The Face Behind The Fundraising

When Jimmy McNamara first heard about his friend Zack Bernier's accident, he didn't want to believe the words.

"I couldn't imagine it," said McNamara, who has been friends with Bernier since fourth grade. "One day he was walking down the aisle at graduation and a few days later he was paralyzed."

Bernier, 17, was injured June 24 in a fall during a hike at Chatfield Hollow State Park in Killingworth. Due to the severity of the fall and the distance of the drop, he broke his spine in three places and fractured his neck. Doctors told him he would be paralyzed from the waist down.

Another friend, Sam Sarkisian, said his first reaction when he heard of the accident was "relatively somber." That's because Sarkisian thought his friend had broken a leg.

"I was upset, but happy to hear that the only thing at a loss for Zack was part of his summer," recalled Sarkisian. "When I heard that he was paralyzed from the waist down, I was shocked. I immediately experienced pain in my chest and tears in my eyes. I called up my friends and we met up to talk about the whole situation."

Soon after the accident, McNamara, Sarkisian and friends Jim Short, Leah Valletta, Luca Piacenti and Dann Disciglio got to work.

"We felt that raising money was something we could do right away," said McNamara. "We could offer emotional support, but Zack and his family would need financial support, too."

Sarkisian felt the same way.

"After the initial shock and grieving ceased, one of the first things that our group discussed was methods that we could raise money for Zack and his family," said Sarkisian. "We all helped as much as we could with the tee shirt sales etc. But we really wanted to do something huge, something that would raise a lot of money and support. We joked about a concert, and realized we could actually pull it off. That's how Zackaroo was born. Aside from planning several fundraising events for student council and various other organizations at school, none of us really had much experience organizing fundraising events."

They set up a Facebook page for Zack called "Prayers & Support for Zack Bernier" and a website called Helping Hands.

They met at the on five different occasions and made an appointment to meet with town officials including First Selectman Willie Fritz.

"As time went by we started to develop some real plans," said McNamara.

Their efforts, or better yet, the manner in which they have approached this effort has not gone unnoticed by adults and leaders of the community.

During several Board of Selectmen meetings, Willie Fritz has informed his board and the public about an upcoming fundraiser - always commenting upon the maturity and organization of the young men and women at the heart of the effort.

Arthur Isaacson, former selectman and Patch contributor, observed the group during a pre-planning meeting with the first selectman and representatives of the police, public works and parks departments to discuss their detailed plans for the music festival. 

Isaacson wrote in his "" column, "Watching these four clean cut, intelligent, focused young men discuss their plans with the town officials in a studied and professional way, was a pleasure. I remember thinking, "If these young men represent the future, I'm feeling better about it than I have in a long time.""

To kick-off their fundraising efforts, the group designed, ordered and sold t-shirts and silicone wristbands emblazoned with "Believe For Bernier" that sold out in one day. What followed was a pasta dinner, a car wash, a lacrosse competition, and "Zackaroo," a benefit concert held August 6. Other community groups and companies such as the PTA and Saldamarco's have held their own fundraisers.

In addition, there is a fund in place at for donations under Zack's name.

All in all, more than $65,000 has been raised through all these efforts, said McNamara.

They are hoping that the Zackaroo concert can turn into an annual event.

Prior to Bernier's arrival home from rehabilitation, his house had to be outfitted in many ways to support this young man who is now in a wheelchair.

"None of the money raised needs to be spent on house renovations," said McNamara.

Due to the efforts of many people including McNamara's father, the house was outfitted with a ramp and electric lift. Some of the halls were widened as was the kitchen.

As a final note, McNamara wants to thank the community for their support of his friend. He sends a special thanks to his mother and Jim Short's mother who went the extra mile.

McNamara hopes that his efforts and those of his friends' help "ease the minds about our generation."

"I know a lot of adults think the world is doomed with our generation and I think that (at least in Clinton) we changed the adults' perception of what this generation has to offer," said McNamara.

Upcoming fundraising events:

Car Wash on Friday, Aug 26 at the Old Police Station in Clinton, 9am to noon.

Westbrook High School's National Honor Society will be sponsoring Zack at their Benefit Breakfast on Aug 29.

Proceeds from Lenny and Joe's Carousel will go to Zack's Fund on Sept 4 (Sunday of Labor Day weekend). There will likely be T-shirts and wristbands available, too.

Look for details about September and October Hair Salon events.