huber, hostess.

“I just want to thank everyone,” said Billy Parker. “Every business around here even if it was a competing bar put buckets in their bar to take collections. Even though we’re all in competition with one another everyone helped out.”

Parker hoped that the July 18 charity event raised around $15,000, but according to him any amount raised is fine for such a good cause.

“I’d like to thank everybody and I love them all,” said Zweidinger. “It was a nice event and everybody that works here did a great job. What they did was very generous and I’m appreciative.”

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