Great Bay Services fund-raiser nets $35G to help adults with disabilities

Great Bay Services trustee Louis Mello tears up the dance floor with his son at Hollywood Nights. (Lisa Dachsteiner/Illuminate Images)

DOVER - The April snow showers cleared just in time for Great Bay Services to roll out the red carpet for "Hollywood Nights."

Great Bay Services raised over $35,000 at their annual fundraiser to support adults with disabilities in New Hampshire and Maine. This comes just days after receiving a $10,000 grant from the Oleonda Jameson Trust, based in Concord, NH. Like many human services organizations, Great Bay Services (GBS) faces a gap in funding between what is paid by state and federal agencies and the actual costs of services. They must raise about 15% of their annual budget from individual and corporate donors.

Over 100 people attended the dinner dance held at Spring Hill in South Berwick, Maine. The evening's entertainment included music by DJ Mike Pomp and a performance by the "Impersonators of Romance."

Along with a full dinner and cash bar, there was a silent auction and live auction featuring art by Great Bay Services clients, and a photo safari in Africa.

The event is growing in popularity, and GBS is looking forward to a banner year in 2019, which also marks the nonprofit's 65th anniversary.

Great Bay Services was founded in 1954 by a group of parents who refused to send their children with disabilities to the state institutions. The organization continued to be instrumental in the class-action lawsuit that shut down the institution system in New Hampshire.

Today, GBS is still on the forefront of innovative and progressive care of adults with disabilities, and provides support to more than 170 clients, between their locations in Dover, NH and Sanford, ME.

Hollywood Nights sponsors included Kennebunk Savings, CGI Business Solutions, DF Richard, Electric Installations, Inc., Optima Bank, Dover Bowl, HealthDirect Pharmacy, Fred C Church Insurance, and an anonymous donor.

Any families with loved ones searching for adult services in Maine or New Hampshire are welcome to contact Great Bay Services with any questions or concerns about the process.