Town-wide Dinner-Dance Fundraiser to Raise Funds for Mother Brook Arts & Community Center on May 2nd

Supporters of the Mother Brook Arts & Community Center (MBACC) are once again holding town wide in-home dinners for the Heat It Up Fundraiser on May 2nd. Organizers are working to raise the final $75,000 gap in matching monies to avoid losing a $210,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The grant, which was awarded last year, will assist in replacing the failed heating system in the nearly century-old former school building with a multi-zone, energy efficient HVAC system.

The fundraising concept is to have residents from each of Dedham’s seven neighborhoods host dinners in their homes followed by dessert and dancing at the Mother Brook Arts and Community Center. Heat It Up! Event Chair Louisa Miller explains, “We are looking to identify as many potential host families as possible, as well as volunteers to help oversee the coordination of dinners with transportation. We hope that every neighborhood will be well represented in supporting this wonderful new addition to Dedham.”

Over two dozen dinner parties have already been scheduled, and others are encouraged to consider hosting an event at their homes. To inquire about sponsoring the event, or hosting a community dinner, please contact Louisa Miller, Event Chair LMiller@Hammondre.com or call 617-645-5450.

The after-dinner party, to which the general community is invited, will get started for early-bird arrivals at 8pm and continue until midnight at MBACC on 123 High Street, and will feature Jamie Saltman and the Bo Winiker Band. There will also be a beer & wine cash bar at the party. Free transportation will be provided to shuttle guests to and from MBACC.

There are three admission levels:

• $100.00 per person includes dinner, dessert, dancing, & 1 year MBACC membership
• $50.00 per person includes dinner, dessert & dancing
• $40.00 per person includes dessert & dancing

Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.motherbrookarts.org/Heat-ticket.

Hosts and hostesses are asked to serve dinner of their own choice and style for a minimum of eight people, including themselves,. A suggested time frame for drinks and dinner is 6pm to 8:30pm with free bus transportation provided to pick up guests at each home between 8:30-9:00pm. Dessert and coffee is being generously donated and served by Whole Foods Market Dedham, which has been an early and regular supporter of the Mother Brook Arts & Community Center.

“The boiler crisis came as a bit of shock,” notes MBACC Executive Director Jean Ford Webb , adding, “We knew we took over a fixer upper, but didn’t realize it would give out in the first year. But having this kind of the response from the community is its own kind of fuel – and will help us all power through one of the first major obstacles we’ve been given on our quest to build a first-class facility for everyone in Dedham.”

For more information about the Heat It Up! Fundraiser, check out these online resources: https://motherbrookarts.org/heat-it-up- and Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/heat15.