Gala deemed a great party, an unforgettable success
Millstone community comes out in support of three local nonprofits
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

Clockwise from top - "Frank Sinatra" made a special appearance to entertain guests at the Millstone Charity Gala on Saturday night at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe. Ron and Olga Byer take a break from the dance floor and listen to the crooning of "Old Blue Eyes." Ed and Kim Kocur take their place on the red carpet as they arrive at the gala.

More than 325 people danced and dined the night away at the sixth annual Millstone Charity Gala, held Nov. 11 at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe.

Three local organizations, the Millstone Trailblazers, the Millstone Lacrosse Club and the John W. Petrella Scholarship Fund, benefited from this year's event, which was organized by members of the Millstone community.

The theme of the evening was "A Night at the Oscars," but it could easily have been called "A Night with the Rat Pack," as performers impersonating Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. all entertained the crowd. Millstone residents Ralph and Carolyn Avallone sponsored the special entertainment.

"The Millstone Charity Gala has always been about lending a helping hand to make our home, Millstone, just a little bit better, and last Saturday night I believe we did just that in our own small way," said Gary Mangino, who chaired the gala. "What a wonderful opportunity we all had to have met some new Millstone friends and have lots of fun along the way."

Mangino thanked the gala committee members for their hard work in putting the benefit together.

The 2006 gala committee consisted of Lynn Mele, Dawn Maltz, Enedia Tobias, Kim Kocur, Betsy Cotter, Debra Pfeffer, Lori Gilmore, Lynn Baldachino, Barbara Seidel, Carolyn Avallone, Jenifer Baldachino-McGillan, Teri Dunlop and Gina Baldachino.

Mangino said that the committee does not yet know how much money the gala raised.

"We do donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the beneficiaries," Mangino said. "The total is not an amount that we will know for a couple of weeks because the committee has to finish up counting the silent auction and ad journal proceeds."

Millstone Charity Gala supporters Ron and Olga Byer take a break from the dance floor and listen to the crooning of "Old Blue Eyes".

Rob Obusek, president of the Trailblazers, said the group was very honored to be chosen this year as recipients of the gala's proceeds.

"[Trails] are important to the quality of life in Millstone," he said. "[They encourage] preservation and appreciation of our natural resources."

Pat Butch, the chairwoman of the township's Open Space Committee and vice president of the Millstone Trailblazers, said the Trailblazers would use the funds raised at the gala for clearing and marking trails in the township.

The Trailblazers aim to create trails that link all the municipal, county and state parks in Millstone, including Wagner Farm Park, Perrineville Lake Park, Charleston Springs and the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, according to Butch. While the township's Open Space and Farmland Preservation Committee obtains easements, the Trailblazers mark and clear the trails, she said.

Although bridle-path advocates started the Trailblazers, Butch said some of the new trails in Millstone are not just for horses. Trail easements made available through state Green Acres funding are multiuse, although motorized vehicles are not permitted on them, according to Butch.

Matt Deiner, spokesman for the Millstone Lacrosse Club, said the money donated to his group will help children play in more tournaments and also enable the club to purchase new training equipment.

Now in its seventh year, the Millstone Lacrosse Club began with 12 players and currently has 170 boys and girls participating, according to Deiner. He said there are 20 coaches, both men and women, who help the teams, which include third/fourth grade, fifth/sixth grade and seventh/eighth grade.

"The growth is phenomenal," for local lacrosse, he said.

One-third of the funding raised will also be put into a scholarship fund to aid classified high school students who plan to go to college or vocational school after they graduate.

Shirley Petrella, mother of the late John W. Petrella Jr., established the scholarship fund in her son's name to assist classified students attending Allentown High School and the Kiva High School in Tinton Falls. Since the scholarship's inception three years ago, the fund has provided awards to a dozen students in amounts ranging from $1,000 to 1,250 each, she said.

Petrella also held a "Run for the Memory" race last year in honor of her son and to raise additional money for the scholarship. The second annual run will be held in June, she said.

Since its inception six years ago, the gala has raised more than $175,000 for local organizations. Its past honorees have included the Millstone Township Women's Organization, Millstone Eagles Pop Warner, the Millstone-Roosevelt Little League, the Millstone Township Hospital Auxiliary of CentraState, the Millstone After School Teens (MAST) program, the Millstone Township First Aid Squad and the youth groups of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Perrineville, Millstone's United Presbyterian Church and the Perrineville Jewish Center.

A silent auction at the gala helps raise money for the beneficiaries. Tickets for this year's auction cost $25 apiece, with two grand prizes - a 50-inch plasma television and an all-expenses-paid, seven-day cruise to Bermuda through Celebrity Cruises.

Kevin and Lori Gilmore donated the plasma TV, which Carolyn Avallone won. Anthony Calmanari was the winner of the cruise, which was co-sponsored by Hill House Farms and the Schoor Family Foundation.

The night's 50/50 raffle reached $4,500, of which $2,250 was won by the Boylan family.