Irish spirit ran high at ACDS St. Patrick’s gala in Rockville Centre

Nearly 600 people packed the St. Agnes Parish Center on March 3 for the annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration to benefit the Association for Children with Down Syndrome (ACDS).

The event featured music by Martin Flynn, an Irish auction, raffle and attendees had “an Irish chance” to win a four-night trip to Ireland courtesy of Sceptre Tours. Tickets were $50 per person, and included an open bar and buffet, which was provided by Kasey's Kitchen and Cocktails. 

The guests of honor were Alida Perez, ACDS’s Human Resources specialist and Parent Teacher Organization Co-Presidents Cheryl Bridges and Rich Mantone. To highlight the tremendous hard work and dedication of these honorees, Assemblyman Brian Curran of Lynbrook presented all three with citations.

"Alida, as our human resources specialist, impacts all our staff through her devotion, competence and dedication to all employees,” said Vinnie Santo, ACDS’s director of Development and Corporate Relations. “She does so much behind the scenes to the benefit of our agency, and no task is ever too great for her to tackle."

As for the dynamic duo of Bridges and Mantone, Santo said, "They are fixtures here at ACDS and their fundraising efforts have benefited the instruction of our children through such purchases as the Wii (used during physical therapy sessions) and several iPads. The time, effort and love that Alida, Cheryl and Rich expend cannot be measured. We are privileged to recognize them at this event."

Located in Plainview, ACDS is dedicated to providing lifetime resources of exceptional quality, innovation and inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome, autism and other developmental disabilities, and their families. ACDS has been providing programs and services in and around Long Island for 45 years. It currently assists more than 750 children and adults, providing services that include early Intervention and preschool special education programs, respite and recreation programs for children, teens and adults, adult Medicaid service coordination and seven supervised group homes in Nassau County.