Amazing...

It has been an absolutely amazing day at the benefit! Hundreds of people coming out to celebrate Terry's life and help raise funds for his family. We'll give you a full update in the days to come. Thank you!

Benefit Day!

Who: You!

What: Terry Berge Memorial Benefit

When: Starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 26, and ends 13 hours later at 2 a.m. Stop by at any time, night or day! Live music throughout.

Where: Our Place Restaurant and Bar, 2990 Route 26, in Maine. That's at the corner of Route 26 and East Maine Road - just minutes from the intersection of Route 26 and Route 38B!

Why: To raise money to help support a great family!

How: Modest cover charge; $10 for chicken barbecue meal, $5 without meal. Amazing raffle prizes and 50-50 raffles throughout the day! Twenty percent of all food and beverage sales donated to the family!

If you can't attend but want to help, just make a check out to Marika Berge, and mail it to:

Our Place Restaurant and Bar
P.O. Box 345
Maine, NY 13802

The owners will make sure the check gets to the right place. Thank you!

Please click here to read 10 Things You Should Know about the benefit!

Countdown to the benefit!

MySpace-Countdowns

Raffle items galore!

An amazing book collection for children,
from Friends of Terry Berge.

Here at Benefit Central, we've been receiving some wonderful reports about the outpouring of support in terms of items for the raffle, which will start at 1 p.m. Saturday and last until early evening. Check out this photo showing a basket - that contains $200 worth of books and reading supplies for children. Folks, the word is that we have SO MANY raffle items we may need to build on to Our Place Restaurant and Bar by the weekend! Tickets for the raffle are $1 each, or you can buy an entire sheet - 25 tickets! - for just $20. Put one ticket in multiple baskets, or pool your resources and put a slew of tickets toward one item you really want! Thank you all for your support, and we can't wait to see you Saturday!

Please click here to read 10 Things You Should Know about the benefit!

If you can't attend, you can still help!

We're hearing from some people who aren't able to attend the benefit on Saturday, but really want to help. It's simple, really. We're accepting donations through the mail. Just make a check out to Marika Berge, and mail it to :

Our Place Restaurant and Bar
P.O. Box 345
Maine, NY 13802

The owners will make sure the check gets to the right place. Thank you!

Please click here to read 10 Things You Should Know about the benefit!

Personal message from Terry's sister...

Terry and Alex share one of their many laughs.

Terry Berge was a husband, father, friend, son, stepson, nephew, grandson, and cousin.

He was also my brother.

Terry was always there for his family, friends, the community, and strangers. He would give anyone in need the last dollar in his pocket or the shirt off his back. He didn’t say “no” to people in need. I’m not even sure he knew the word.

Terry was the one you wanted driving your kids to school because he could be trusted to protect your children. He was the guy you wanted coaching your kids T-ball team because you knew he would teach sportsmanship, not just how to win. He was the boy you wanted your daughter to date because he was a good citizen. He was the man you knew you could call at 3 a.m. for a ride, because he wouldn't ask questions when he came to rescue you.

Terry was the person you could trust with your secrets, confident he would keep them. He was the type of person who would sit and listen to a stranger's troubles and help in whatever way he could.

Terry was the kind of guy people want their kids to grow up to be like.

If Terry were your husband, father, friend, son, stepson, nephew, grandson, or cousin, how would you cope with his loss? I bet you would do everything you could to take care of his family and help them in any way possible… even if helping was as simple as visiting a restaurant, buying a chicken barbecue dinner, and entering a raffle.

My brother fought a very hard fight for 20 months and never complained. He’s left behind a beautiful legacy that everyone should get to know. Their names are Brandon and Ashley, and they are two of the greatest kids you will ever meet.

If you knew Terry, I ask you to join us at Our Place Restaurant and Bar on Saturday, March 26. If you didn’t know him personally, I doubly encourage you to attend. Come and find out from others what made my brother so special, and make a difference for his family by attending the Terry Berge Memorial Benefit. I look forward to seeing you there.


Please click here to read 10 Things You Should Know about the benefit!

Everyone is welcome to attend!

to attend the Terry Berge Memorial Benefit!

Overheard someone at the water cooler today saying that they'd like to attend the benefit, but they didn't know Terry, so they weren't sure they were invited. To which we say: Heck, yes, you're invited!

Everyone is invited to the Terry Berge Memorial Benefit on Saturday, March 26. Please read through this blog for more information on how to make the most of the day, and please share this blog and event details with all of your friends and family members - whether we know them or not.

Let's be friends! :)

Homer and Marge Will Be There... Will You?

Check out this cool new promotional spot for the Terry Berge Memorial Benefit!

