Association for Children with Down Syndrome holds annual dinner dance

More than 300 friends and supporters attended the annual dinner dance benefitting the Association for Children with Down Syndrome (ACDS) on Oct. 30 at the Garden City Hotel. The evening honored three generations of the Powderly family and their Special Care Foundation which is the largest fundraiser in ACDS history.

ACDS executive director Michael Smith greeted more than 20 Powderly friends and family and noted that their relationship with ACDS traces back to 1991 when Matthew Shea Powderly was born to Michael and Maryann Powderly. When many of the Powderlys moved to Maryland they did not forget ACDS. Recognizing how fortunate their family was and feeling the need to give back, Matthew’s uncle and aunt formed the Special Care Foundation, which has hosted an annual golf outing and family weekend in Ocean City, Md. since 1993. Over that time they have raised more than $300,000 for ACDS; at the dinner dance, Matthew Powderly presented a check for $10,000.

As the guests arrived, they were greeted by the sound of Hank Lane Music’s Steve DeLisi Band. The room was beautifully decorated in a fall theme and the guests danced until midnight. Prior to the live auction, the president of the board of directors, Tim Michel, expressed his gratitude for the many generous friends of ACDS who supported the evening; and for the many volunteers who worked so hard to make the event a success. The brightest stars of the evening were more than 50 residents or clients of ACDS’s seven supervised residences and its new Day Habilitation program, all of whom attended courtesy of generous table sponsors.