Together we can.

Friends of Amanda was first started in 1994 by the family and friends of Amanda, who was tragically murdered by a neighborhood pedophile.  Amanda was only six years old.  She was a daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend to all of us.  Calls were flooding in from mourners who wanted to send flowers, and that’s when we realized we needed to do something more lasting. We decided that something good had to come out of something so absolutely horrific.  Our mission was to help other children who were abused or neglected, and we haven’t stopped since the inception of our Foundation.  Raising and distributing donations has always been a source of solace.

Our Grandfather, Bill Thomas, was so heartbroken over the loss of his granddaughter, and took matters into his own hands. He decided to do whatever he could to change laws to help others.  He served on the NJ state Parole Board as a member of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board and served on the Governor’s Task Force.  For all his hard work, he received many awards … NJ  Shore Award in 1997, NJ Distinguished Service Award in 1999, and State of NJ Citizen of the Year Award (presented by the Probation Association of NJ) in 1999.  This award has been named the Bill Thomas Award and to this date, although our Grandfather passed away in 2010, is still presented each year to a new recipient who deserves it. 

Our Foundation was first started by our parents in 1994 who ran it for 25 years.  To say they did a great job would be an understatement.  We knew it was time for us adults…no longer children…to step up to the plate.  It is now our honor and privilege to take over what they worked so hard at.  We will never stop, and hopefully some day our children will take over too to continue to keep Amanda’s memory alive and all that the Foundation stands for. 

Our biggest event we host is an annual golf outing held at Gamblers Ridge in Cream Ridge.  We have over 120 golfers that attend, and although it is a fun day, no one forgets why we are there. 

In addition, we have helped to have many laws changed… The Peeping Tom Law, Megan’s law, No Early Release, Amanda’s Act.

Friends of Amanda was started and currently run by family members over many generations.