Every February, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Choir hosts “Cabaret For A Cause.” It’s a student-organized event, which consists of fundraising for a worthy cause—national or international—near and dear to a choir member’s heart.
In previous years, the choir has donated to The Trevor Project, Curvy Girls Scoliosis Foundation and Children’s Specialized Hospitals. This year, they continue the tradition by donating to Life Town, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with different disabilities.
Life Town as an organization is significant to Choir Vice President, senior Emersyn Teicher.
“My family has been involved [in the organization] for about six years. It provides services for kids with special needs and their parents and siblings,” Teicher told The Fanscotian.
LifeTown has schoolsbring students to their village, a small “town” within the LifeTown building. It simulates a real-life town, with streets, gardens and shops for the students to go to. Each student gets a small sum of money, around $10-15, to use as they explore the stores and the area. They learn to budget money, have social interactions with shopkeeper volunteers and navigate the area on their own, safely.
“I think the most important thing LifeTown provides is the opportunity for differently-abled people to experience life, and for volunteers to experience people with different abilities and see them as human beings,” June Schechner said.
Schechner is a lifelong volunteer at LifeTown, and a firm believer in its importance.
“For teenagers that are volunteering, I think it is important to understand that although they may seem different, [differently abled kids] aren’t so different,” Teicher said.
Choir teacher Jan Allen is very supportive of Cabaret for a Cause, especially because it allows students to take the lead in the organization and planning.
“I have found that representing these organizations helps keep our group truly excited and passionate about what we are doing. Students have an interest in investing time and effort into making the event successful,” Allen said. “Often, many of them feel strongly about the cause that we are fundraising for, and it allows them to be involved in the planning and implementation of the concert.”
This year’s fundraiser was a great success, and Teicher hopes it will encourage more students at SPFHS to take an interest, volunteer and donate to this valuable cause.
