Bernards Township teen holds beard-shaving fundraiser
The beard that Bob Williams had preserved since 1969 ended up on a barber shop floor in late February as a way of helping a Bernards Township teen to raise money for a power wheelchair needed by someone who can't afford one.
On Sunday afternoon, Feb. 28, friends and families of two rehabilitation technicians employed at the borough's Matheny Medical and Educational Center gathered at a barber shop in Sussex County to watch as the men's beards were removed for the fundraiser, according to a news release from Matheny.
One of the two technicians, Bob Williams of Hopatcong, had sported his beard since 1969, said Sandy Josephson, director of marketing and public relations at Matheny.
Donations benefit Callum Slater, 13, who is collecting money to underwrite the cost of a power wheelchair, Josephson said. Josephson said the recipient of the wheelchair has not been chosen, but Matheny's wheelchair clinic has at least one candidate in mind.
Callum, a 7th grader at Far Hills Country Day School in Bernardsville, had learned about power wheelchairs and their ability to improve the lives of people with disabilities after meeting and interviewing Williams, Josephson said.
He began raising money to buy such a wheelchair as a project for his Bar Mitzvah, held Oct. 17 at Congregation B'nai Israel in Basking Ridge, according to the Matheny.
Callum had raised $2,500 before Williams and the second Matheny technician, Jon DaSilva of Stanhope, offered to shave to generate publicity for the project, according to Josephson. The men had their beards shaved off at John's Barber Shop in Newton.
Callum's parents, James and Fiona Slater, matched the $2,500 raised, bringing to $5,000 the total amount raised for Callum's project. James Slater is a cardiac surgeon at Morristown Memorial Hospital, and Williams had been his patient, Josephson said.
Josephson said Callum is continuing to collect money for his project. Josephson couldn't say exactly how much a motorized wheelchair costs, but noted that the price is well into the thousands of dollars. The chair would also require maintenance, he said.
To contribute money to Callum's project, send donations to Attention Janice, Development Department at Matheny Medical and Educational Center, P.O. Box 339, Peapack, NJ 07977. For more information, e-mail jkriegman@matheny.org.
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