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CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. The Croton-Harmon Education Foundations Dine Around will help raise thousands for the organization, which is dedicated to providing innovative projects in coordination with the Croton-Harmon School District. In the past year the organization has sponsored everything from textbooks for a new AP course, to a canoe-building workshop at Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School. This year's event is Saturday, Jan. 28.
Dine Around has been a fundraiser for Croton about as long as CHEF has been in existence. It is something that people look forward to every year. What we were aiming for this year for the two-tiered funding was that it would engage more people, said co-president of the foundation, Jessica Godwin.
So far, the foundation has enlisted the help of 19 host homes. Guests will shuttle from the appetizer house, where the all the participants will gather, to their separate main course homes, and finally to a dessert and dancing house where everyone will gather again.
The fundraiser serves as a venue for community members who have never met to become acquainted, and helps fund the projects funded by CHEF, and endeavored by the school district.
Gillian Jackson-Champlain started as a guest at Dine Around, and over the years grew into the position of planning the event. In 2011, she hosted guests at her home for dinner.
It was really fun, it was fun to, I practiced twice, to get the timing, which made my friends very happy of course. It was fun to open up your home, if you like entertaining and talking to new people, it was fun putting the menu together, You do put a lot of thought into it. You think about what you cook best, you think about what people would enjoy to eat, said Jackson-Champlain.
This years two-tiered approach has sold 138 tickets, raising over $13,000. Only few tickets are still available. The two tiers allow participants to purchase a two course dinner, at $75 per person, or an elegant three-course meal for $110 per person.
We didnt know anything about it, but we learned about it, and we thought it was for a good cause, and we are donating 30 growlers of beer, said Bill Bird, of the Green Growler grocery in Croton. The recently opened shop sells beer by the growler, a refillable 64-ounce glass container.
We felt that there could possibly be a lot of people who are going to the Dine Around who arent familiar with the Green growler yet, and for them to have some wonderful beer, Bird added.
Several area business donated to the Dine Around, including the Deprez Wines and Spirits, Lighthouse Ice Cream Kompany (LICK) of Tarrytown, Baked By Susan, Van Wyck Liquors, TK Casquerellis, LaMonicas deli, Zeytinia, Grouchy Gabes and ShopRite.
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