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Celebrity Waiters Night has been an Aiken tradition since 1995, bringing community members together for a special cause — helping at-risk children in Aiken County through The Children’s Home’s therapeutic child care program children and families.
For more than 50 years, The Children’s Home has been a mission of the United Way of Aiken County to protect, heal and strengthen children and families from trauma and other adverse experiences through educational, therapeutic and preventive services.
Co-chairing the 2023 Celebrity Attendant Night are Keyatta Priester, Community Development Manager, Aiken Electric Cooperative, and Gail Diggs, City Councilor and Rural Health Services Outreach and Community Service Director.
“I personally know several children who have been served through this program and are now successful adults and advocates for Children’s Place,” Diggs said. “I know the value of this organization and believe in their mission.”
Earlier this month, Priest and Diggs recently met with Children’s Playland director Peggy Ford at Fuse to prepare for the upcoming event on Monday, May 15th.
Fuse is hosting Celebrity Waiters Night for the third year in a row and is excited to be a part of the 2023 event. This downtown restaurant is one of the highest-grossing restaurants of 2022 — nearly $5,000 for Children’s Place, with help from Maxwell Law Firm’s celebrity waiters.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions raised the most money for the nonprofit last year Drive-thru service at Newberry Hall.
Chris Najmola, more affectionately known as “Chef Naj” and owner of Fuse, is delighted to host again this year.
“If there’s something we can do to help a child cope with a traumatic event in a healthy way, it’s worth it,” Najmola said.
The generosity of Najmola and other community members who supported Celebrity Attendant Night ensured the continuation of Children’s Place’s therapeutic child care program.
Funds raised through the event provide behavioral therapy, mental health counseling, and occupational and speech therapy to disadvantaged children struggling on behavioral, emotional, and social levels. The program, one of only two in South Carolina, serves children 18 months to 5 years of age who have experienced childhood trauma and other adverse experiences.
Celebrity Waiter Night has grown from a fundraiser for just two restaurants that raised $3,000 in its first year into a community event that provides more than $100,000 of critical funding for the organization’s $2.8 million annual budget.
Besides Fuse, other local venues dedicated to celebrity waitress nights include Casa Bella, Feed Sack, Grumpy’s Sports Pub, Malia’s, Newberry Hall, Tailgate Tavern, The Alley Downtown Taproom, The Village Café, and Aiken and Sno-Cap’s Whiskey Lane in North Augusta.
In 2022, Celebrity Waiter Night raised $111,630 to support the nonprofit’s children’s treatment program.
“The children and families we serve are future citizens of Aiken County — your neighbors, employers and valued members of our community,” Ford said. “Giving children and families the tools and skills to heal and grow from adversity not only gives them hope for the future, but makes our communities stronger as a whole.”
For more information or to get involved, please call 803-641-4144.
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