By Rama K. Ramaswamy
When the Wellesley Education Foundation (WEF) decides to have fun, they "rock the firehouse" and fundraise in the process to sustain the non-profit's mission to foster innovation and excellence in the Wellesley Public Schools.
Shani DeFina and Maria Chase co-chaired Rockin’ the Firehouse, an evening of music to benefit the WEF, which took place on Friday, April 27. DeFina is current board member and Chase is also the current co-vice president for WEF. Planning committee members included board member Liz Larsen, Sprague 4th grade teacher Mo Henzel, current board members Carol Almeda-Morrow and Beanie Spangler, and former board member Sandy Joseph, who is a regular participant in the Annual Spelling Bee.
“I wanted to respond to requests for new ideas that would benefit the organization and proposed the concert as a fun way to promote and raise funds for WEF. [The WEF] had never organized a fundraising event wherein the only objective was to just cut loose and have some fun. We chose to feature two local bands, Umami and The Meanees, and selected TCAN as the venue, given that it's a fabulous live music space in close proximity to Wellesley,” said Liz Larsen, who is also the co-leader of Umami. “The response was so overwhelmingly positive that we ended up deciding to remove most of the seating at the venue so that we could expand capacity - and we still sold out several days before the event, selling over 300 tickets! The night itself was a rockin' success! The crowd had everyone from high school students to 85-year-old senior citizens cutting up the dance floor. Everyone seemed to have a great time. We also held a raffle that included Red Sox and Bruins tickets that were donated by WEF Board members. Maria Chase and Shani deFina took the lead on organizing the raffle and other event management aspects. I was thrilled by how successful the event was, and I know that WEF looks forward to making this an annual fundraiser."
She further added: “I will also say that the staff at TCAN was wonderful to work with."
“Having the Rock concert take place at The Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN), a fantastic venue close to Wellesley, was very easy,” said WEF Co-VP Chase. “Many WEF board members attended along with their neighborhood friends. It was a sold out event - we sold over 300 tickets. It was a great fundraiser for WEF because everyone had a great time!"
"I think my favorite part was seeing, from all corners of the venue, guests dancing, laughing, socializing together,” said Almeda-Morrow. “It was great to see our WEF supporters come out and simply enjoy each other’s company while listening to some rockin’ music. Everyone was in a good mood. Lot’s of laughter and smiles."
