(Chelsea Update would like to thank Joe Yekulis for the information in this story and Kelly Flaherty for the photo.)
St. Louis Center has a special connection to the Italian American Club of Livonia (IACL), as many of the Servants of Charity priests who run the center were born in Italy.
Now in its 24th year, the IACL held its annual Dinner Dance for St. Louis Center on Sunday April 7. This year’s event was enjoyed by 240 guests, and the proceeds support the center’s transportation program.
According to event Chair Georgia Scappaticci, “We are grateful to the many Club members who attended, as well as all of the people from the Chelsea area that came. We had great support from several new event sponsors, and the business community continued their strong support of our ad book.”
The day began with a Mass that was celebrated by St. Louis Center CEO, Fr. Enzo Addari, and was followed by a plated dinner featuring Chicken Florentine that was served by the Italian American Banquet & Conference Center. While guests enjoyed dinner, they were able to bid on silent auction items, a mini-bar raffle, and a live auction that raised over $11,000 to assist with the purchase of a new wheel chair van.
The St. Louis Guanella Humanitarian Award was given to Jane Tirey of Our Lady of Good Council Parish in Plymouth for her work with the homeless in Downtown Detroit, and entertainment was provided by pianist Rose Paulus during dinner followed by the Amici Band.
Finally, Maria Harris from the Italian American Charitable Foundation presented Fr. Addari with a check for $3,000 from the Foundation this year.
St. Louis Center is a residential community for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities located in a rural area west of Chelsea. For more information about SLC, please visit www.stlouiscenter.org.
