The Holmdel First Aid Squad (HFAS) hosted a fundraiser event, “International Adventures in Wine,” on June 19^th, showcasing Holmdel’s beautiful Bayonet Farm. The event for 200 people was held in the Grey Barn and featured a selection of wines for sampling accompanied by hors d’oeuvres. The evening featured auctions and raffles on various baskets and gift certificates provided by local merchants, with all the proceeds going to the first aid squad. The 2010 event was largely coordinated by HFAS Captain Mike Nikolis and President Erin McKane. They reached out to various local merchants seeking donations of wide-ranging items in order to make the night a success and the local business community responded.

The Wine Sellers of Holmdel, located in the Holmdel Towne Center, generously provided the wines for the evening’s tasting and donated items for the auction. Mossuto’s Market in Wall on Highway 35, catered the event as their donation to Squad, providing a variety of delicious Italian cuisine. Johnny On The Spot, in Old Bridge, which also has a sister company, Central Jersey Septic, generously donated the use of one of its high end restroom trailers, which has the ambiance and luxuriousness of a private residential bathroom. Abbie Stokes, a designer & manager of Pierre Deux in Red Bank, gave her time and expertise to the Squad to help organize and plan the evening. Since this was the first time HFAS ever undertook such an event, her insight into the planning and staging was a major contribution.

HFAS member and Mayor Serena DiMaso served as the MC for the evening. Several high end items were available to be bid on by the attendees. The contributors included Dearborn Market, Party City of Hazlet, Tab Ramos Sports Center, Bella Vista Country Club, Shore Shot Pistol Range, Harley Davidson of Ocean County, Nancy Pugliese- Arbonne International, Massage Envy- Holmdel, Colts Neck Fire Department, Joyce Centineo- Mary Kay, Marie Catherine Dietrich, Lorin McKane- Psychotherapist, Molly & Tom Vates, Tao & Zen Acupuncture, Strathmore Chiropractic Associates & Dr. Gloria J. Perna, Berg Animal Hospital, Salerno’s Restaurant, Lorri Debernardis & Sharron Murray- SNL Realty Group.com, Sensei Jason Hoffmann- Tiger Schulmann- Middletown, Cassondra Hadel & Schwartz Salon, Steve Gerhardt- D & M Enterprises, Richard Guempel, Barbara Brand, Mingmei Lin, Lisa Goodwin- Valley National Bank of Holmdel, Paula & Tom Ford, Lynn Davis & Family, Mayor Serena & Dr. Gerry DiMaso. Special thanks to: the manager, Lou Redbord, & the realtors of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage- Holmdel for purchasing numerous tickets & donating items. Item donations were made by the following Coldwell Banker Holmdel realtors: Susan Geiger & Teresa Christie, Carol Wilusz, Starr Koplow & Karen Buonomo, Dominick Pontoriero, John Romano, & Abbie Stokes.

HFAS is manned by volunteers and does not bill any patient. Fundraising is in order to cover expenses for such necessities as medical supplies, personal protective gear, and vehicles. The Holmdel First Aid Squad would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who supported the event either through donations or attending. Chief Lynn Davis recognized the members as well, “The amount of time my fellow squad members gave to make this evening possible and the amount of time they dedicate to this community answering calls for help constantly astonishes me.” She also noted that “every member’s family is also involved as one person cannot volunteer to do this type of work without the support of the entire family unit.” Anyone interested in volunteering & being part of the first aid family, please call 732-946-3239 or for more information http://holmdelfirstaidsquad.org.