Somerset Home Honors Community Leaders at 2nd Annual Spark! Gala

Somerset Home for Temporarily Displaced Children (somersethome.org) hosted its 2nd Annual Spark! Gala: A Hopeful Future for Youth at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park. The event raised more than $60,000 to assist abused, neglected, homeless, and runaway youth throughout New Jersey. Since 1970 the nonprofit organization has helped over 8,000 youth by providing; temporary housing, street outreach and prevention services to combat the spread of the opioid epidemic and human trafficking (streetsmartoutreach.org), comprehensive case management, counseling, financial literacy instruction, independent skills training and many other services.

The evening included a cocktail hour, silent auction, dinner, and an awards ceremony. The 2016 Spark! honorees included: Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP (Corporate Partner); Investors Bank/Investors Foundation (Community Partner); Robert (Bob) Caruso (Community Leader); and Samieh Franklin (Dedicated Volunteer). Lisa A. Warren, a former Board member received a special honor for her 30+ years of service to Somerset Home, and Julissa G. was honored as the 2016 recipient of the Lisa A. Warren Scholarship.

Alycia M. Guichard, Esq. served as the keynote speaker and two of the agency’s youth shared their experiences of how Somerset Home has helped give them a brighter future. Investors Bank/Investors Foundation was the Platinum Sponsor; Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP was the Gold Sponsor; and AT&T and Josie and Robert Caruso were the Silver Sponsors for the Gala.

“Congratulations to the 2016 Spark! honorees and thank you to everyone involved who helped make this year’s Spark! Gala a success,” said Joel Brown, Spark! Gala co-chair. “We are grateful to the Gala attendees and Somerset Home supporters for helping to provide a hopeful future for youth,” said Stephanie Durant, Spark! Gala co-chair.

During the event, David Walker, executive director of Somerset Home announced Somerset Home’s expansion and name change. The new name will be Visions and Pathways. “This year’s Spark! Gala signifies a major change for our organization,” said Walker. “We are increasing our emphasis on community outreach, prevention, and working to keep families together. Plus, we are strengthening our services for youth who age-out of foster care – a very vulnerable group of kids. We opened an office in Morris County two years ago and moved to a larger space earlier this year. Although we are expanding and currently serve families in seven counties throughout central and northern New Jersey, our headquarters will remain in Bridgewater and we will always have a strong presence in Somerset County.”

For more information about Somerset Home, visit somersethome.org or contact David Walker, Esq., MSW at 908-526-6606 ext. 304 or dwalker@somersethome.org.

About Somerset Home

Somerset Home, incorporated in 1970, is dedicated to meeting the needs of abused and neglected youth. The agency provides 11 programs: Brahma House residential crisis intervention program; Passages, My Place and Whitney House residential transitional-living programs; Pathways independent-living skills education program; Street Smart street outreach program; Transitional Learning Center for in-house education instruction; Bridge House and Village House, which provide supportive-housing for young adults who are aging-out of the child welfare system, an Arts and Recreation Program, and an Aftercare Program to continue providing services and support for youth who have been discharged from a Somerset Home program.

The agency’s residential programs are located in Bridgewater, New Jersey. There is a satellite Street Smart street outreach office in Morristown, NJ. Visit online at somersethome.org.

PHOTO TAG: Pictured left to right: Antie Celli, Investors Bank; Samieh Franklin, honoree; Bob Caruso, honoree; Lisa A. Warren, honoree; Stephanie Durant, Gala co-chair; Marsha Montgomery, Somerset Home Board Chair; Joel Brown, Gala co-chair; Alycia M. Guichard, Esq., keynote speaker; and David Walker, Somerset Home Executive Director.