POINT PLEASANT BEACH — A Gift from the Heart, a Point Beach-based gift shop and nonprofit organization dedicated to providing employment experience to adults with special needs, is holding its first Gallery, Grill and Auction fundraiser on Oct. 19.
According to A Gift from the Heart’s website, the nonprofit’s mission is to promote “the inclusion and acceptance of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their local communities” while at the same time “establishing a workplace that provides job training, meaningful employment, creativity and socialization…in the community.”
Phyllis Thomson, president and co-founder of A Gift from the Heart, said that the first-time Gallery, Grill and fundraiser for the group is being held during the year of its first anniversary, which was this past June.
“We’re having an art show of all their works that they’ve made. We celebrated our one-year anniversary in June,” Thomson said, “and we wanted to have an art show with a barbecue and a small gift auction after the summer was over.”
This fundraiser will feature artworks made by the employees of A Gift from the Heart. In addition to the workers’ art gallery, food offerings will include a barbecue spread courtesy of Lenny’s Colonial Ranch Meat Market in Point Pleasant as well as a cash bar inside.
“Tickets are $50 a person; that includes your barbecue food,” she said. “Billy and Brendan Arms from Lenny’s Colonial Ranch Market in Point Boro are donating a lot of the food. There’s also going to be a cash bar inside at the VFW, to help support them.”
There will also be a gift auction at the gallery showing, with tickets going for $5 each. The nonprofit is also accepting gift donations for the auction.
Last week, The Ocean Star dropped by A Gift from the Heart to visit the special needs adults who work there. One of the adults who works at the store is Mitch Moran. While painting a birdhouse, Mitch explained some of the tasks he performs around the shop.
“One of my responsibilities is handling the cash register,” said Mitch, who was a student of Thomson’s when she was a teacher at Point Pleasant Borough High School. “I take care of customers. At Christmas, I hand out candy canes to the kids.”
Thomson explained the importance of fundraising for the nonprofit gift shop’s clients.
“We’re always looking for people to sponsor things or help us financially,” said Thomson. “We have to fundraise because our rent’s a bit pricey; we’ve actually outgrown the place. Our goal is to eventually get a bigger place.”
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