Who says you can’t go home?
Singer Jon Bon Jovi returned to his native town of Sayreville, N.J., on Monday with a $1 million check to help the state’s recovery from superstorm Sandy. He joined Republican Governor Chris Christie to announce the donation and walked through town to visit residents affected by the storm.
“My being here is not political. It’s emotional because I grew up here. I went to school here. I met my wife here,” he said. “And in the days following the storm, when I visited these streets and spoke to the residents, one thought that came to me time and time again was, what can I do?”
Bon Jovi is an honorary board member, along with Bruce Springsteen and Brian Williams, of the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund overseen by N.J. First Lady Mary Pat Christie. The organization has brought in $38 million in donations to the region.
Superstorm Sandy caused 2.7 million power outages in New Jersey alone.
Winds and flooding damaged or destroyed more than 37,000 primary residencies and 9,300 rental units along the coastline, according to FEMA. Additionally, businesses in the state experienced a combined $382 million in commercial property loss.
John Yuro