Who doesn’t love a Litchfield County summer gala?!
We had a blast attending ASAP! Celebrates Community a couple of weeks ago. ASAP! is a non-profit arts-infused education organization based in Washington, and this was to be their first in-person celebration in a couple of years. On the agenda: actor, producer, and host of the evening, Tim Daly inspiring us all with his words, a band that would make us dance like nobody was watching, and some great people schmoozing!
Post sponsored by ASAP!
Join us under the tent…
But first,
A little about ASAP!
ASAP! began as a small after-school arts program in 1999 and has evolved into a larger educational organization whose arts-infused programming is recognized for its high-quality, immersive learning experiences.
The ASAP! community includes families and children of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds from over 100 different CT towns.
They offer curriculum-aligned in-school projects, summer programs, plus weekend and after-school workshops. ASAP! delivers safe spaces for exploration, collaboration, and discovery.
The organization believes in nurturing young people’s imaginations and invites them to create and trust their resourcefulness. They encourage them to take risks and become empowered, resilient, and compassionate adults!
We are so here for it! Parents, if you’re looking for a great art program for your kids, check out all of their offerings here.
The annual fundraising gala was honoring longtime board member Rob Parker.
Rob Parker joined ASAP! as Treasurer in 2010. Throughout his 11-year tenure, Rob provided financial guidance and monitoring for the Board, enabling ASAP! to broaden its reach to more schools in northwestern Connecticut, many of which were cutting arts funding.
To celebrate, Litchfield Distillery came up with a signature cocktail with his name on it…literally.
Hello, The Rob Parker Old Fashioned 👌
And after a couple of refreshments…
It was time to meet (and snap 📸) some smiling, happy people!
Fancy meeting you here, Lindsey Victoria Photography!
We always love running into Lindsey of Lindsey Victoria Photography! And she knows we can always be counted on to cheese & ham it up for the camera!
Did somebody say, dessert by The Po?
Po yeah! If you live in these parts, you know about The Po Cafe‘s desserts and food in general! 👌
Over to you, Tim Daly
Tim Daly of Madam Secretary, Wings, Private Practice, and The Sopranos fame is also deeply invested in nurturing creativity. He has served as the president of the Creative Coalition since 2008 and gave a passionate speech about the importance of art in the world, and the #righttobeararts!
Art is like love, it’s impossible to define, but we all know we need it. Art is like air, we’re not conscious that it’s around us, but we quietly breathe it and it sustains us. And art is like food, we’re not going to like everything we taste, some of it we’ll think is gross and some of it we’ll think is delectable!
But we cannot live without it.
Tim Daly
Followed by a poetry reading from ASAP! alum, Eva Millay Evans
She blew us away with her words, her poise, and later in the evening, her dance moves. We worry less about the future of humanity when we meet young people like Eva. Do we sound old or what?!
Congresswoman Jahana Hayes & her husband Milton were there. #couplegoals 🙌
And we finally got to meet New Curds on the Block!
Kate Truini is also an ASAP! alum and owner of New Curds on the Block. She’s a cheeseapreuner and we wish we had thought of such a brilliant business idea. Next life!
ETA Music
Aka the band!
This 9-piece band played covers that everyone loves and it was impossible to resist getting on the dance floor! 💃 🕺
The first two to get up…
😍
Followed by everyone else in the tent!
And then we danced the night away…
Thanks for inviting us ASAP! ❤️
ASAP! Celebrates Community was held at The Frederick Gunn School on June 4th.
Pics: Lora Karam (except as noted) / Words: Bev Canepari