Verona Park Bench Dedication Event

On Sunday, June 30, Sons of Verona and Backpacks for Life held a bench dedication ceremony to honor Christopher Blum, a local Verona resident and Michael Halpert, also a Verona resident  who was in the U.S. Navy, at the Bocce Ball court in Verona Park, NJ.

We recently connected with a Gold Star mom who was looking to do something special to honor her son, a Verona resident. We were quick to jump in and help support this effort in honoring a fellow veteran in the town where we started our organization.

Sons of Verona is a non-profit organization that raises money through annual golf events to fund scholarships for graduating Verona High School students and other organizations in Blum’s and Halpert’s names. Coincidentally, our founder Brett was the recipient of a Sons of Verona scholarship in High School!

We were happy to see many familiar and meet many new faces as more than 30 people stood around the bench surrounded by American Flags. Founder Brett D’Alessandro opened the ceremony welcoming and thanking friends and family for coming. 

Halpert’s mother and sister gave speeches in remembrance of him and Halpert’s childhood friend shared fond memories of the shenanigans they would do together as kids, teenagers and young adults. Halpert’s plaque reads, “Sit for a while, remember his smile - our son shine. In memory of Michael Halpert.” Blum’s read, “Those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day. In memory of Christopher Blum.” Thanks to the Township of Verona and local support, their legacy will live on forever in Verona Park. 

A truly wonderful celebration that we were honored to be part of!