FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Students at Freehold Township High School gathered together on May 12 to celebrate the culmination of months of fundraising for the Embrace Kids Foundation at the fourth annual Dance For The Kids (FTK).
The event generated funds to benefit the families of children who are faced with the effects of cancer and other health issues, according to a press release.
The Embrace Kids Foundation exists to lighten the burden, maintain normalcy and improve the quality of life for families whose children are facing cancer, sickle cell and other serious health challenges, according to the press release.
The foundation addresses the spiritual, emotional and financial needs of patient families and is a tight community comprised of donors, volunteers and students, who all share similar values to support each other.
At Freehold Township High School, the efforts were led by sister and brother Logan Feldman, a junior, and Grant Feldman, a freshman, who served as co-chairs for Dance FTK. Logan and Grant led their school community in creating the most successful event yet in its fourth year running, according to the press release.
Logan, who has been chairing the event for the past three years, worked diligently to ensure that this year the school community would be able to raise more funds than had been raised in previous years.
In 2021, she ran the third annual Dance FTK in a virtual manner during the coronavirus pandemic. This year Logan had the opportunity to train her younger brother so he will be able to continue the tradition of Dance FTK at the high school once she graduates in 2023.
“This Dance FTK had a unique challenge as the event had not been held in person since 2019, due to the pandemic. Logan stepped up to accept this challenge head on. Her dedication to the cause and her leadership ensured a successful return to the in-person event. Through all the obstacles she faced, she worked hard to recruit participants, raise funds, create campaigns and videos as marketing tools, and work on all logistics and fine details,” said Armaan Saxena, executive director of the Embrace Kids Foundation.
“Grant stepped up to chair Dance FTK in his first year in high school. The manner in which he supported his sister and learned throughout the process over the span of the year was truly admirable. He is highly passionate about the cause and was willing to do whatever was needed to make sure Dance FTK was a hit. They both truly spearheaded this event and the results speak for themselves,” Saxena added.
Adam Brusotti, the supervisor of extracurricular activities at Freehold Township High School, said, “I am very proud of the effort of the students who organized and carried out Dance FTK 2022. This was our fourth edition of the dance and we were happy to be able to do it in person again this year.
“Even after a one-year hiatus of sorts, where we hosted the event virtually, the students were able to raise about $20,000, an all-time high for our school. Logan Feldman once again spearheaded the efforts and recruited her brother, Grant, to assist her.
“Together, they were able to bring together friends and students of the school in their fundraising efforts. We are already looking forward to making the fifth annual Dance FTK at Freehold Township High School even more successful,” Brusotti said.
Many students canned for donations in front of local stores and explained the purpose of their efforts to everyone who passed by. On weekends and half-days, the students walked into local businesses to share their goal of helping the Embrace Kids Foundation and many generous business operators agreed to provide financial sponsorship and refreshments, according to the press release.
The May 12 event was kicked off by a speech from Kenny Benson, who is the father of 21-year-old Blair. Benson spoke about how his daughter has faced a range of medical challenges throughout her life, including microcephaly and May-Thurner Syndrome.
Benson expressed his thanks to the Embrace Kids Foundation, whose representatives met Blair in a hospital three years ago and discovered her gift of making others smile, laugh and sing along with her through treatment. The Benson family is grateful to the Freehold Township High School community for hosting the event which has far-reaching impact for all Embrace Kids families, according to the press release.
Dance FTK was hosted by AJH Entertainment. The participants danced, sang and played games. The most poignant moment of the night was when a video was shown featuring the families assisted by Embrace Kids who described how the charity has helped their families, according to the press release.
“The words the families spoke allowed us, the dancers, to understand the true meaning of why we were all gathered for this common cause,” Logan said. “Tears ran down the faces of many students as they were educated on the deeper meaning of this charity.”
At the end of the event, the students proudly revealed the total amount raised for the fourth annual event. With $19,265 raised for the Embrace Kids Foundation, this was the most successful year yet, far outpacing the school’s original goal of $10,000 and even the revised goal of $15,000, according to the press release.
“The Embrace Kids families appreciate the support from the Freehold Township High School Dance FTK. The way these students rally to raise much needed funds for the patient families we serve is amazing.
“These families face many challenges beyond their health situations. With the compassion of the students who participated in Dance FTK, we can provide solutions for those challenges and make the road through treatment easier.
“It is important that students understand they can have fun while helping their community and Dance FTK at Freehold Township High School accomplishes that,” Saxena said.
Food and refreshments were donated by several local businesses, including Terrace Bagels, Eli’s Bagels, Dunkin’ Donuts, Jersey Mike’s, Edible Arrangements of Freehold, La Dolce Bakery, Broad Street Dough Co. and Jersey Freeze.
Gold level sponsors included Mirrored Memories NJ, Carpets to Go, Park Nine Diner, Balloon Magic by Savina, Dusal’s of Freehold, NJ Spine & Wellness and the Poke Bar of Freehold. There were multiple local businesses who sponsored at the silver and bronze levels as well, according to the press release.
