Thursday marked the fourth annual charity luncheon and dinner sponsored by Tuscany Grill where customers were served by members of the local Middletown Fire Department to raise money for a good cause. Proceeds from the event went to MARC: Community Resources, Ltd., a non-profit organization that provides a wide range of services for children and adults with disabilities.
The firefighters filled in for most of the wait staff and customers were asked to donate money at the end of their meal.
“I think [this event] is great because it gives the community a chance to mingle with the department,” said Eric Anderson ’05. “It’s a great way to fundraise. People are happy when they can opt to throw out money for a good cause, and it makes things easier for the wait staff.”
The MARC organization is based in Portland, Middletown, and Cromwell. It was organized in 1955 by the parents and friends of children with disabilities to petition local public schools to allow their children to attend. When this effort met success the participants decided to form an organization dedicated to protecting and supporting the interests of people with disabilities.
“Now those kids are all grown up and we are offering services to over 200 children and adults,” said Jane Carroll, a MARC member. “The services we offer include vocational programs, residential, and recreational. In fact our recreation program is so big that Brinhouse and Kuhn, two other organizations that work with the disabled, send their people to use our recreation facilities.”
MARC has a Saturday program that provides support for kids to socialize with their peers, play games and participate in arts and crafts.
“We often have Wesleyan students volunteer for this program,” Carroll said. “And the firemen also come to visit on Saturdays.”
“My son just started the Saturday kids program 3 weeks ago and it has been wonderful,” said Terry Teriosi, a member of MARC. “He’s almost completely non-verbal and it can be taxing to have to be with him constantly. This program offers me a few hours break each weekend and a chance for him to work on his social skills. I inquired at Yale for children with special needs and they recommend the MARC program. He is the youngest child at the program, but he is having a good time.”
MARC first approached the fire department with their idea and then later sought out Tuscany Grill as a location.
The fire department was happy to help.
“It’s great to understand what these waitresses’ jobs are about, ’cause they aren’t easy,” said firefighter Ted Samolik.
The wait staff similarly enjoyed working with the firemen.
“Yeah it’s a lot of fun,” said server Olivia Grabka,. “They are actually helping out a lot, cleaning tables which I hate doing. They are very competent waiters.”
“We are just trying to do as much as we can,” Samolik said.
Last year the event raised approximately $1,200. As of this year, organizers have yet to tally up the total.
Leave a Reply