Herricks took to the dance floor to raise thousands of dollars for teacher grants earlier this week.
The Herricks Community Fund continued its tradition of holding an annual dinner dance on April 2 for the 27th year to raise funds for teacher grants. The district’s teachers apply for these grants to carry out classroom projects, research, or other school-centered activities.
“It was our biggest and best ever,” said Gary Davis, the co-vice president of the Herricks Community Fund, of last Wednesday’s dance, adding that over 250 people were in attendance this year.
The dance, which was held at the Inn at New Hyde Park, raises money by selling $70 tickets, which include unlimited beer, wine, and soda, a cocktail hour, appetizers, a main course meal, and desserts, as well as through 31 raffles during the night, Davis said.
All raffles feature items donated by the local community, restaurants, and businesses, with a 55-inch television, hotel stays, and gift cards among the prizes.
All of the dance’s profits go directly to funding teacher mini-grants, which the district’s teachers apply for each year to fund projects they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to complete, Davis said, which include projects like cleaning pond water and opening a free little library stand outside schools.
Davis said parents, teachers, staff, administrators, district Superintendent Tony Sinanis, non-profits, Parent-Teacher Associations, and local politicians, including North Hempstead Town Council Member Christine Liu, Town Supervisor Jen DeSena, and Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar, were in attendance.
Apart from the important fundraising the dance does, Davis said it also gives the community a chance to talk to people they typically wouldn’t, network, and get to know their colleagues outside of work.
“It gives people a chance to loosen their ties,” Davis said, adding that the Herricks community looks forward to the event every year.
In a letter to the community regarding the dance, Davis thanked attendees for their generosity in attending and supporting the dance and mini-grant program.
“These grants are used to further the education of our children with extraordinarily creative ideas from our teachers,” Davis wrote. “[It] helps the Herricks Community Fund reach its goals of benefiting worthwhile community and educational programs in the Herricks School District.”
