2022 LOL Charity Auction and Comedy Night Raises More Than $480,000 to Support Our Community through Y Programs!
Updated 9/26/2022
SUMMIT, NJ – On Saturday, September 17, 2022 the Summit Area YMCA hosted its annual Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Charity Auction & Comedy Night, a fundraising event to help fund the Y’s financial assistance program and its many important community programs.
This year’s benefit featured Patrick Tully, Auctioneer and Comedian in addition to comedians Kerri Louise and Tom Cotter, an America’s Got Talent finalist. The night started off with a wonderful music performance by Roses In Stereo, a Summit-based band, while guests arrived at the elegant and beautifully decorated Short Hills Hilton.
Summit Area YMCA's President and CEO, Paul Kieltyka, began the evening with his opening remarks, "We want to support and improve our community's health, we want to educate and help raise our children, and finally we want to give back to the community in a responsible way." Kieltyka continues, "Last year, this event raised more money than ever. We turned around and gave that directly over $800,000 back to the community. And this year, we're on track to give even more!"
Additionally, Maria Brugg, Chair of the Summit Area YMCA Board of Trustees stated, "Looking around the room at the many of you who chose to show up for the Y tonight, I have no doubt that we are in a stronger position than ever to keep our promise to the community."
On September 8, the Silent Auction opened to the public and allowed for more community participation to help the Y, while generous sponsorships from community businesses and partners also contributed to the Y’s fundraising efforts. Over the course of the last two weeks including the Silent Auction and Live Auction on September 17, the Summit Area YMCA raised more than $480,000, a record year that has surpassed all previous fundraising efforts for the Laugh Out Loud event.
Highlighted live auction items included a NYC Spa Experience at Shibui Spa in The Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca, a Backyard Bash featuring catering by Fork in the Road Food truck with live music by The Suyat Band and a gift card for Skyvy Photo Booths, a Hoops Championship package which included a signed basketball from the Golden State Warriors, a $5,000 gift card to the award-winning Sea Island Resort in Georgia, and finally the Monday Night Football experience allowing two lucky winners to join Eli and Peyton Manning as they prepare to record their segment for Monday Night Football! Additionally, the Summit Area YMCA offered opportunities for guests to donate to Y scholarships that included Childcare and Camp, Achievers Teen College and Career preparation, swim lessons, and financial assistance for Senior memberships.
The Summit Area YMCA is extremely grateful for the generosity of our event sponsors, especially our platinum sponsors, Capital Group and Seelaus. Much thanks to sponsors Brandywine Living, William Gross Charitable Foundation, Peapack Private, Vericon Construction, Atlantic Health System, Deloitte, Douglas Real Estate Consulting LLC, J.P. Morgan Chase, Lindabury, Architecture & Design, Summit Dental Partners, USA Architects, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Berkeley Painting Contractors Inc, Fiorino, Guaranteed Rate Affinity, Investors Bank, Lois Schneider Realtors, Magnolia Home Remodeling Group, The Oldendorp Group | Compass. The Summit Area YMCA also recognizes the efforts of the LOL Event Committee, Y Staff, and Volunteers for their dedication and support for organizing this amazing event.
As a leading, community cause-driven organization, the Summit Area YMCA is focused on nurturing the potential of youth, promoting healthy living, and inspiring social responsibility. The Laugh Out Loud event raises funds that contribute to the Y’s ability to support the community by providing childcare and camp scholarships to working families in need, food to our neighbors who would otherwise go hungry, college and career preparation to local high school students, and more.
To learn more about the Summit Area YMCA, visit www.thesay.org/about-us. Explore the Summit Area YMCA’s current programs at www.thesay.org/Fall-2022. If you would like to be part of our community and join the Y, visit www.thesay.org/join. To make a tax deductible donation to support the Y’s cause of strengthening the community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, please visit www.thesay.org/give.
SUMMIT AREA YMCA
BERKELEY HEIGHTS YMCA | SUMMIT YMCA | THE LEARNING CIRCLE YMCA
In 1886, we were founded as the Young Men's Christian Association, but today, we are The Y. An association that values, and is made stronger by, its diverse people. We stand for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility — For a better us. We are committed to creating equal opportunity for all regardless of gender, age, disability, income, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religious affiliation. We strive to create a welcoming and inclusive culture in which our four core values — responsibility, honesty, caring and respect — are integral to everyday operations.
Each year, as one of the area’s leading 501(c)3 charitable organizations, the Summit Area YMCA serves more than 15,000 individuals with our free and fee-based programs and services in an area spanning the New Jersey communities of Berkeley Heights, Gillette, Millburn, New Providence, Short Hills, Springfield, Stirling and Summit. Our history is rooted in working side-by-side with our neighbors to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. Through the generosity of our members, donors, and partners, we are able to offer financial assistance for our programs and services to those in need.
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