Community helps Grace Church preschool celebrate fifth birthday

MILLBROOK — More than 100 people celebrated the fifth birthday of Millbrook Community Preschool at Grace Church on Saturday night, April 9. As a special birthday present, the guests and business sponsors helped raise more than $10,000 to support the preschool’s scholarship fund. Currently one-third of the 36 families who have children at the school receive some sort of financial aid.With festive music provided by jazz pianist Elaine Miller and Club Life DJs Alex and Scott Freeman, the guests mingled and mixed as they bid on 62 silent auction items that included private cooking lessons for four with a Culinary Institute of America chef, paragliding on the Hudson River and turkey hunting with village attorney Allan Rappleyea. “We’re all here because of the kids,” said event co-chair and preschool parent Jason Page. “So dig deep and bid up those items.”Guests also had the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for two special items: a quilt featuring panels designed by this year’s students and assembled by preschool mom Kathleen DeSocio, and a picnic table built by preschool dad Charlie Clark featuring the handprints and pictures of the preschoolers. Millbrook Community Preschool parent Brian Hay won the quilt and Millbrook Community Preschool parent Mary Page won the picnic table.Millbrook Community Preschool Director Diane Jackson Schnoor said she was thrilled with the turnout and the money raised for the scholarship fund. “We have a terrific team of parents working on this event,” she said. “With this economy, so many families need a helping hand. We are so grateful to the many businesses and individuals who are helping us make it possible to provide an enriching preschool experience to every child, no matter what their financial circumstances are.”At the end of the evening, past and current preschool students joined the crowd to sing “Happy Birthday” and to pass around the birthday cake.Preschool alumni parent Mindy Marr, who won paint from Reardon Briggs in the auction, said this is one event she keeps on her calendar every year. “This auction is just such a warm, intimate event, and everybody here has the same mission — to provide scholarships to children who need them,” she said. “I am so proud and honored to have been able to be part of this auction.”