Dear Editor:
The reviews are in! “Swanky,” “excellent,” “great time” are just some of the ways guests described their night at the Hoboken Spring Gala last Thursday evening at the W. And we can’t thank people enough for helping us celebrate during a very busy May.
Between elections and oodles of other fundraisers, people showed up for a great time and they had one. I’d like to think that our event was a little different because we sought to celebrate the town and the people who make it great. We strive to serve the whole community – not one endeavor. And so, school administrators, teachers, parents, friends, business owners and politicians all showed up. And in the course we presented a check for $50,000 from our Project Play initiative to Mayor Zimmer.
Businesses in this town really helped rally around our “celebrate the town” message. Birtchtree Builders was our platinum sponsor and nine restaurants donated their time and talent to create a delicious menu: 3Forty Grill, City Bistro, The Clinton Social, The Dining Room at Anthony David’s, Dino & Harry’s, La Isla, The Madison Bar & Grill, Zylo and Zack’s Oak Bar & Grill. Hummus Bar, Losurdo Bros. Bakery and Robongi kicked off the menu with appetizers. Sweet and Giorgio’s satisfied every sweet tooth in the house and the bars flowed with help from Pernod Ricard, Corona, Coca-Cola and Hoboken Vine. And instead of an auction, people were treated to a chance for one of 10 fabulous Gala Giveaways – Tim O’Donohue Soccer Academy, a night at the Pearl River Hilton, dinner at Napoli’s, a classic Hoboken park scene by photographer Joe Epstein and a portraiture sitting with Hartshorn Photography – just to name a few! Capping off the night were the sounds of the Hoboken Jazz Collective, whose music flowed as melodiously as the night itself.
It was a great night but was it a great cause? You bet. As HFA fulfills its mission to serve families and the community we saw an opportunity to provide something for older kids in town. The night helped us kick off the HFA Scholarship Fund. Starting in the 2011/2012 school year Hoboken seniors in any of the three high schools can apply based on need, community involvement and merit. While we don’t know at this point exactly how much we will have to award next year, proceeds from the Gala along with donations from Birchtree and HFA get us off to a great start. We look forward to keeping the community updated on the scholarship fund as we help young Hoboken adults embark on their future. A sincere thank you to everyone and have a happy spring!
If you would like to join or learn more about HFA visit www.hobokenfamily.com
Sincerely,
The HFA Board