Grace Community Center
"Fundraising Even Raises $55,000
White Plains Resident Honored "

White Plains, NY – December 3, 2005 

Guests of the Grace Church Community Center (GCCC) enjoyed an incomparable evening of jazz performed by the Jon Faddis quartet at the agency’s December 3rd fundraising event at the Purchase Performing Arts Center.  The event raised over $55,000 to support the nine programs run by the agency which assists Westchester County’s neediest and most at-risk residents.

130 guests attended the jazz evening which began with a pre-concert reception, silent auction and raffle and ended with post-concert coffee and desserts.

The quartet played a variety of material, from Faddis' original compositions to jazz favorites and selections from their upcoming CD (The Jon Faddis Quartet (Koch Records, 2006)).  Faddis was joined by the Grammy-award winning bassist Todd Coolman, and Senegalese master percussionist Abdou M'Boup.

Paul Anderson-Winchell, Executive Director of GCCC, asked the gathered guests, “to remember and keep in their hearts the 60 homeless men and women who would be on the streets on this cold night if not for the Open Arms and Samaritan House Shelters, the 75 to 100 individuals who receive their only substantial daily meal in our Soup Kitchen or the hundreds of individuals who have avoided eviction through the financial assistance of our Housing Services.”

Lisa D’Angelo, a resident of White Plains, was honored for her many years of service as a volunteer and member of the GCCC Board of Directors.  D’Angelo has served as co-chair for numerous fundraising events, was responsible for initiating, and hosting, the first annual GCCC “Thank You Donors” event, and has been co-chair of the GCCC Development Fundraising Committee for four years.  D’Angelo and her husband, David Kaput, who is Senior Vice President, Global HR Practices & Governance for SAP AG, have four children Andrew 9 years, William 7 years, Jeremy 4 years and Annalise 2 years.

GCCC is a non-profit, non-sectarian social services agency in White Plains.  For the past 27 years, its mission has been to assist the neediest and most at-risk residents of Westchester County.  The agency operates nine critical programs including a soup kitchen, homeless shelters for men and women, day services for the homeless, a summer camp and after-school mentoring program for homeless children, housing services to prevent eviction and home health care for the elderly.  Last year, GCCC assisted 5,000 needy individuals.  Assistance included 130,000 free meals served at their Soup kitchen and men’s shelter.

GCCC served Christmas dinner with all the fixings at its Soup Kitchen on Christmas day and a hot meal to anyone who needs one on New Year’s day.  It is estimated that, on each day, 250 meals will be served in the Soup Kitchen and another 150 meals will be delivered to shut-ins.  GCCC also recently opened its Soup Kitchen to the needy on Thanksgiving Day.  The Soup Kitchen is located at 33 Church Street in White Plains in the parish hall of Grace Church.

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