Eden supporters ‘dream’ of Paris
By: Christian Kirkpatrick
A cheerful "bon soir" greeted guests as they entered the Hyatt Regency Princeton Saturday night. Dapper gentlemen in top hats and ladies in feather boas strolled through the hotel’s atrium, near a miniature Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower. Cancan dancers chatted with bohemian artists while an accordionist played and the soulful voice of Edith Piaf drifted through the air.
This was fin de siècle Paris this was "Dreams of La Belle Époque," the 19th annual Eden Dreams Gala.
Every such gala is built around a contest, or Dream Search. To win, guests must question actors who both set the scene for the evening and hold clues to a riddle they must answer. The prize is two first-class tickets to any destination that Continental Airlines serves.
This year’s Dream Search involved the adventures of an American artist recently arrived in Paris. Its setting was created by designer Jennifer Angelo, who herself studied art in "the City of Lights."
Her inspired vision transformed the Hyatt’s ballroom into a scene from the Moulin Rouge, and the area just outside it into a Parisian sidewalk, complete with a bistro and a pushcart full of flowers.
Eden Dreams take guests to places one can visit only through the imagination or a Dream Search, says event co-chair Richard Chibbaro of Mount Laurel. His co-chair, Stacey Mattia of West Windsor, says that Saturday’s event was particularly fun to plan because of its wonderfully rich associations impressionist and post-impressionist art, the Folies Bergère and Paris itself.
The Eden Family of Services provides educational, vocational and residential support to people with autism. Its staff members diagnose children with this condition, teach their parents how to cope with it, educate autistic youngsters, provide respite care for their families and offer employment and residential services to autistic adults.
This year, according to President and CEO Thomas McCool, Eden is searching for a spot in the Princeton area to build a new school, a model autism facility. "We know what it will look like," he says, "but not where it will be."
Underwritten by a grant from the Autism Society of America, Eden has also begun to offer online autism training for teachers, families and direct care staff. At www.edenlearning.com, teachers who need protocols for working with autistic students can learn at their own pace and without the expense of hotels and transportation. A similar course for direct-care workers will be rolled out in February, and one for families will be completed in May.
Eden parents Doreen and Bob Petrocchi spoke Saturday about what the organization has meant to them and their son.
"It has showed us how to help Bobby reach his full potential," says the Whitehouse Station residents. Eden has become so central to their lives, they explained, that it has become an extension of the family.
Eden seems like family to many who are connected with it. Gary Montgomery, assistant director of the agency’s Family Support Division, met his wife, Jill, at Eden, where she was a speech pathologist. His twin sister, Kim James, teaches in the infant and toddler program.
Dedicated professionals like these are the backbone of the organization. Because of people like them, Stephanie Frede’s son Lucas is doing the things typical children his age do. "He’s counting, spelling, recognizing sight words, doing a phonics program," the Lawrence resident reports, "all through taking baby steps."
"I guess you could say I’m a dreamer," says Tricia Rich, a Montgomery resident whose 14-year-old son, Alex, is with Eden. "Alex has grown so much since being at Eden Services. We trust them."
Alex’s sister, Sara, volunteered at Eden last summer, and this was her first Eden Dreams gala. "It’s so exciting;" she says. "This is such a great cause."
About 420 guests attended the gala. They danced, enjoyed a dinner worth traveling to France for, and shopped at a truly fantastic silent auction that offered fine wines, gorgeous jewelry and dream vacations, including a trip to the Emmy Awards ceremony, golfing at Pebble Beach and tickets to the Super Bowl.
Herb and Shari Lurie were primary sponsors of "Dreams of La Belle Époque." Other underwriters included Access Communications, Jennifer Angelo Design, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Beverly Sills Greenough and Janssen, L.P.