Friends organize night for special-needs kids

BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer

EDISON — J.P. Stevens High School juniors Liesel Pajarillo and Nicole Montalbano hope to raise awareness for children with special needs while providing them with a wonderful evening.

The students have organized an event called Cupid’s Ball, which will be held from 6-8:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Minnie B. Veal Community Center, 1070 Grove Ave., Edison.

Pajarillo and Montalbano said they started organizing the event in November.

“Liesel called me one day about creating the event,” Montalbano said. The idea snowballed from there.”

“We want to give the kids [with special needs] as many opportunities as possible to have a good time,” said Pajarillo, whose 12- year-old brother, Audrin, is autistic and has been participating in Edison’s Buddy Ball program for the past couple years. “This is the whole point of this event … This is a place where the kids can be themselves.”

Cupid’s Ball is the first event that the two high school students are holding.

“We have been working with many generous people to make this event successful,” Pajarillo said.

The ball will include “great food” provided by local restaurants, who Pajarillo and Montalbano said were kind enough to sponsor the event. Of course, there will be music and dancing, as well as games such as musical chairs, the limbo, a piñata, etc.

“We will be giving out a lot of great prizes,” said Pajarillo.

The two students said they hope to hold many similar events in the future.

Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by Feb. 13 by sending an email to Pajarillo and Montalbano at awarenessnight2010@ gmail.com. In the email, provide a parent’s name, a daytime phone number, the number of children and adults attending, and the child’s age.

Any questions or concerns may also be emailed to Pajarillo and Montalbano, and they should also be told if any child has specific needs that should be addressed. The organizers said they want to accommodate all those attending as best they can.