Hillsborough's Hope, the local fundraising team for the international charity Autism Speaks, held its Fourth Annual Basket and Silent Auction at the
Bridgewater Marriott on Friday October 30
th. It was quite a rewarding evening.
The Marriott proved to be a wonderful venue for this special event, and quite a change from the North Branch Firehouse - unavailable this year due to the remodeling of their banquet room. At the hotel, there was even enough space to give the more than 250 prizes a room of their own!
There were a number of unique silent auction items this year, including a personal dining experience with Executive Chef Christopher Lee at his New York restaurant.
As was the case last year,
deciding where to "drop your tickets" is one of the toughest, yet most enjoyable, parts of the evening.
Of course nothing beats hearing your number called in the ballroom!
It would be difficult for me to thank everyone who made the evening the most
successful ever for
Hillsborough's Hope. There were so many who contributed - from our friends who solicited donations, to the dozens of local merchants who generously contributed prizes, to the many volunteers who helped set up and run the event.
A special thank you must go to my beautiful wife Patty, co-chair of Central New Jersey Walk Now For Autism and a tireless supporter of Autism Speaks, who probably put in more hours making it all come together than all of the many volunteers combined. Her only goal is to raise all the money it will take to find a cure for autism. Her only reward is the feeling she gets from doing her best. And she always does her best.
