Acr Mercer welcomes Mansions in May supporters to its new home
By: Christian Kirkpatrick
The Arc Mercer, through its annual Mansions in May gala, has entertained its supporters in some of the most gracious homes in Mercer County over the years. Monday, the agency welcomed supporters into its own home, its new headquarters on Ewingville Road in Ewing.
And like any good hostess, it did a few things to spruce up the place before company came.
Swathed in flowers and twinkling lights, brimming with food, and overflowing with furnishings and other goodies for auction, the Arc Mercer’s headquarters looked more like a garden of domestic delights than a former warehouse that was recently remodeled.
The theme of the largest of its nine silent auctions was “Come furnish your mansion at our mansion.” Whimsical clocks, a wrought-iron bed, hand-painted china, a couch, teak garden furniture and countless side tables, prints and throws were all up for bid.
Other auctions featured golf for three at Jasna Polana, a $1,000 gift certificate from S.M. Colavita Jewelers, furs and a bottle of ’92 Dom Perignon. Director of Development Lori Donovan credited Jeffrey Schulman, who owns the home furnishing store Platypus in MarketFair, for coming up with the theme of the evening. He stepped in after one of the event’s co-chairman, Edward J. Folmer, a long-time supporter of The Arc Mercer, died in March.
“Jeff did a phenomenal job,” said Ms. Donovan. He called his suppliers “and pallets of things came in.”
Some 250 people attended the event. All proceeds from the sale of tickets were allocated to A Touch of Taste Restaurant.The Arc Mercer, which provides services and opportunities for retarded children and adults, started A Touch of Taste three years ago as a gift basket business.
“It quickly grew into a catering business, as well,” explained Joseph Gousie, the agency’s executive director. Soon it was catering weddings, legislative breakfasts and business luncheons. It provided the food and staff Monday night.
Working in businesses like this helps the agency’s clients — or consumers, as they are called — feel “productive…creative, and it gives them (working) experience,” said Ms. Donovan.
Other self-sustaining businesses that The Arc Mercer operates include the café at the YWCA Princeton; a workshop where the agency subcontracts packaging and salvage work; and the janitorial and maintenance services that the agency provides in governmental offices throughout the county.
Money that the agency earns in these endeavors reduces the dependence on tax dollars, said Mr. Gousie.This money helps to fund the agency’s services: early intervention programs for retarded infants, recreation and respite care for children and adults, vocational training, group homes and apartments, and services for retarded senior citizens.
For more information about The Arc Mercer, call (609) 406-0181.