BERNIE SANDERS needs your help

Let's help out our good friend BERNIE SANDERS!

Many of you may have remembered the good times since we all got back in touch after the 20th reunion. Bernie invited all of us to his NJ bar 'CLUB MIAMI' and opened his Annadale home multiple times to host BBQ's and Pool Parties. He donated his services from his own Carpet Cleaning business at the 25th reunion and has opened his heart, his wallet & his home to friends and family who have asked for help over the years.

After realizing that I haven’t been in touch with Bernie for quite a while, I recently reached out to him & found out things have gotten pretty bad:

- He lost everything when his bar had to fold.

- The Carpet Cleaning business also folded leaving him broke, again.

- Due to financial hardship, he rented out his house and ended up with delinquent tenants that he is in the process having evacuated through the SI courts.

Here are some things he told me that I was not aware of:

In 2005 he was hit by a tractor trailer who was in the wrong lane - he had to have 3 major surgeries (that included having 2 rods & 6 screws attached to his hips), and then had to endure 3 long years of physical recovery.  

In 2007 he accepted a settlement from the lawsuit, but was given a shady deal that was just enough to remodel his home & open his own carpet cleaning business. 

In 2009 - 2010 he was hit hard with taxes. Due to the economy, the carpet cleaning business was very slow. End result which I'm sure everyone has gone through - he owed, owed, and owed and unfortunately there was no money left to cover the bills. 

It’s now 2013 - he's living in a tiny apt still waiting to have the tenants legally evacuated due to non-payment of rent from his home that he knows will need to again be fixed up. He is getting social security but admitted that it’s really hard to get by with just food stamps, so he's been supplementing his groceries buy stopping off at the local food pantries. Due to stress and poor eating habits, he's developed diabetes and has recently been told his health is failing and will need a future surgery due to an intestinal problem.  During all this time he's continued to help his family whenever they were in need, but now all of them have pretty much turned their backs on him in his time of need.

Can you spare a few bucks to help Bernie get back on his feet?

He's local (still in Annadale) & would appreciate it from the bottom of his heart. Having to ask for help is a hard thing to do, especially when you are usually the one being asked to help out, but sometimes that's just the cards you are dealt and you just need to ask.

*** even if you are unable to donate, feel free to "PAY IT FORWARD" and please pass this site on to other social media sites ***

thank you - michelle strauss, class of '86