On Thursday, October 27th, Mark and Ann Baiada were honored with the Community Foundation of South Jersey Legacy of Giving award. More than 150 people celebrated the selfless generosity of the Baiadas at the Moorestown Community House.
The evening ended with a $100,000 donation to LUCY Outreach, a Camden non-profit that boasts 100-percent high school graduation rate and 97-percent college admissions. This is a major accomplishment in a city where the dropout rate is 48 percent.
“What you give is who you are,” Ann Baiada said as she accepted the award with her husband who laid out an easy way for others to follow in their footsteps. Mark suggested starting a fund so that each year families can sit down and discuss together what organization or cause they’ll support. The Baiadas accepted the honor as a way to inspire others in our area to give more, do more and be more.
The Legacy of Giving dinner raised over $70,000 for the Community Foundation’s Impact Partners Fund. In addition to the Baiada’s donation, CFSJ donated $2,500 — a portion of the proceeds — to LUCY Outreach. And, as part of the event each year, a drawing to award a $1,000 unrestricted grant to an organization chosen by one of the guest was held. The winner was Kelli Marans and the organization she chose was Calcutta House, which provides housing and other highly supportive services for people living with AIDS in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley region.