A sell-out crowd of 320 guests enjoyed a celebratory night at Encore 2016, Genesee Community College Foundation’s annual holiday fundraising event featuring a holiday concert by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
The December 13 celebration continued the long-standing tradition of a fun and festive evening with new and old friends coming together in the spirit of raising funds for the College’s numerous scholarship programs. More than $50,000 was raised.
Following the theme, ‘A Star Shines On,’ the event recognized both the 25th Anniversary of Encore together with the Genesee Community College’s 50th Anniversary. This year, Encore was organized by a chairing committee featuring the two sisters who organized the first of the Encore events in 1991, and their multi-generational families.
The co-chairs included Glenn and Rosalie Maguire Simon, joined by Rosalie’s sister, Lucy Barnett and her husband Timothy; daughter Jessica Maguire Tomidy and her husband, Alan; as well as son, Andrew Maguire and his fiancée, Jamie Beswick.
In addition, Encore included special programming just for children the first time this year, allowing the children and grandchildren to attend as well.
“Planning the first Encore is a very fond memory for me and my sister Lucy. We were delighted to bring in the next generation for this significant milestone and also give children a chance to experience the arts and this incredible event,” Rosalie Maguire Simon said. “We specifically revisited the theme from 25 years ago, ‘A Star Shines,’ and featured the star logo and artwork designed by GCC’s late art instructor, Michael Powers from many years ago.”
The evening featured four segments: the Prelude in the Genesee Center for the Arts; dinner with numerous food stations set up in the central William W. Stuart Forum; the BPO concert in the Stuart Steiner Theatre featuring soprano soloist Emily Helenbrook; and finally desserts in the Wolcott J. Humphrey III Student Union.
The Genesee Community College Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to providing volunteer and philanthropic support to Genesee Community College.
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