College Funds for Erin and Madeline Hester

Hi, my name is Francisco Maldonado, and on behalf of Jason Redd, Jennifer Taylor, and others, we've organized this fundraiser in memory of Theresa Hester to benefit the education of Erin and Madeline Hester.

As I'm sure many of you are aware, last week we sadly lost Theresa Hester, wife of our colleague and friend Tom Hester, when she passed away at the age of 55 after a brief battle with cancer. Tom and Theresa are and were long-time public servants here in New Jersey. Theresa's decades-long career in public service was focused on helping some of the most vulnerable people in the state, from vulnerable children to the victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Her compassion and her work touched countless New Jerseyans, and we urge you to read this beautiful tribute to her life, if you haven't already: https://www.berminghamfh.com/obituary/Theresa-Hester?fbclid=IwAR0x6pJ5aGL1T7l9be5mghBcsmV-Nmkl1OH4Uy7hzNBrLELwaAQJpkr-Rl0

Theresa's untimely and tragic passing has left the family in a difficult, unplanned financial circumstance, given that Tom and Theresa have a daughter in college and another soon to apply. Erin is 19 and a sophomore at Temple University in Philadelphia, and Madeline is 16 and will be applying to college within the year.

As we all know, financing a college education can be daunting even for a two-income family. The Hesters now face this prospect on a single income because of this unexpected tragedy.

I'm setting the goal of this fundraiser at $10,000, simply because GoFundMe requires that you set a goal. The reality is that $10,000 is not much in terms of the cost of a college education, so we hope that you can give whatever you can to support Erin and Madeline.

We hope you can contribute, even just a little, to the Hester family now in their time of need, and we thank you in advance for your generosity.