Eden Autism raised $225,000 during its 29th annual Eden Dreams Gala at the Hyatt Regency Princeton on Saturday, Jan. 28. The money will be used to support Eden’s programs for programs for children, adults, families and professionals who are touched by autism.
The theme of this year’s gala, Eden Dreams: Beyond the Stars, aimed to bring guests together to chase dreams into a sky that has no limits and to celebrate Eden and the individuals it serves.
This event has kicked off the new year in the greater Princeton community for over two decades and is one of Eden’s most visible fundraisers. Over $6 million has been raised through Eden Dreams since its inception in 1989.
The Wawa Foundation donated $100,000 during the gala, and Lucy Noland, anchor at FOX29 and emcee of the event, also presented Eden with a missionâflown flag that was aboard the Orion spacecraft on its flight to Mars. The gift was made jointly by Lucy and associates at NASA.
“Eden is blessed to be in the hearts and minds of so many charitable individuals and organizations,” Chief Development Officer Melinda Gorny McAleer said. “Wawa has been with us since the beginning and we are ever grateful for the example it sets for donors and employers of individuals with autism. And now we welcome Lucy to the fold.”
In recognition of their outstanding contributions to Eden’s mission, Rush D. Holt and The Princeton Windrows Community were honored with the Friends of Eden Visionary and Guardian awards, respectively.
Rush D. Holt is a founding member of the Congressional Caucus on Autism. Holt worked to educate legislators about autism and the shortfall in funding autism research. In 2001, Congressman Holt facilitated collaboration between Eden and the U.S. Office of Education for the purpose of making the Eden Curriculum more widely available to public and private schools.
The Princeton Windrows Community has been a friend since 2007 when a small group of spirited residents joined the Rev. Dr. Richard S. Armstrong in Eden’s 5K and Fun Run/Walk. A public relations, fundraising and communityâbuilding expert extraordinaire, Rev. Armstrong dubbed the group the “Windrows Wonders” and by 2012 the team had grown to over 140 members. In the years since, the Windrows community has collectively contributed some $100,000 for Eden’s programs and operations.
