Elvis was in the Building
The sound of Elvis filled the room and normally sedate ladies and gentlemen danced, jumped, hopped and hugged as the Vincent T. Lombardi Columbiettes 6552 staged a dinner and Elvis Entertainment evening Saturday in the Charles J. Hesse Hall at St. Agnes Church.
Committee members Louise Welch, Columbiettes President, Mary Vernarelli, Ann Dimaira, Jan Flanagan. Christine Dudek, Jenny Dimaira, and Gilda Healy accepted the praise and plaudits of the estimated 100 guests at the event which also included a buffet dinner catered by Taliercio’s of Middletown.
Elvis impersonator Scotty Alan, dressed in an Elvis traditional white suit and open-necked shirt, and wearing traditional Elvis sunglasses, danced and sang with groups of attendees, visiting tables and twirling delighted fans while capturing the tones, sounds and motions of the popular singer of the 1950s.
Knights of the Rev. Joseph J. Donnelly Council at Our Lady of Perpetual Help-St Agnes parish assisted the Columbiettes in making the event a success.
The women of the Columbiettes, who have the mission to assist the Knights of Columbus in their serviced work, meet on the first Wednesday of each month at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Highlands and invite women 18 years of age or older who are practicing Catholics to become members.
The chapter serves this parish as well as St Mary’s in New Monmouth as a support group for both the Vincent T Lombardi and the Rev Joseph J Donnelly Knight councils. They have been serving the community since 2010.
Like all their events the Elvis night was a fundraiser, this for the unit’s Scholarship Fund which supports young women in attending both Catholic high schools and Catholic colleges. The group also sponsors children who attend CCD classes in both parishes.
Nor does their generosity and energy stop there. In addition to the Scholarship Fund, the Columbiettes raise money to support Seminarians and Postulants, as well as Send a Hero home for the holidays. Their Charity fund also assisted the family of a young girl diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and aided the child with a speech device to enhancer communication ability.
The Columbiettes have also collected school supplies and backpacks for needy children and participate in distributing toiletries for homeless shelters in all five Catholic dioceses in New Jersey, as well as tab tops for the Ronald McDonald House.
An evening at the First Avenue Playhouse to see “Laughing on the 23rd Floor” is planned for Aug. 25. Information and ticket reservations for that event will be announced shortly. Proceeds from this event at the popular First Avenue venue will benefit the unit’s Charity Fund.
Also already under preparation is a Tricky Tray event in January at the Rev. Joseph Donnelly annual Italian Night with proceeds of that happening aiding the Scholarship Fund.
Anyone wishing to make donations to the Columbiettes, become members or need further information can contact Louise Welch at 732-397-5601.
