A Taste Of Vineland & Volunteer Recognition Event Returns On October 24
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Enjoy an Evening Out as Restaurants Offer their Finest
Dennis Ingraldi and Andre Rivera Honored as Main Street Vineland “Volunteers of the Year”
Sponsorship Opportunities and Spaces for Interested Restaurants Now Available
VINELAND, NJ—Main Street Vineland’s signature fundraising event, its A Taste of Vineland & Volunteer Recognition Event, will return on Wednesday, October 24, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Greenview Inn at Eastlyn Golf Course. 4049 Italia Ave., Vineland.
The major sponsor for this event, now in its eighth year, is Century Savings Bank.
Vineland’s finest restaurants will be offering a vast array of delicious foods—main courses, appetizers, and desserts—at this event, which will also include a fabulous silent auction and much more.
Main Street Vineland will also recognize those of its volunteers who have contributed greatly to the work of the organization. Dennis Ingraldi, longtime member of the Main Street Vineland Board of Directors, and Andre Rivera, a volunteer who been active in several Main Street Vineland initiatives, will receive Main Street Vineland’s “Volunteer of the Year” Award. Ingraldi is being recognized for his years of dedication and Main Street Vineland Board of Directors, of which he is the Vice-Chairperson and former Corresponding Secretary/Treasurer. Rivera is being recognized for his leadership in helping to organize several upcoming initiatives—including a downtown Walking Trail and a 5K run.
Tickets are $40 and are on sale now, and proceeds will go toward downtown beautification, business recruitment and development, and events. Tables of 10 are available for $400. “The value of this great event will have a large, visible impact on our downtown and the important part our downtown plays in our city,” said Main Street Vineland Executive Director Russell Swanson.
Additional sponsorship opportunities are currently available and ad space is available in the event program book. A limited number of spaces are also available for restaurants that would like to be part of this event.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for sponsors and restaurants to be part of a popular event that has been a large draw over the years,” Swanson said. . “We also want to recognize our Main Street Vineland volunteers—and two in particular—who have given so much of their time and talents this year—and in past years—to help us accomplish our goals.”
Tickets can be obtained online by going to the event link on the Main Street Vineland website—www.TheAve.biz. A limited number of tickets are available at the Main Street Vineland office. Please call their office at 856-794-8653 for more details.
For more information on this and other Main Street Vineland activities, please call their office, visit their website, or visit them on Facebook.
About Dennis Ingraldi
Dennis Ingraldi graduated from Seton Hall University in 1983. He started in the real estate business in September of that year with Century 21 Fanucci. He subsequently left there and went to Franklin Associates, staying with that firm for 11½ years and becoming a real estate broker. He opened his own real estate business, Vineland Realty, in June of 1998 on Landis Avenue and have been servicing the Vineland community at that location since then, specializing in residential sales and property management.
Ingraldi has been in the real estate business in downtown Vineland for almost 35 years and strongly believes in giving back to the community that supported him. It is a guiding reason why he is active in Vineland Downtown Improvement District/Main Street Vineland, in which he currently services as Board of Directors Vice-Chairperson.
“I feel very fortunate to have grown up in Vineland, to have a business in downtown Vineland—on The Ave, and to have been able to raise my family here, as well.”
About Andre Rivera
Andre “Andy” Rivera is the founder of Second Capital Running, a Vineland-based online running forum that has since evolved into a running club. He got involved with The Ave when he approached VDID/Main Street Vineland Executive Director Russell Swanson about the idea to have a 5k running race on and around Landis Avenue to cultivate a spirit of community involvement and competition on one of the largest main strips in South Jersey. Swanson had wanted to do this exact thing for some time and so the two began to plan for Spring of 2019. Rivera is also currently chair of a subcommittee designing a Downtown Walking Trail on The Ave for residents to use as a safe place to run, walk, and exercise at all times of day. This trail will launch soon and serve as a way to motivate community members to prepare for the upcoming race.
Since then, Rivera has taken on the role of Race Director of the Vineland Grand Prix, a completely free five-week summer race series put on by the City Recreation Department for the last 20+ years. In his first year, Andre was able to bring in over $700 in new sponsorships and in-kind donations, as well as attract almost 300 participants of all ages throughout the five weeks. This success has encouraged the department to add on to the series with a single-day event sometime in the fall of 2019.
“As a millennial and hopeful future business owner, I see my goal as using my own passions to create a thriving community that caters to the needs and interests of his peers instead of seeking it elsewhere.” He said.
“I always lived ‘just a seven-minute run’ away from downtown Vineland and feel encouraged by the efforts being put forward by Russell, Robert (VDID/Main Street Vineland Associate Director Robert Scarpa), and The Ave team that Vineland can last and grow as an area worth living, working, and running in.”
