On Saturday, May 7th, over 375 parents, families and community supporters came out to celebrate Morgan Autism Center’s 9th annual Starry Starry Night Fundraising Gala at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Palo Alto. Over $212,000 was raised for enrichment activities including art and music programs, speech and language therapy, technology and programmatic support. These services are the cornerstone of the Center’s program and will directly benefit the students and clients we serve.
Guests were treated to dinner and delicious wines from local vineyards. Bernard Smith kept the mood lively with pop tunes on the piano as our guests enjoyed bidding on auction items, including beautiful artwork created by our talented students and clients. Guests took their chance at a raffle and a thrilling Heads or Tails game in which a lucky winner took home an Apple Watch. Highlights of the evening included testimony from Jessica Cuellar, a sister of one of our students, a retirement farewell to Judi Campbell, Morgan Autism Center’s beloved Director of Student Services, and three student and client profile videos. The evening concluded with a fund-a-need and an exciting live auction.
We presented this year’s Outstanding Leadership Award to Animal Assisted Happiness, a non-profit that enriches the lives of children with special needs through animal interaction. AAH brings their mobile barnyard to the Center once a month and students and clients are given the opportunity to hold, pet and relax in the company of furry friends.
We would like to thank this year’s generous sponsors and in-kind donors for their support. For a full list of these individuals and businesses, please visit www.morgancenter.org/donate.
Paintings and ceramic vases created by Morgan Autism Center students and clients. Photo by Joe and Tiffany Kiefer
Finally, we would like to extend our gratitude to our Starry Starry Night Event Chair, Franca Cozzitorto, and to our dedicated committee
members who worked tirelessly to ensure the event’s success. And, finally, a huge thank you to our wonderful staff and community volunteers – we are eternally grateful for your support and could not have done this without every ones support.
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