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June 28, 2004

WHAT: State Sen. Joseph Vitale and Mayor Frank G. Pelzman give proclamations
honoring Iselin's Angela Brandli, Victim Rights Activist

WHEN: Tuesday, June 29, 6:45 p.m. - just prior to Township Council meeting

WHERE: Woodbridge Town Hall, 1 Main Street, Woodbridge

WHY: Honoring citizen involvement in the legislative process

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If you wonder whether an individual citizen can make a difference in state government, ask Angela Brandli of Iselin.

The victim of a brutal home invasion that left her severely paralyzed, Ms. Brandli realized she had been victimized twice: first by the attack and then by the meager, capped jury award that could not begin to pay her ongoing medical and rehabilitation expenses.

Undeterred, she provided the inspiration and early research for the Brandli Bill, a law co-sponsored by State Senator Joseph Vitale of Woodbridge and passed in 1999 by the New Jersey State Legislature that aids crime victims with recovery expenses.

This spring, Ms. Brandli graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health while continuing to be a forceful advocate for the rights of crime victims and the disabled.

On June 29 Angela Brandli - college graduate, social activist and courageous role model - will be honored by Sen. Vitale and Mayor Pelzman at 6:45 p.m. in Woodbridge Council chambers.

"Heroes like Angela Brandli are ordinary men and women who refuse to abandon faith and hope in the battle against discouragement and despair," says Mayor Pelzman. "I am pleased Sen. Vitale will join all of Woodbridge in congratulating Ms. Brandli on her bravery, dedication and vision."