Putnam Nonprofit Gains From Gala

Putnam Family and Community Services Board member Michael McDonough of Carmel and his wife, Maryellen (left) chat with District Attorney Adam Levy and his confidential assistant Laurie Mainey of Carmel at the gala that was held at Ceola Manor in Jefferson Valley. ERIC GROSS Residents and businesses across Putnam County showed their heart by opening wallets and pocketbooks during difficult financial times that raised nearly $40,000 for Putnam Family and Community Services.

The private non-profit agency, which provides mental health and chemical dependency treatment and prevention services to people of all ages, recently held its annual benefit—“A Moment in Time.”

The gala event that featured not only dinner and dancing but also a mystery dinner theater centering on four of the agency’s most popular programs, which are projected to be under-funded at the end of the fiscal year on December 31.

Latino Outreach, Relatives as Parents Program, Family Support and Advocacy, and Senior Services are being used more and more these days, but due to fluctuations in private donations, the stigma surrounding mental health and substance abuse, time-consuming oversight requirements, and the current economic downturn, the programs are all in jeopardy.

Putnam Family and Community Services Executive Director Edythe Schwartz expressed gratitude for the “community’s generosity and the extraordinary support of our friends and neighbors. The funds raised are more important than ever before, given the real threat of budget cuts that all nonprofits expect in 2010.”

The organization gave special praise to the sponsors of the benefit, including South Putnam Animal Hospital; Clifton, Budd & DeMaria; Schott North America; Brookfield Technology Center; Hodgepodge Gardens; Putnam Federal Credit Union; TD North Bank; Benefit Practice; Carmel Winwater Works; Credit Suisse; George Apap Painting; Law Offices of Edmund Caplicki Jr.; Putnam Management Group; and Superior Communications.