ON A CHILLY SPRING APRIL EVENING, AFTER A TWO-YEAR HIATUS, THE CALAIS COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER AT THE LOVELY PARK SAVOY ESTATE FOR THE 10TH ANNUAL CALAIS FOUNDATION GALA, A FESTIVE EVENT HELD TO RAISE MONEY AND AWARENESS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.

Over 140 Gala attendees, including donors, sponsors, volunteers, Calais families and students contributed to the stellar success of our gala — raising over 40K. We are beyond grateful for the communal efforts of so many that made our Gala possible!

Over 50 local New Jersey businesses and organizations such The Papermill Playhouse, Morris Animal Inn, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Stephen Taylor Photography plus individual Calais families and Calais Classrooms, generously donated goods or services to our Tricky Tray Basket Fundraiser generating an additional $4000 with another $500 coming from the 50/50 raffle. Others supported us by placing ads in our Gala Ad journal. These efforts go far in benefiting our children with special needs.

Behind the scenes, our Calais students were busy donating their talents to the Gala. Art students created the beautiful floral centerpieces topping each table and displayed artwork on easels throughout the ballroom. Culinary students made delicious Calais Cougar cookie favors each guest received at the end of the evening. In addition, our event volunteers helped out with all aspects of preparation and event details throughout the evening.

The gala was also a platform to acknowledge a few special individuals who went above and beyond for the special needs cause over the past years. Congratulations to our award recipients, Brian Tarpey, of the Tarpey Group, recipient of The McClafferty Award, and Carol Vorhies and the Nursing Staff, recipients of The Leitner Excellence in Education Award.

David Leitner, Executive Director of the Calais School and Board Trustee Howard Buxbaum gave an emotional tribute to their friend Daniel Karger, who was a fifteen-year member of the Calais School Board of Trustees and co-founder of the Calais Foundation.

The Calais Foundation is so fortunate to work with such compassion, caring, and committed people. Your financial support is essential for us to continue to empower young adults and children with special needs to exceed their possibilities at the Calais School.

The Calais School, a private state-approved special education provider for grades K to 12 Plus, creates a nurturing environment and therapeutic approach enabling special needs students to regulate their emotions, build self-esteem for successful learning and personal growth. To learn more about the Calais School visit: https://thecalaisschool.org/

We hope we see you again at our upcoming events this Fall. 

Tee off with us at The Calais Foundation Golf Classic on October 13 at the Crystal Spring Resort Ballyowen Golf Course. Stay tuned for more information.

Also save the date for our first-ever Calais Classic 5K Charity Run on October 15th at The Calais School in Whippany.  For more on our 5K, visit: https://thecalaisschool.org/calais5k/