And a good time was had by all

Whoever said accountants couldn't have fun? There was plenty of joviality and high-fives on exhibit July 22, when some 150 staff members of J.H. Cohn, the national accounting firm that has its main New Jersey office in Roseland, plus some family members gathered at Linden Lanes in the city of the

The Make-A-Wish Foundation helps the dreams of very ill children come true. This year some 400 such gifts will be given in New Jersey. The most frequently requested wish is for a trip to Walt Disney World. But they can also be as varied as playing for a day for the New York Yankees, computers or big-screen game players. One 14-year-old girl suffering from the indignities of chemotherary asked simply that she regain her self-esteem. She was sent to the Barbizon School in Bergen County. The average cost of fulfilling a wish is $6,000.

Last year was the first year that J.H. Cohn had raised money for the charity by staging a bowl-a-thon. It was such a great success that the accountants were back again. This year they raised $60,000. Each bowler had to raise $100, and the company took over the bowling lane for early evening play.

The bowl-a-thon played an additional role this year as a way to bring together in a fun atmosphere the staff of J.H. Cohn with that of The Videre Group, which merged with Cohn in March. Michael Cohen, the director of taxation for Cohn, was the master of ceremonies for the evening. David Talesnick, the former head of Videre who is now the president of the Cohn Consulting Group, and plenty of other Videre people were also there.

Among the stars of the evening were Ashley Puig, age 4, and her family. In April Ashley, who has a rare form of cancer, had her wish come true and went to Walt Disney World. The cancer is now in remission, and Ashley and her sister Alexandra were all smiles as they opened presents and had their turns with the bowling balls.