Who says you can't go home?

Aloud cheer erupted as Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora jumped out of a black van and greeted many of his old friends as he spent a day last week in his hometown.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GINA FORBES Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora visits his hometown of Woodbridge on Nov. 24. Township officials renamed the street leading up to Woodbridge High School, which is Sambora's alma mater, Richie Sambora Way. The musician, wearing black sunglasses, a long, green militarystyle jacket and black jeans, raised his arms up and smiled, "This is awesome."

Sambora's first stop on the morning of Nov. 24 was to the unveiling of a street in his honor.

Township officials are in the process of naming what was Samuel Lupo Place, the street that leads into Sambora's alma mater, Woodbridge High School, into Richie Sambora Way.

"This is where I grew up, and it is great to come home," he said. "All the songs that I have written come from these streets; this is who I am."

The street sign is black and red, the colors of the high school.

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora chats it up with the Woodbridge High School cheerleaders during his visit home. Mayor John E. McCormac and Schools Superintendent Dr. John Crowe along with members of the Board of Education and Principal Lee Warren were on hand to greet Sambora at the unveiling of the street sign.

"It's a good day for Woodbridge," said Warren.

Dr. Crowe said it was amazing to have Sambora come back to his hometown.

"It's great what he's doing for Kelly [a teen battling a brain tumor] and with all the benefits that he does," said Crowe. "It also teaches an unprecedented lesson to the students that great things can happen when helping out other human beings."

Township officials also presented Sambora with a replica of the street sign.

"This is great; I'm going to put this in my bathroom," Sambora said with a laugh.

Sambora ended up handing the street sign replica to his mom, Joan, who was present at the unveiling of the street sign.

The next stop was the weight room at the high school, where Sambora donated funds to rebuild the room in memory of his father, Adam. Sambora played basketball when he was a student at the high school.

Outside the weight room, Sambora was greeted by a performance by the Woodbridge High School cheerleaders to Bon Jovi hits such as "It's My Life" and "You Give Love a Bad Name" to "Have a Nice Day" and "Who Says You Can't Go Home."

After the performance, Sambora went in for a group hug and took pictures with the cheerleaders.

Heading toward the weight room, Sambora spoke to Garrett Pastuzyn, a recent Woodbridge High School graduate, about giving back to the community.

Pastuzyn told Sambora that during his four years at the high school, he was a member of the football team and they reached out with the help of the high school's Fifth Quarter Club to the family of a student who came to all their games.

"We donated a jersey to the student," he said.

Sambora patted Pastuzyn on the back and shook his hand.

Inside the new athletic room, there were many cheers.

"Thank you so much," board President Brian Molnar said to Sambora.

Molnar then turned to the students who were present.

"This is an honor to receive such a gift," he said. "This gift needs to be taken care of, and you have to utilize this weight room with pride."

Joseph Ward, athletic director at the high school, added that he must be the luckiest athletic director in the state and country.

"We have state-of-the-art athletic equipment because of Richie Sambora," he said.

The next stop, Kelly Mahon's home in Fords, is ultimately what brought Sambora back to his hometown. He launched the You Can Go Home program to help Kelly, a WHS graduate who has been undergoing treatment for a brain tumor, come back home for the holidays.

"I'm going to help get her," Sambora said.

The launch of You Can Go Home is inspired by Bon Jovi's song "Who Says You Can't Go Home," which Sambora co-wrote.

Kelly is 19 years old and has been cared for at the Hartwick Rehabilitation Center, which is part of JFK Medical Center on Oak Tree Road in Edison. Prior to the rehabilitation center, she was treated at the PSE&G Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick.

Kelly's battle with the brain tumor started in October 2007. It was the beginning of her senior year of high school, she was president of the International Culture Club and was on track to attend Rutgers University on an academic nosed with the tumor. Her family learned that she was accepted to RU when she was already in the hospital.

The goal of the program, Sambora stated in a press release, is to have Kelly home for Thanksgiving. The musician learned of Kelly's plight through friends in the community. He has personally raised $75,000 for her.

Through the program, the approximately 5,200 students at all three township high schools — Colonia, John F. Kennedy Memorial and Woodbridge — participated in selling the specially designed Keychains For Kelly as a fundraiser through November at a special price of $20, with 100 percent of the proceeds going toward the efforts of the You Can Go Home program.

Also through the program, students at WHS will be eligible to win a $5,000 college scholarship through their fundraising efforts during the grassroots campaign of selling the key chains.

Additionally, anyone purchasing a key chain or any other merchandise online at YouCanGoHome.com will be eligible for a drawing to attend the meet-and-greet, win signature memorabilia from Sambora and Bon Jovi, and be entered for the grand prize — an all-expenses-paid, all-access trip to see Bon Jovi and Sambora open their "Circle" world tour in Seattle, Wash., on Feb. 19, 2010, and go backstage with Sambora.

"You know, I'm just a small-town kid. I grew up on a dead-end street here," said Sambora. "I'm here where I am because of a lot of luck. There's nothing better than to give back to the community."

Sambora said he learned about Kelly's cause two years ago.

"I wanted to get involved," he said. "I'm sure there is a similar story like Kelly's in every town."

Last year, Sambora along with Bon Jovi auctioned off seat and guitar packages on a radio station coinciding with their 2008 New York shows to raise money for Kelly.

Sambora helped to see Kelly home with her family, including her father, Matthew, mother, MaryAnn, and her sister, Tara, 5.

Matthew Mahon said that over the past two years, Kelly has made a lot of improvements but will still need constant care.

Mahon said that with the help of Sambora's program, Joe DeAndrea's architectural firm, the Woodbridge Housing Authority and the township's Tooling Around the Township organization, they were able to construct handicap ramps and a new addition to their home.

Norma Grasso, cross country coach and physical education teacher at WHS, said she remembers the day when Kelly went into the hospital.

"It started out with Kelly having blurry vision," she said. "We went to visit her weekly at the hospital, and then in April of 2008, I get a call from Kelly saying, 'Hello, how are you?' I was blown away. Day by day, Kelly is improving, and Richie Sambora has made a big difference. It all has been wonderful."

Later that evening, Sambora held a meet and greet with the students who sold the most key chains at WHS.

For more information about You Can Go Home, visit www.youcangohome.com. For more information about Kelly, visit www.careforkelly.us.