SolarCure Keeps Veterans Front and Center

A Woodbridge-based company has combined green energy with advocacy for returning veterans.

SolarCure is a "cause marketing" company that coordinates the installation of solar panels at places like the Colonia VFW Post #6061, where a plan to install the panels is currently underway.

They then go out to find businesses to sponsor the panels through the "Adopt A Solar Panel" program and subsequently launch a press campaign that links the participating businesses to national brands and trends, said Colonia resident Jerry Masin, President of SolarCure.

The VFW will have the panels installed for free and once operating, will receive no-cost energy collected by the panels.

The companies participating in the program are aiding a local community group through their sponsorship, and SolarCure's marketing efforts work to ensure increased traffic to their websites in exhange for their participation in the program, Masin said.

Some of the businesses who have already signed on to sponsor the Colonia VFW solar panels are Kelin Heating and Air Conditioning and Ray and Dana's Inman Auto Care, both of Colonia.

"They get a good thing for supporting a nonprofit," Masin said.

SolarCure's support of veterans is not lip service.

Masin is the head of the Rutgers Alumni Association's Special Interest Group for Military and Veterans and volunteers as an Employer Outreach Coordinator for the New Jersey Chapter of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. He is also a small business counselor for SCORE.

In addition to getting businesses on board with supporting community groups like the VFW, SolarCure also makes an effort to get returning veterans into the jobs of installing the panels in an attempt to get them employment.

However, returning veterans need more than just jobs, Masin said. They need training, education and counseling as to how they can successfully transition back into civilian life.

"There's a lot of flag waving in the U.S for businesses saying they're going to support and honor our heroes," Masin said. "We have to do what we say that we're doing."

For more information on SolarCure and the Adopt a Solar Panel program, visit www.solarcure.us.