Jon Bon Jovi went home yesterday to present a $1 million check from his band to a fund to help New Jersey recover from Hurricane Sandy.
The rocker joined Gov. Chris Christie and First Lady Mary Pat Christie to announce the donation for the New Jersey Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund during a ceremony where the native-son star got bigger cheers than the popular politician.
“My being here is not political,” Bon Jovi said in front of the borough hall in Sayreville, the musician’s hometown. “It’s emotional.”
Bon Jovi, who has long had philanthropic interests, has been highly visible in his home state since the storm hit. Days after the October 2012 tempest, he visited his central New Jersey birthplace, a flood-prone blue-collar community along the Raritan River.
He was a headliner of a relief concert and is, along with Bruce Springsteen and others, a co-chairman of the storm-relief fund.
Bon Jovi thanked the people of his hometown for their good deeds after the storm. “The unsung heroes are the volunteers who without notice helped house, feed, clothe and just comfort,” he said.