(May 7, 2008 – Newark, N.J.) - One hundred riders and passengers on 92 motorcycles revved their engines and rode on Sunday from PSE&G’s Central Gas Division in Harrison to the PSE&G Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick to support the daughter of a PSE&G employee who is receiving intensive rehabilitation following brain surgery.

Colleagues and friends of auto mechanic Matthew Mahon, wearing “Ride for Kelly” T-shirts, raised funds and provided encouragement for Kelly Lynn Mahon, a 17 year old Fords teen who had surgery last fall to remove a large tumor on her brain. Complications after the operation left Kelly incapacitated, and she is struggling to recover at Children’s Specialized Hospital.

“The motorcycle run was a way of doing something special for Kelly and so that PSE&G associates could show their support to the Mahon family, “said George Tarnacki, transportation supervisor in Harrison, who conceived, organized and promoted the run.  “We received assistance from PSE&G Central Gas Division and from the company’s Fleet Maintenance Center, and we raised $10,000 for Kelly,” he said.   

 “All the proceeds from the benefit went directly to the Mahon family,” Tarnacki said, “and people are continuing to send checks and generous donations.  In addition, the Friends in Need Foundation, which supports projects like this all over the country, is matching dollar for dollar all money received above the registration fee for the event.”

“My wife Maryann and I are so grateful,” said Kelly’s Dad.  “It’s wonderful that on such a nasty morning so many people showed up to ride with us.  They’re friends, people from work, family.  I know at least three quarters of them and it was great to see all the familiar faces. I’ve worked for PSE&G since 2001 and am amazed by the good hearted people there who have helped Kelly and our family.”

“When the 100 or so motorcycles pulled through the U-shaped driveway at Children’s Hospital, they were greeted by family, co-workers and friends, hospital staff, and Kelly’s support network from Woodbridge High School, said Steve Sharkey, a PSE&G supervising engineer.  “Wheeled out to the curb to see her father and George leading the crowd was the first time Kelly had been outside, even for a minute, since Thanksgiving.” 

Joie Ferentino, a registered nurse at Children’s Specialized, assists Kelly with her recovery.  “I love my job and what we do for the kids here,” she said, “and it’s wonderful to see the hospital, families and friends working collectively to help children get better.  It’s such a great day for Kelly; I was hoping for a great day.”     

Kelly Lynn had been an active high school senior, fourth in her class at Woodbridge High School and an avid sewer.  This past November doctors found a tumor in her brain after she started experiencing headaches and blurred vision. The mass was located in front of the pituitary gland, just behind the optic nerve. She underwent surgery to save her vision and her life, but, tragically, problems shortly after the operation resulted in her suffering multiple strokes and other complications.  Her progress is slow and every little accomplishment is celebrated.       

“Kelly has improved a lot in the last month,” Matthew Mahon said, “but she’s got a long way to go – she’s had devastating injuries.” 

“An event like the motorcycle run requires a lot of coordination,” said Tarnacki, “and we received a great deal of support from PSE&G to pull this together – including funding, logistics and support all the way to arranging a police escort for us.  It takes a lot of heart, too, it really does.  You figure you spend half your life with people you work with; we’re like family,” he said.

Additional events to support Kelly include a day at the Vito Mazza Salon and Spa in Woodbridge on May 18 and a biathalon in Kelly’s name - “Laps for Love” - on May 31 at the Woodbridge Community Center.  Information about those events may be found at www.careforkelly.com.  Donations to Kelly may be made to “Care for Kelly” and sent to:  

Care for Kelly
 c/o McGuire Family
 312 Mountain View Road West
 Asbury, NJ 08802

Children’s Specialized Hospital, an affiliate member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health System, is New Jersey’s largest comprehensive rehabilitation health system dedicated exclusively to children.  Children’s Specialized Hospital treats children and adolescents from birth to 21 years of age through a network of services with a wide array of medical, developmental, educational, and rehabilitative needs.  Services include outpatient services, acute rehabilitation, and long-term care through its sites in Mountainside, Toms River, Fanwood, Hamilton, Newark, New Brunswick and Roselle Park as well as outreach programs in many communities.

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey’s oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state’s population.  PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability.  PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company (www.pseg.com).