Please share this page with your friends and family members! And every Simpsons fan you know! :)

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

Owego Pennysaver Promotes Benefit

Our friends at the Owego Pennysaver were nice enough to promote the Terry Berge Memorial Benefit. To read the story, click here!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

The TV Has Been Delivered!

Just this morning we told you we were hoping a TV would be delivered in time for the raffle. Folks, it's here! It's a 32-inch Emerson LCD TV, and it will be won on Saturday, March 26. Join us - it might as well be won by YOU! :)


Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

Top 10 Benefit Things to Know

Here's a quick rundown of important information! :)

10. The Terry Berge Memorial Benefit starts at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 26, and ends 13 hours later at 2 a.m. Come for an hour or spend the entire day!

9. The benefit is at Our Place Restaurant and Bar, 2990 Route 26, in Maine. That's at the corner of Route 26 and East Maine Road - just minutes from the intersection of Route 26 and Route 38B!

8. There is a modest cover charge at the door to help us get a great start on fundraising! When you arrive, you'll be asked whether you'd like a chicken barbecue meal (we have 500, available until they aren't). If you would like the meal, admission is $10 per person. If not, admission is $5.

7. What do you get for that cover charge? Live music all day and night, and the knowledge that you're making a huge difference for a local family!

6. Fantastic raffle prizes will be on display throughout the day, and the winners will be drawn at 8 p.m. You do not need to be present to win! Please come prepared to buy tickets - you'll kick yourself if you don't! :)

5. Raffle prizes include wine baskets, restaurant and spa certificates, Wii games, tickets to a Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway, amazing artwork, items for the kids (including a new booster seat, book baskets, and more!) photography certificates, lottery tickets, a bowling ball, fresh maple syrup, and passes to see Def Leppard in concert!

4. And, honestly, we're just scratching the surface here. We're still waiting to see if that new TV arrives in time!

3. 50-50 raffles will take place throughout the day. Another chance for you to win big - and help the family, too!

2. Our Place Restaurant and Bar will be serving its full menu during the benefit. The owners are graciously donating 20 percent of all food and beverage sales to Terry's family. So, please, come ready to eat and drink!

1. This is for a GREAT cause! Come out and support Marika, Brandon, and Ashley, all the while celebrating Terry's life. We can't wait to see you!

The success of this benefit will depend on turnout. Please come, and bring your friends, family members, and neighbors with you!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

Remembering Terry Through Art

This and other fantastic artwork will be on
display - and up for grabs - during the benefit.

We are so excited about all of the fabulous prizes up for grabs during the Terry Berge Memorial Benefit! This just in... check out the watercolor on canvas that one lucky benefit-goer will win on Saturday, March 26! This watercolor depicts Terry and his sister, Alex, during their childhood. It would look great on YOUR wall!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

This Bud Could Be For You

You won't believe the raffle prizes!

Did we mention we have something for everyone at the raffle? We're not kidding! Check out this beautiful bowling ball! Raffle tickets will be available for $1 each, or a full sheet of 25 for $20. Buy the whole sheet and give it a whirl! Raffle prizes will be announced early in the evening. You do not need to be present to win!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

Coming to a bulletin board near you...

Check out our Berge Benefit flier that is going up all over Maine, Newark Valley, Owego, West Corners, etc. Please share it with your friends and family!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

Extra! Extra! Yankee Memorabilia!

Thanks to Steve Kraly, member of the 1953 New York Yankees,
for donating these items for the benefit!

Steve Kraly only pitched in the major leagues for one year, but, oh, what a year it was! Mr. Kraly, a pitcher, was a member of the New York Yankees, which won the 1953 World Series. He played with legends such as Yogi Berra,
Whitey Ford, and Mickey Mantle.

Kraly, who lives in the Southern Tier, has generously donated two items to the Terry Berge Memorial Benefit. One is an oversized team photo from that World Series championship team, while the other is a team photo with facsimile signatures.

We hope Mr. Kraly will be able to join us at the event. We invite you all to come to the benefit, which is from 1 p.m. Saturday, March 26, until 2 a.m. Sunday, March 27, and support the Berge family!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

Start planning your trip...

We are excited to report that we have people driving from hours away to attend the benefit! Whether you are coming from near or from far, the map below will help you get directions and visualize where Our Place Restaurant and Bar is located. From Newark Valley, it's easy - take Route 38B to the end and turn left on Route 26! Or, experience the joy of a ride through the old countryside - on Newark Valley-Maine Road or by way of King Road!


View Larger Map

When you get close, look for Our Place Restaurant and Bar. Here it is!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

New items for raffle!

