The New Jersey-based Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.) organization recently hosted a Gala Dinner and “Night of Holiday Magic” at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. The L.E.A.D. event was attended by local law enforcement, donators, and other important supporters of their Anti-Drug and educational efforts. Along with those specially honored at the event, recognized contributors included leaders of police, politics, and business.
Among other L.E.A.D. contributors who attended the Gala, Tom Marinaro, president of Residential Home Funding (RHF), was officially recognized at the event by Paul Cell, Chief of Police at Montclair State University. While running a community minded mortgage business, Marinaro is also the second vice chairman on the L.E.A.D. board of directors and an active supporter of their progress. RHF was a sponsor of the Gala and multiple RHF members including loan officers and managers from around the New Jersey area were in attendance. One such member was Director of Retail Sales at Residential Home Funding Rick Riddle who “rocked the house” with a comedy performance from his stand-up routine.
L.E.A.D. is a non-profit organization currently exclusive to New Jersey that teaches children about drug safety, empowering them to protect their health and well-being through an educational and supportive process. The goal of L.E.A.D. and their board of directors is for each state to have a non-independent “State Affiliate Advisory Board” and committees to address specific needs in each state. Through their successes in NJ, other states may adopt the L.E.A.D. program as an alternative or supplement to other drug prevention programs.
RHF has a strong history of supporting law enforcement and is officially endorsed by the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police (NJFOP). Long-time supporter of the NJFOP, Residential Home Funding is also among the first to support the NJ L.E.A.D. program and their affiliated officers through police loans, teacher loans, and other mortgage opportunities. Offering their “Mortgages for Champions” program for discounted police mortgages, teacher mortgages, and military home loans, RHF can provide special mortgage opportunities to many L.E.A.D. advisors and members. RHF offers these mortgage options to police, fire fighters, the military, teachers, medical employees, government employees, and their families throughout New Jersey and in other states across the East Coast.
The Mortgages for Champions loans available to these various professions do not have lender fees, saving borrowers additional funds to put towards their home, savings or alternate uses. As many of the NJ L.E.A.D members are police officers, their service to the community can be rewarded through these special police mortgage opportunities. Other RHF options available to many L.E.A.D. members include a Police Retirement System Mortgage Loan Program and a Fire Fighter Retirement System Mortgage Loan Program, rare opportunities offered by few lenders.
While supported by their communities, the organizers of L.E.A.D. continue to teach and protect the youth of New Jersey with programs specially designed for children at the Kindergarten through 8th grade levels, with teen programs available for high schools. Professionally trained “L.E.A.D.ers” organize fun and educational ways to teach important lessons about the dangers of drug use to individuals and their families. Already showing great results in New Jersey, L.E.A.D. has a new member training session planned for February 2016 in Georgia, potentially adding another state to the list of L.E.A.D. participants.
