Broadway leading lady and Disney Princess Syndee Winters headlined the charity event, flying in from LA to perform at the newly redecorated Country Club of Fairfield. In addition, Javier Colon of West Haven, winner of the first season of The Voice, was a surprise guest of the evening. Their exceptional singing musical talent wowed the crowd who were on their feet throughout the evening: dancing, clapping and giving numerous standing ovations.
The evening kicked off with an exclusive cocktail hour honoring TWC co-founder, Kelly Maffei of Fairfield. She has been a longtime advocate for children with disabilities for over 20 years and currently serves as Team Woofgang & Co.’s Program & Retail Manager. As a mother of a child with diverse developmental challenges, Kelly recognized the difficulties all children with disabilities experienced when leaving school programs and entering adulthood. As one of the co-founders of TWC, she takes a unique approach and addresses this challenge through the producing and selling of dog treats and other hand-made novelty items which supports the dual curriculum of production and retail learning opportunities.
Kelly was honored with moving tributes from two of TWC's team members for her tireless work, passion and ongoing commitment to Team Woofgang’s mission and advocacy for young adults with disabilities. “Kelly has an excitement and enthusiasm for helping our team members and their families that is nothing short of contagious,”said Board President and fellow co-founder Amy Stern. “When discussing this honor, we couldn’t think of a more deserving person to be this year’s recipient.”
During the presentation to Kelly Maffei, Board member Christine Donahue Brown of Lordship added, "Kelly lives and works in the trenches every day. She brings out the best in all of us and is the heart and soul of Team Woofgang & Co." Major sponsors included Renee & Tim Minahan of Milton, Georgia, and Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, PC, with additional sponsorship from Duffy Law, LLC, and Colony Pizza.
The highlight of the evening was a one-of-a-kind performance by Syndee Winters of Lion King and Hamilton fame. She is an actress and vocalist who made her Broadway debut as ‘Nala’ in the original production of Lion King. She rose to even greater fame with roles in Hamilton (where she played all three Schuyler sisters!), Motown: the Musical, and Pippin. She has also performed with multiple Grammy winner Rihanna, EGOT winner John Legend, and American Idol finalist Jordin Sparks. Some of the moving songs she belted out with her exceptional band included: "Shadowland," "The Schuyler Sisters," as well as Lena Horne tribute songs "Just One of Those Things" and "Stormy Weather."
Team Woofgang & Co. is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to providing vocational skills training and lifelong learning opportunities at no cost to team members or their families. Team Woofgang’s curriculum offers training tailored to the unique special abilities of each team member. By enhancing individual skills through the production, packaging, marketing and selling of high-quality pet treats and novelty items, the team member achieves a greater sense of independence and the invaluable sense of worth felt when successful and productive.
Learn more about Team Woofgang & Co., please visit https://www.woofgangco.org or their pet store located at 1300 Post Road, Fairfield.
This memorable event raised over $25,000. These proceeds will go directly into curriculum, programming, and supporting Team Woofgang’s commitment to offering services at no cost to team members and their families.