Taste of the Highlands a success

| 16 May 2012 | 12:44

    On May 3, over 170 people attended the West Milford Education Foundation’s 9thannual Taste of the Highlands Dinner at the Lodge at Ocawasin. On behalf of the members, I would like to thank those responsible for their help in making the evening a smashing success.

    Many thanks to the following restaurants who graciously donated food for the event: Bagel Town Café, Bobby’s Bistro Ristorante, Breezy Point Inn, Casa Bianca, Country Roads Deli, Dairy Queen (West Milford), DeMarco’s Family Restaurant, Edible Indulgences Passport Café, El Rusty Anchor, Frank’s Pizza (Oak Ridge), Galaxy Diner, The Huntsman, Joey’s Casa Italiana, Joey’s Vito and Michaels, Lina’s Restaurant, The Lodge at Ocawasin, Macopin Pizza, Mario’s Bagels and Deli, Momento II, Outback Steakhouse, Piccolo’s Restaurant, The Pioneer Tavern, Portofino Family Restaurant, Positano Restaurant and Pizzeria, Prime 15 SteakHouse and Grill, Ruby Rose, SandS Deli, Sonny’s on the Lake, Texas BBQ Smoke, TJ’s Pizzeria Café (West Milford), Town Tavern, Tuscany Brewhouse, Valley View Pub, Vesuvio’s Pizza, and Walker’s Deli (Bloomingdale). Their generosity and continued support of this event is paramount to the success of our fundraiser- without them, this event could not take place. I encourage you to support these fine establishments every chance you get.

    Volunteers from the high school Interact Club, led by Marilyn Lichtenberg, manned the buffet table; offering patrons more than a “taste” of the delicious samples from some of the area’s best restaurants.

    A delectable array of desserts, ranging from decadent chocolate layer cake to cherry topped cheesecake, was prepared by the West Milford High School Culinary Arts students. They almost looked too good to eat,,,well, almost! Thank you to Rona Weissman for making this possible.

    The silent auction items were highly sought after and fetched additional funds for our grant program. The handcrafted woodworks, pottery, original artwork and photography pieces, created by the West Milford High School students in the Visual Arts Program and Industrial Education and Technology Department drove the bidding to the next level. We are grateful to John Boronow, supervisor of Art and Family Consumer Science, Stephen Beattie, Cynthia Gallaugher, Jennifer Monego, Steve Miller and Peter Shaver for their efforts in making this happen. Sincere thanks to the schools, parent organizations: PTA, PTO, PTSO, and all of the businesses who generously donated items to our tricky tray. Special thanks to Chris Chiovarofor her help in gathering donations, organizing baskets, and rounding up last minute helpers, namely Terri Lynn Catanzaro.

    It’s only with committed volunteers that we can organize and run an event such as this. Mark Fredericks, Carolyn Ott, Lisa Peck, Jack Koeppe, Karen Brady, Lenora McGuire, Peter Delaney, Karen Romer, Lori Eckhart, Heidi Cosmi-Godau, Inga Koeppe, Jody Sullivan, Scott Rothstein, fellow trustees of the West Milford Education Foundation (WMEF)all contributed their time and energy toward making the evening a success. Thanks to Ross and the crew at Ocawasin, Doug Ott and Matt Conlon for their helping hands throughout the night.

    Lastly, thank you to the patrons who purchased tickets, the organizations and businesses that purchased ads in the journal, and those who sent in donations. The positive feedback we’ve received from those who attended was awesome! Everyone seemed to have had a fabulous time and I think it’s safe to say, we may have even exceeded our fundraising goal. Special thanks to Lakeland Bank, our 2012 platinum sponsor, for their continued support.

    For those who have never heard of the West Milford Education Foundation, the WMEF is a non-profit organization that promotes excellence in public education by providing grants to fund creative, innovative and sustainable initiatives that benefit our students. The foundation partners with local and national organizations that support our mission of elevating the level of educational excellence throughout the West Milford public school system.Our loyal sponsors play a huge role in enabling us to maximize our proceeds each year. Donations to the West Milford Education Foundation are tax deductible. In 2011, the total amount of monies awarded was $13,446.81. With your continued support, the WMEF will be able to fund more grant requests in the coming year.

    Please consider the WMEF for your charitable giving. We accept donations and sponsorships throughout the year. Log onto www.wmefnj.org to learn more.

    Thank you to all once again, Marilyn Schultz

    Taste of the Highlands committee

    Marilyn Schultz is a member of the West Milford Board of Education. These are her views and not necessarily those of the other members of the West Milford Board of Education.