Friends aim to help buy special van Freehold Township man was injured in swimming accident

Friends aim to help buy special van
Freehold Township
man was injured in swimming accident

On Aug. 3, 2000, Eric Bennett, 27, of Freehold Township, was swimming in the surf at Manasquan when a large, powerful wave knocked him down to the ocean floor, fracturing his C-5, C-6 and C-7 vertebrae and leaving him with impaired movement in his arms and hands and down through his feet.

Bennett has since been in a wheelchair and is in need of a special vehicle that would help him get to and from his physical therapy sessions.

The $45,000 vehicle he needs is a customized van that has a lift at the side door which raises individuals in wheelchairs into the van. The van would also be equipped so that someone without use of the lower limbs can drive, with a throttle and brake near the steering wheel that can be operated by hand.

The Friends of Eric Bennett, a fund-raising group that was started by fellow church members of Bennett’s parents’, has been working to raise money to help purchase the van. The group is also raising money that will help Eric when he is ready to live on his own again.

Right now, Eric lives with his parents, Harold and Bobbi. He has a younger sister, Kirsten, and older brothers Mark, of Massa-chusetts, and Christopher, of Hamilton.

Acquiring the special van would be a big help to Bennett and his family, who travel to the Kessler Institute for Rehabilita-tion in West Orange by way of their family car, which does not fit Bennett and his wheelchair comfortably. The van will make transportation easier and more practical, as Bennett said he focuses a great deal of his time on rehabilitation.

Bennett currently has limited use of his arms and hands and said that in order to regain movement, he needs to reassimilate his muscles. Although his triceps provide him with very limited movement, other muscles can compensate, he said. Regaining as much physical ability as possible is always the goal but can be very time consuming.

"With every bit of return, you want to hone that movement to its most useful point," Bennett said.

Bennett said that aside from rehabilitating, he spends time trying to regain as much independence as he can.

"It’s a pretty hard task to try to reincorporate the little things in life to maintain your independence," he said, adding that his family is there to help him with the things he cannot do. "They’ve been fantastic with helping out with day-to-day activities."

Before the accident, Bennett had been working in product research and marketing for GI Apparel in Farmingdale.

Bennett liked to surf and snowboard, and was heavily into music. While he can no longer do some of the more physical activities, Bennett said he would like to get back into his music.

He is a fan of a wide range of music, including rock and jazz. He played lead guitar and sang for Broken Atlantic, which played often in New York and at the Jersey Shore.

Bennett said he likes to play organic instruments, such as guitars and other stringed instruments, and he would like to find a way to incorporate his organic roots into the digital music world. There are a lot of digital music programs available and Bennett said the key will be finding one he is comfortable with.

He said he is trying to create a new palette for his musical talents, including different ways of manipulating guitars. That is difficult, however, due to his limited movement.

To regain the movement, he must regain muscle strength, so most of his day is spent in weight training. He currently has very little lower body movement.

Bennett said neither he, nor anyone else, is making any bold predictions on how far he can go. His task, he said, is only to make the next gain.

The Friends of Eric Bennett was founded this spring and has spent much of its time until now getting organized for upcoming events. The Freehold Elks Lodge No. 1454 is the group’s nonprofit sponsor and provides the Friends of Eric Bennett with the necessary licensing for fund-raising.

Mary Evans, one of the group’s original members, said there is a major event scheduled for Jan. 21 called "An Evening of Good Taste," in which a number of local restaurants will be providing samples of dishes they serve. The event will be held at the Freehold Gardens Hotel, Route 537, from 7:30-10:30 p.m.

For a $60 entry fee, fans of the area’s best restaurants can indulge in a number of different tastes and also meet the people behind the food. Along with chefs from local restaurants will be representatives of local patisseries and wineries.

The event will also be an opportunity for local restaurants to advertise their talents, and those who are showcasing their product will not be charged an entrance fee.

In addition to the opportunity to provide nearly 400 people with a taste of their delicacies, an advertising journal will be created and handed out to those in attendance, as well as sent out to donors to the event who can not be there.

Evans said several businesses and organizations have offered time, service and other donations. The operators of the Freehold Gardens, she said, have been gracious enough to allow the Friends of Eric Bennett to use the hotel ballroom, and have also helped them get in touch with other businesses to help with the event.

"Freehold Gardens has been wonderful in getting us headed in the direction of people who could be helpful," Evans said.

She added that Party Town will provide decorations and table skirts.

There will be a 50/50 cash raffle in which two winners will be drawn. The first-prize winner will receive 30 percent of the money collected and the second-place winner will get 20 percent.

The remaining 50 percent of the raffle collection, as well as the rest of the night’s proceeds, will go to the Friends of Eric Bennett, with a portion going to the Spinal Cord Injury Project at Rutgers University.

As of Nov. 19 the participating vendors are the Atrium at Freehold Gardens, Basile’s, Cafe Colore, Eric’s, Five Star Cafe, Frankie Feds, Greystone Manor, Jade Palace, La Palma Bakery, Lorenzo’s, Marielle’s, Metropolitan Cafe, Nonna’s, Mulligan’s, Our House Tavern, Pat’s Market, Portobello, Udubi Sri Krishna, Wegmans and 75 South. Evans said other vendors have expressed interest, but she has not received definite approval from them. In all, she plans to have about 30 vendors presenting their fare.

Another event, Messiah Sing-In For Quadriplegic Eric Bennett, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at Freehold Borough High School, Broadway and Robertsville Road. Camille E. Thompson, a well-known Monmouth County choir director and organist, will conduct a sing-in accompanied by an orchestra. The choir will be made up of the members in the audience. Each attendee is asked to bring their own copy of Handel’s Messiah score.

Tickets for the event are $10 and the proceeds will also go to the Friends of Eric Bennett.

Anyone interested in either event can reach the Friends of Eric Bennett at (732) 431-1854 or write to Friends of Eric Bennett, P.O. Box 6351, Freehold 07728.