Annual fundraising event put on by the Mid-Atlantic Resource Group Charitable Foundation costs $48 per person and will take place at Branches in West Long Branch
The New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders (NJCTS) is one of an unprecedented three designated charities for the Mid-Atlantic Resource Group (MARG) Charitable Foundation’s 2012-2013 fundraising initiative and will benefit from the Foundation’s Doo-Wop & Dinner Fundraiser from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday, October 7, at Branches in West Long Branch.
The dinner will be a full buffet with dessert, a cash bar will be available, and music will be provided by “Sounds of the Street.” The cost for this event is $48 per person, and reservations are required by calling 732-922-6300, Ext. 118, or by visiting www.margcharitablefoundation.org. Other beneficiaries of this event will be CASA of Monmouth County and the New Jersey Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
NJCTS’ involvement with MARG grew in 2011 when Foundation President Scott Salinas found out that the son of one of his clients had Tourette Syndrome.
“When my client told me about it, he said, “Scott, it’s a terrible disorder. It takes over your whole life.’ That really got to me,” said Salinas, who noted that MARG usually only extends help to two charities each fundraising year. “I asked him, ‘If you have a New Jersey organization for Tourette Syndrome, we could do something for them for our fundraising gala.”
“And we’ve come to realize (at MARG) that many people here have kids that might have Tourette Syndrome or autism or disorders like that,” Salinas added. “We never realized how close this is to many people here. It is very important to help out the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome.”
The Mid-Atlantic Resource Group Charitable Foundation was started four years ago by the 37-year-old, Wall-based financial services organization as a way to give back to the community and help children in need. One in 100 children exhibit symptoms of Tourette Syndrome.
MARG Executive Assistant Linda Blum estimates that NJCTS and the other two charities each will receive $10,000 from the Doo-Wop & Dinner event and other fundraisers to take place in the spring.
“We have come to know on a personal level Tourette Syndrome, autism, Asperger’s and ADD. We know the tremendous resources required to help children and families dealing with these neurological disorders, and NJCTS is the organization that fits that bill,” Blum said. “We are striving to get the community more aware and knowledgeable about Tourette, its origin and how they (NJCTS) can help.”
Advocacy and awareness efforts such as those being put forth by MARG are necessary to educate the public about how TS affects children and their families, according to NJCTS Executive Director Faith W. Rice, who is excited about the potential effects of this fundraiser.
“We are proud to count the MARG Charitable Foundation as a partner and graciously accept their invitation to receive proceeds from the Doo-Wop & Dinner fundraiser,” Rice said, “and we commend MARG for taking such a stand in advocating for and supporting those with Tourette Syndrome and its associated disorders.”
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New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders, Inc.
Collaborative partnerships for the TS community.