We got the benefit off to a great start by announcing raffle tickets to a Yankees-Red Sox game and a Def Leppard concert. But we're just getting started!

Calling all Nintendo Wii fans! We've added two great games to our array of potential prizes! If you feel like WINNING (paging Mr. Sheen), come and try your luck at DJ Hero and Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011!

Raffles will be doing on throughout the day, starting at 1 p.m.! We'd like to thank Oakdale Images by Prestige for donating three certificates to be raffled at the benefit on Saturday, March 26! We've also got gift baskets filled with scratch-off lottery tickets, children's books, and PartyLite items (thanks, Melissa Whitmore Worzel)!

Check back each day for updates... and please pass this website on to your friends and family members!

Come and meet these beautiful kids...

Think they're cute in photos? You gotta see them in person!

"Brandon and Ashley are the best reason to come to the benefit. They are great kids and so very entertaining. Come out and meet them, and get to know the legacy Terry left behind for all of us to watch grow."                                                               - Terry's sister, Alex                                                                

Benefit Hitting All the Right Notes...

Terry poses for a picture with
his sister, Alex, and their cousin, Rebecca.

The hosts of the benefit fundraiser, Our Place Restaurant and Bar, keep adding great music to the event! Come out and hear live music all day and night from the following acts:

• Chris Crosby
• Doug Mosher
• Dan V. and the Little Band
• The Blue Jays
• Rick Iacovelli
• 4 I
• and special guest DJ, Curry Arts!

Thanks to each musical group for agreeing to perform for us!

Come on down and enjoy live music throughout this special event.

Come and join us and raise money for a great cause!

Note on March 15: We're sorry to report that the Blue Jays aren't able to play at the benefit. (We're assured it has nothing to do with the fact that Terry was a Newark Valley Cardinal). We wish everyone associated with the band all the best! :)

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

Check out this 'magical' promo...

.. and please tell your friends about the benefit on Saturday, March 26! (Click the symbol with four arrows for a larger view!)

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

Are you gettin' it?

See Def Leppard live on June 29!

We are thrilled to add to our raffle offerings two tickets to see iconic rock band Def Leppard at Toyota Pavilion in Scranton! The band, which made famous such hits as "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Armageddon It," will be in the Twin Tiers on June 29!

Prefer country music? Come and try to win the Garth Brooks box set! You'll also find thoughtfully themed gift baskets filled with AVON products, lottery tickets, vintage baseball cards, items for family game night, and much more! Whether you like planting flowers or drinking tea, there's a basket that will interest everyone at the Terry Berge Memorial Benefit!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

Raffle prizes really coming together...

Enter to win tickets to watch Derek Jeter and
the New York Yankees play the Red Sox at Fenway Park!

Friends and family members are working around the clock to secure donations for the raffle baskets that will be on display during the benefit. Keep 'em coming, please!

Make sure to check out the amazing items that will be raffled off, including tickets to a Yankees-Red Sox game at Fenway Park. And there is so much more!

Like what? We're glad you asked. Perhaps you're interested in the new child's booster seat, certificate to Newark Valley Golf Club, wine-tasting at Pumpelly Estate, or a certificate for tasty food at restaurants such as Bobby's, Fortunato's, Little Venice, and Subway!

We're eager to hear from you about other donations. All proceeds from the March 26 fundraiser will go directly to Terry's family. For more information or to donate, please call 607-862-9181 or contact Our Place Restaurant and Bar - in person or by writing to them at P.O. Box 345, Maine, NY 13802.

Benefit planned for Terry's family!

Come and say hi to Brandon and Ashley!

Terry Berge lost his courageous battle March 1. He leaves behind his wife, Marika, and children, Brandon and Ashley. We need to continue to rally around his family!

Please join us Saturday, March 26, to raise money to support the family! Enjoy a chicken BBQ dinner from 1 to 8 p.m. ($10 cover charge includes meal; $5 otherwise), live music all day and night, and great food any time until closing - 20 percent of all sales that day will go directly to the family!

The event takes place at:

Our Place Restaurant & Bar
2990 Route 26 (Corner of Route 26 and East Maine Road)
Maine, NY

Click here for a map!

Please tell all of your friends and family about this great event! We are looking forward to seeing you!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!

We lost a good one...

He gave it everything he had, and inspired us with his courage every step of the way. Now, it's time to give back and rally around his family.

Terry and Marika, with their children, Brandon and Ashley.

Our friend, Terry Berge, died March 1. He leaves behind a devoted wife and two young children. Terry has been aptly described as "a-give-the-shirt-off-his-back-kind-of-guy." You can learn more about him by clicking here. Then, come back and read more. We've got big plans!

Click here to go back to the main page and read more!