Jeremy Kane
CAMDEN – Jeremy Kane is among the many men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving our nation in Afghanistan and Iraq. To pay tribute to all Rutgers students and alumni who died in combat during this war, a Rutgers–Camden veterans group is organizing a two-mile run to raise money for a memorial.

Veterans for Education, a student advocacy group that supports veterans and active military personnel, will sponsor the Jeremy Kane Benefit Run at Cherry Hill High School East on Kresson Road at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 25.

Kane, a Cherry Hill resident, was killed in January by a suicide bomb attack while on patrol in the Helmand Province in Afghanistan. The 22-year-old was a lance corporal in the United States Marine Corps and was a criminal justice major at the Camden Campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Each participant will be asked to raise at least $10 through sponsorships or donations. The money will be used to design and build a memorial at the Rutgers–New Brunswick Campus that will honor Rutgers graduates who died in combat during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“This is important because soldiers die for their country every day in Iraq and Afghanistan,” says Matt Steffen, vice president of Veterans for Education. “There’s always enough time to pay tribute to these men and women.”

A Philadelphia resident, Steffen served in the Army from 2004-08 and was deployed to Afghanistan for 15 months. The Archbishop Ryan High School graduate is a business administration major at Rutgers–Camden.

Veterans for Education is encouraging veterans, members of the community and Rutgers students to participate. Kane’s mother is scheduled to speak at the conclusion of the run, which will be led by Marine Corps veterans.

Bryan Adams, president of Veterans for Education, says a memorial is a positive way to honor a fallen soldier.

“We want the memorial to be cutting edge and as far as we know, there isn’t anything like this at any other university right now,” Adams says. “The war is entering its eighth year and a lot of Rutgers students and graduates have served there. We want to recognize their sacrifice.”

Adams, a Palmyra resident and Palmyra High School graduate, served in the Army from 2002-05. He was wounded in combat and received the Purple Heart. Adams is a marketing major at the Camden Campus of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

The run will end at Congregation M’kor Shalom on Evesham Road, which was Kane’s place of worship.

For more information and to register for the run, visit jeremykanebenefitrun.webs.com.

Media Contact: Ed Moorhouse
856-225-6759
E-mail: ejmoor@camden.rutgers.edu