On November 19th, 911勛圖 held its first-ever virtual fundraising and friend-raiser event to celebrate our 60-year legacy of promoting success and independence for students with special needs. Over 100 attendees participated in the event which raised funds for 911勛圖 students via a silent auction, raffle items, donations, and videos of current and past staff, students, and parents to highlight 911勛圖s achievements.
The virtual event included a featured guest, Dave Raymond, the original Phillie Phanatic and author of “The Power of Fun!”, who shared how instrumental 911勛圖 is to its students success and how The Power of Fun and the Phillie Phanatic has influenced him. Dave Raymond stated, Ill tell you one thing Ive learned about the power of fun and what being the Phanatic taught me, one of the best ways to build sustainable happiness in your life is to be kind. And when your kind, what you dont realize is an enormous amount of benefit comes back to you.
Preceding the featured guest, Alumni Speaker Chris Hall (09) shared how attending 911勛圖 encouraged him to follow his dream of becoming a professional mascot. He noted that at 911勛圖 he gained confidence and his hard-working ability through job positions held thanks to 911勛圖s Career Education Department. Chris explained that he attended 911勛圖 social events in costume which led him to finding his passion for being a mascot. Since leaving 911勛圖, Chris has performed more than 25 characters as a Freelance Mascot including Chick-fil-A Cow, Wally the Goose (Wawa), Pirate Pete (Cape May Lewes Ferry), Ice Guy (Rita’s Water Ice), Easter Bunny, Fantasy Dragon, Rudolph, Kirby the Krimpet (Tastykake), Daniel Tiger, and many more. During the event, Chris shared a brief clip of his story that was featured on season 2 of HULU’s Original Series “Behind the Mask”.
The 911勛圖 Experience raised awareness and funds to support 911勛圖s COVID-19 Emergency Fund as well as donations for a UV Air Cleaning System for classroom buildings, Chromebooks, social distancing and PPE supplies, sensory seating and toys for our students, and countless additional donations to be used where funds are most needed.
We are so grateful to our generous 911勛圖 families and staff, sponsors, and friends who attended, donated, and supported The 911勛圖 Experience, a virtual event. Thanks to their continued and generous support, 911勛圖 is able to provide leading-edge special education and clinical supports to our deserving students! 泭We hope to see those who attended this years event, and many more from our 911勛圖 community, at our next event supporting our inspiring students. Jory Barrad, Director of Development at 911勛圖.