Applefest Gala raises $15K for NEF grants

The event Cocktails and Dancing under the Stars highlight was the 7-piece Western MA band Fever, which kept the dance floor packed all night. The popular mystery baskets returned this year, along with a silent auction and a raffle for a diamond necklace donated by J Briggs & Company, a local custom jeweler designer.

The Gala was hosted by Northborough Education Foundation (NEF) and Northborough Local First (NLF). Its focus was community building, promoting local business and raising funds for Northborough public schools.

NEF President and member of NLF Marile Borden said the idea of an Applefest Gala was born over coffee as the two organizations met to discuss how they could work together.

“Thanks to an amazing committee of dedicated and hard-working women from both organizations,” said Borden, “it has turned into more than we could have ever hoped or imagined it would be in just two years.”

Tickets for the Gala sold out in just one week this year.

“It’s a testament how positively the community received the event,” said Borden. “We now have an additional $15,000 to fulfill grant requests from the remarkable teachers and administrators in our town.”

NEF funds grants each year to improve curriculum, programs and services above and beyond the level supported by the annual school budget. It was able to award $38,400 in grants in 2016. It also kicked off a 15 month Chromebook Campaign in the spring with a goal of $50,000. To date, that campaign has raised $13,500. Information on NEF, grant recipients, and the Chromebook Campaign can be viewed at www.northboroughed.org.

NLF is a collaborative effort by local, independent small business owners, community members, nonprofit organizations and all stakeholders of the Northborough community to help build & maintain a vibrant local economy. Information on NLF can be viewed at www.northborolocalfirst.org.