Auction boosts fund-raising
efforts for radiation center
By karl vilacoba
Staff Writer

MARLBORO — A silent auction for CentraState Medical Center’s new radiation therapy center featured items ranging from Bon Jovi to Bada Bing.

About 150 local officials and special guests attended the Feb. 27 charity event and $250 per plate dinner at Sunrise Assisted Living of Marlboro. Also on hand were two former NFL players, Harry Flaherty and Lee Rouson.

Among the autographed memorabilia on display was a picture of the cast of the Sopranos (starting bid was $3,000) and a Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls jersey ($2,500).

By night’s end, the highest bid of $1,500 in the silent auction went for a baseball bat signed by Joe DiMaggio. The auction alone raised in the range of $5,000, according to Seymour Semaya, Sunrise’s director of community relations.

The proceeds of the event will fund unpaid equipment at the radiation therapy center, which is scheduled to open in late March. The radiation center will be housed in the new medical arts building on the medical center’s West Main Street campus in Freehold Township.

In comments to the guests, the radiation center’s director, Dr. Edward M. Soffen, first hammed it up, giving the crowd an imitation of Walter Cronkite before getting serious.

"One out of four people in this room are going to develop cancer in the next decade," Soffen said. "One out of five will, unfortunately, have the opportunity to come through our new department."

Also giving brief speeches were local officials including Monmouth County Freeholder Ted Narozanick and state Sen. John O. Bennett. But for most of the night, guests looked over the mostly sports-oriented auction items and mingled with the two former pro-football players.

Representing the Marlboro Township Council, Dr. Paul Kovalski Jr., council president, said, "We just lost an uncle this week to cancer, so this touched close to home. Marlboro is often associated with a stigma, Marlboro tobacco, but tonight it’s being associated with something good."

"A lot of people have come up to me and shared stories about themselves with me," said Flaherty, a former member of the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. "I got involved with this through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and I think it’s a wonderful cause."

Despite the occasional ribbing from Jets fans, Rouson, a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Giants, said he was happy to assist in the charitable effort.

"I’ve been blessed all my life and it’s great to give back to the communities," Rouson said. "We’ve got a lot of true-blue Giants fans here."