The following is a letter written to the editor of the Courier Post in response to the articles of March 6 and March 25, 2008. To our knowledge, the letter has not been printed as of the date of this blog post.

I have known and worked with Victor Marrero since last February. We met at a Men's group in my Church shortly after Diane Sawyer's 20/20 special on Camden, long before Extreme Makeover Home Edition, and before he met Martiniano Perez. I am the "volunteer" to whom Ms. DeCastro referred in her Article of March 25, who was talking with Victor and Danny Milano on Saturday March 15. The three of us had in-depth conversations with Ms. DeCastro about the project on that Saturday; some of which appears in the article. The uneasiness Ms. DeCastro mentions is the embarrassment and regret Maria Vazquez felt and expressed to Ms. DeCastro, Daniel Milano and myself that day. She could not look at Victor, who did make himself available to her. Her husband apologized on her behalf. He stated that he did not understand her actions, but knew she felt regret.

I would also like to set the record straight about the gifts donated for the family. All donations intended for the Vazquez/Perez family were given to them. Ms. Kelley is either misinformed, mistaken, or misquoted. I personally witnessed Victor handing the Visa gift card in question to Maria, who tearfully accepted it last November and proceeded to hug us each in gratitude. And yes, Victor informed Maria of the gift card's source. There were many more donations received during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Season but were intended for other families, including one family of a single father with 9 children.

Maria Vazquez and her family may not have received everything on their "wish lists" which included designer clothes and high end video game systems. They did receive a generous sum of toys, clothes and food, all which were intended for the family and taken with gratitude at the time.

Just two Saturdays before the March 6 article, Vazquez and her husband were visiting their house on Mechanic Street with Victor, Dan Milano, his work crew, men from Single Fathers of Camden and another fathers' group from Central Jersey called "Keansburg Father Time." That day, Maria Vazquez hugged Victor Marrero, thanked him for keeping the project moving and obtaining the necessary building permits which she and her husband could not procure without his help. This was all before the article of March 6.

There was much misinformation printed in the Courier Post about this project on March 6. I hope this letter can fill in some of the blanks left by the follow-up article on the 25th. This project is about people helping people; fathers helping a community to join together in support of families in need and a region reaching out to help heal a broken city one wound at a time. I feel blessed to have been witness to these efforts and the genuine compassion from the people who helped make this happen.

Todd Jarger
Volunteer