HOLMDEL, NJ: ” On Saturday, December 2, The Hope for Children Foundation (HFCF) held its annual gala with this year’s theme; ‘Holiday Mix, Mingle and Jingle.’ This year’s gala marks a record breaking amount of money raised by HFCF in one night with a total of nearly $185,000 going directly to help children and families in New Jersey. This brings HFCF closer to raising $2.8M since founded over a decade ago.
The event was held at Bell Works in Holmdel and the attendance was approximately 550. Major sponsors of the night included Advisors Mortgage, The Hesse companies, The Wine Academy Superstores and The Hinds/Pearly Group. This 100% volunteer organization is a 501(C3) compromised of professionals, entrepreneurs and parents in Monmouth County. It originated in 2002 with a simple goal of “getting together with family, friends and colleagues to make a positive difference in the community by helping children in need and their families.” (http://www.hfcf.org/about/)
During the event, Phyllis and Carmine Visone of Holmdel, were honored with the Humanitarian Service Award. Co-founder of HFCF, Karen Hinds says, “It is truly an honor for HFCF to have great supporters like Phyllis and Carmine Visone. They are pillars in our community, whose philanthropic efforts are in line with the mission of HFCF. Everyone who knows Phyllis and Carmine speak of their unyielding public service, especially to the children in our community. It is a privilege for us to honor the Visone’s.” Michael and Tiffanie Salerno were also honored at the event and have been key supporters of HFCF since its inception. Michael is Second Vice President on the Board of Trustees for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County. Tiffany is a managing member of Eagan & Associates, founding board member of HFCF, and on the Board of Trustees for ARC of Monmouth County.
The whimsical mood was set for the evening as guests entered and were greeted by festively dressed stilt walkers and Santa Claus on the scene! Snow flakes magically fell from above as the crowd enjoyed exquisite hors d’oeuvres and food stations from the award winning David Ellis Events. Guests could sample the 240+ varieties of premium liquor and beer donated by The Wine Academy Superstore as they leisurely browsed the spectacular gifts in the premium silent, gift and live auctions. Hope for Children prides themselves in donating every dollar made to the cause. All auction items and most services were donated for this years event. A few of the many in our community who donated their time, products or services include The Wine Academy Superstore, Bell Works, This is It Entertainment, Community Appliance, The Galleria Gold Co, Infinite AV Solutions, Ashley Mac Photography, Taliercio’s Gourmet Deli of Middletown, Mike Simons Productions LLC, and markconte.com.
A highlight of the night was The First Annual 12 Days of Giving Raffle, where 12 lucky winners took home cash prizes from $500 to $10,000. HFCF pledged to support a dozen families in need from the remaining proceeds of this raffle and this years event. They are also preparing to support over 100 families this holiday season and many more throughout the year. “Whether it’s a homeless teen, a special needs child, a struggling family or an organization that truly makes a difference, we are careful in making the best selections possible and we are excited as we are about to make a huge impact in so many lives” said Kristie Kane, Co-Chair and Executive Board Member of HFCF. “The proceeds of the night will help these beneficiaries as well as many more throughout the year, we are blessed to make such a difference in our community.” A great way to kick off to the season of giving!
For more information, to get involved, or donate online please visit https://hfcf.org.
Event Chairs: Kristie Kane and Heather Sperduto
Gala Committee: Deb Brew, Steve Coltrain, Suzanne Corcoran, Tiffanie Eagan Salerno, Eric Hinds, Karen Hinds, Susan Hammer, Adam LaRosa, Chris Lindsay, Linda Lautenberg, Dana Matina, Val Marchiano, Steve Murphy, Dawn Pakrul, Jamie Stavola, Dan Tapolow and Marybeth Walz
Raffle Winners
1st $10K Elaine and Butch M.
2nd $5K Christine L.
3rd $2K John S.
4th $1K Dawn S.
5th $1K Squad 4
6th $1K Chris H.
7th $1K John F.
8th $1K Tracy S.
9th $1K Diane O.
10th $1K Jamie S.
11th $500 Christian P.
12th $500 Jerome L.
Event Photos
