Press Releases

Distinguished Honorees Highlight ACES Education Foundation’s 17th Annual Gala

January 2nd, 2020

(North Haven, CT. January 2, 2020) This year’s ACES Education Foundation 17th Annual Gala celebrates the Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) 50th year of transforming lives every day. With the theme “We Are Golden Together”, this night celebrates the 50 years of success of ACES and honor those who helped make them happen. This year’s honorees are a former beloved ACES Executive Director and an organization that has supported ACES for more than two decades. The Foundation’s Gala, the largest fund raising event of the year for the non-profit organization, is going to be held on March 26th from 5:30 p.m. to 8; 30 p.m. at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven. The purpose behind the event is just as special as the evening itself.

“The Gala is such a fantastic event because it is the perfect time to recognize those who have contributed many years of hard work benefiting so many people,” says Dr. Thomas Danehy, ACES Executive Director and ACES Education Foundation Board member. “The combination of philanthropic people who truly care about the community, teachers, and educators and have committed their efforts to helping improve educational opportunities for everyone is a very powerful force.”

Danehy said he anticipates more than 300 attendees at the gala, including representatives from corporate sponsors, community partners, families, staff, and board members. Every year, the Foundation honors key people and organizations who support ACES’ mission.
Perhaps one of the most well-known ACES employee Dr. Cheryl S. Saloom, Founder of the ACES Education Foundation and former ACES Executive Director will be honored at this year’s event. Dr. Saloom, who retired in 2006 as executive director, helped form the ACES Education Foundation. When the state Department of Education created a regional approach to serving students with special needs, it paved the way for the ACES model of regional education service centers (RESC). Even though retired, Cheryl continues to donate her time and energy in helping ACES grow as counsel and mentor.

“Right from the beginning, we took on a whole cooperative approach with school systems,” Saloom said. “To be honored at this gala is very special because of what it means to ACES, its students, and families. Every school system, which sends us a student, pays a fee for that student, the state (education) department for many years contributed some money, but that has really dropped. Tonight is about ensuring student’s futures.”

Saloom has given back most of her life. She earned her Doctoral Degree from Columbia University after achieving her Masters Degree from Southern Connecticut State University. Dr. Saloom was born to be a teacher and still has effect on so many teachers, staff, administrators, students, and families. She began teaching at New Haven Public Schools and then Hamden
 
Public Schools as a “special needs” educator. Other notable stops in her career include Director of Special Education at Bloomfield Public Schools, Director of Pupil Services and Human Resources at Amity Regional School District and then Assistant Superintendent-Curriculum and Instruction for Southington Public Schools. She joined ACES as Director of Human Resources before promoted to Assistant Executive Director, Programs and Human Sources and finally ACES Executive Director. In 2003 was one of the co-founders of the ACES Education Foundation. She has served on the New Haven County School District Leadership Council, President of Hartford Chapter, ACLU, and (2009-2018) and as a board member for the United Way in New Haven, as Co-Chair of the Early Childhood Study Group.
The other honoree of the night is longtime supporting organization Performance Environmental Services (PES). For more than two decades. PES has supported or donated financially to help a variety of ACES program. This organization is a privately owned building services company that has been providing professional cleaning and general maintenance services for nearly 30 years. Originally founded in Connecticut, it is now one of the leading non-franchised building service providers in New England. Led by President Steve Sadler, PES services a diverse group of customers including commercial and corporate office spaces, schools and universities, factories/ warehouses, retail, restaurants, banks, apartments and condominiums, medical facilities, day cares, and municipalities with a growing team of more than 1,000 employees, managers and supervisors.

The ACES Education Foundation, which was formed in 2003, raised more than $117,000 via last year’s gala and of that amount awarded $90,500 in grants and $10,000 “Fund-A-Need” initiatives. Since its inception, the ACES Education Foundation has raised more than $900,000 benefitting over 30,000 students and families.

Besides amazing food and drink, this year’s gala is packed full of fun activities such as a live auction, silent auction, and raffle. There are many ways to support the event and its purpose whether someone can attend the gala or not. Tickets are $100 and available online by visiting https://e.givesmart.com/events/c34.

Besides those in attendance, anyone can support the event by donating items such as products and gift baskets or log in and purchase an item to donate by going to the Boscov’s gift registry at https://www.myregistry.com/wishlist/aces-education-foundation-hamden-ct/2172928. Prizes include gift baskets, collectibles, sports memorabilia, and one-of-a-kind trips and excursions.

To become a sponsor for the 17th Annual ACES Educational Foundation Gala or to get more information or donate an item, contact esein@aces.org. Current sponsors include Brown and Brown, Anthem, USI, Key Bank, Performance Environmental Services, Valic-AIG, Curtin Livery Services, Record-Journal, and Worker’s Compensation Trust.
 

About ACES:

Area Cooperative Educational Service’s (ACES) is to transform lives through education, innovation, and leadership. One of six Connecticut regional educational service centers, ACES is the regional educational services center for the twenty-five communities in New Haven and is both a school district and a non-profit services agency. ACES serves 2,300 students from fifty-seven communities throughout Connecticut at its three magnet schools and nine special education schools. ACES service divisions include international educational programs and services, technology, transportation, translation, behavior services and autism programs, extension therapy services (occupational and physical therapy), assistive technology, collaborative programs, professional development, human resources and financial services, and ACCESS, a vocational and life skills program for developmentally and physically challenged adults. ACES also runs the Open Choice program for New Haven County as well as a magnet school parent choice program for its Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School and Thomas Edison Middle School. Additionally, ACES runs the Middlesex County Early Head Start Partnership program. For additional information, go to www.aces.org.