FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                 

Contacts:         Cathy Frank-White, Event Chair        Gregory Scozzari, Board President

(609) 397-8528                                   (609) 895-1100 x114

cathywhite@aol.com                          gregs@vjscozzariandsons.com

PREVENTION AND PREPARDNESS;

PROTECTING THE PEOPLE OF NEW JERSEY

The 200 Club of Mercer County Hosts Annual Luncheon on June 18th

to Spread Homeland Security Message & Drive Membership

MERCER COUNTY, May 14  — The Annual 200 Club of Mercer County Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, June 18th, at 11:30am at the Mercer Oaks Golf Course Clubhouse in West Windsor. It will feature the Director of New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness,Richard L. Cañas.

The 200 Club will also present Valor Awards – the highest honor bestowed by the organization – to Mounted Patrol Officer John Harbourt of the Trenton Police Department and to Sgt. Woody Benner from the Hopewell Township Police Department.

The luncheon is open to the public and costs $40 per person, or $400 for table of 10. Attendees who apply for membership will get the luncheon as part of their application cost. Membership is $200 and is tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. The 200 Club of Mercer County is a tax-exempt charity under section 501(c)(3). Corporate sponsorships are also encouraged and appreciated.  To order tickets or make a donation, please send a check to: The 200 Club of Mercer County, P.O. Box 6755, Lawrenceville, NJ, 08648.

On March 16, 2006, Governor Jon S. Corzine created a cabinet-level Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and appointed Richard L. Cañas as the office’s first director. Mr. Cañas served in the private sector for eight years following a career spanning 34 years in law enforcement, intelligence, counter terrorism, and policy making at the national level.

“We are excited to welcome Richard Cañas, NJ’s Director of Homeland Security and Preparedness,” states Gregory Scozzari, President of the 200 Club of Mercer County. “With Cañas’ efforts to protect our State, I believe there is a ground swell of support for the dedicated law enforcement, fire and rescue organizations in Mercer County. These groups play an integral role for our community’s security and safety”, Scozzari continues.

The 200 Club of Mercer County is one of several hundred associations nationwide dedicated to providing financial assistance to the families of our public safety and rescue personnel who are killed in the line of duty. This includes the police officers (state, county, and municipal), correction officers, fire fighters, and rescue squad technicians of Mercer County.

Established in 1979, The 200 Club of Mercer County has provided funds to a multitude

of families including those of:  FBI Agent Barry Bush, West Windsor Police Lieutenant Keith Hillman; Trooper Thomas J. Hanratty, NJ State Police; Driver/Firefighter Brian Sutton Sr., Enterprise Fire Company; Corporal Stephen Levy, Washington Twp. PD; Trooper Christopher S. Scales, NJ State Police; Washington Twp. Firefighter Dennis WilliamsThe 200 Club has also supported organizations including: local chapters of The American Red Cross, NJSP Museum honoring fallen Troopers, The Megan Kanka Foundation, and the NY/NJ Port Authority Police Widows Fund.

Becoming a member of the 200 Club of Mercer County will support an honorable cause at a time when the families of these dedicated and brave individuals need it most.

For more information, or to register for this important event, call Cathy Frank-White at 609-397-8528, or the 200 Club Hotline at 609-712.2012. To apply for membership in The 200 Club of Mercer County or register online, please visit www.mercer200club.org.