BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.3.2//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:729@sparkhamptons.com DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260626T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260626T193000 DTSTAMP:20260514T210407Z URL:https://sparkhamptons.com/events/eleanor-whitmore-early-childhood-cent er-annual-summer-benefit SUMMARY:Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center Annual Summer Benefit DESCRIPTION:Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center (EWECC) (www.ewecc.org) is pleased to announce that tickets for the Annual Summer Kickoff Cocktai l Party on Friday\, June 26th are now on sale. The event will be held agai n this year at the historic Mulford Farm (8 James Lane\, East Hampton) fro m 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.\n\nThis year\, in recognition of the community the cen ter serves\, tickets are available across a range of prices including a Pa y-What-You-Can option.\n\nJoan Overlock\, Director of Development explains \, “In the spirit of community and affordability we wanted to try someth ing new. Our host committee comprised of parents\, past and present\, real ly pushed for inclusivity for this year’s benefit with special pricing t o include alumni parent ticketing.”\n\n“Some of my strongest bonds wit h other parents were formed when my kids were really little and attending the Eleanor Whitmore Center. We want to provide a way to keep those connec tions strong among our young families\,” shared Annabella Salas\, member of the Host Committee and a Board Member.\n\nThe Eleanor Whitmore Early C hildhood Center is dedicated to ensuring every child has the opportunity f or a strong start. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Center’s mission of providing affordable childcare and high-quality early education to families across the community.\n\nMark Butler\, Board Co-Chair shares “The Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center is a cornerstone of our com munity\, empowering working families with access to high-quality\, all-day \, year-round childcare and early education. Thanks to generous donors\, f ees remain among the lowest on Long Island.”\n\nThe Summer Kickoff Cockt ail Party will celebrate the impact of this vital work and the supporters who help sustain it. Included in the evening is the presentation of The El eanor Prize\, an award established by the Center in 2024 to honor and pres erve Eleanor Whitmore’s legacy. The Eleanor Prize is presented to those who have made a meaningful difference both in the lives of children and in supporting working families throughout the East End.\n\nThis year the Ele anor Prize will honor recipient Ruth Ann McSpadden. Ruth Ann's vision and leadership were critical to the endurance of the Center and the community it serves.  Ruth Ann’s leadership\, compassion\, and innovative thinki ng were instrumental to both the Center and the wider community throughout the pandemic crisis. Her deep understanding of the challenges facing year -round working families\, coupled with her unwavering belief in the transf ormative power of early education and affordable childcare\, make her a fi tting recipient of this year’s Eleanor Prize.\n\nRuth Ann currently serv es as a Board Member of the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center and pr eviously served as Board Chair for eight years. During the COVID-19 pandem ic\, she played a pivotal role in ensuring the Center remained open\, prov iding no-cost childcare for children of essential workers\, ranging from 1 8 months to 12 years old\, despite receiving no financial support from sta te or federal sources.\n\n“Ruth Ann has given and continues to give so m uch to our community. She shares Eleanor Whitmore's vision of affordable c hildcare for all\, and her leadership has proven that we can come togethe r in a time of need and emerge stronger for it\,” shares Director Tim F razier.\n\n“Children have the power to change the world when they are gi ven the tools to build a happy\, healthy and productive life. The Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center provides their students with all the tools and skills they need\, delivered with an extra dose of love\, joy and hum or that is central to the mission of the center. If we as adults want to c hange the world\, there is no better way than helping the youngest membe rs of our community off to a strong and steady start\,” says Ruth Ann Mc Spadden.\n\nThe evening will feature hors d’oeuvres by East Hampton Kitc hen\, wines from Wölffer Estate\, live bluegrass\, folk\, and old-time mu sic by Wild Magnolias\, and a silent auction\, offering guests a festive o pportunity to support early childhood education while kicking off the summ er season.\n\nThe Summer Benefit Host Committee includes Antony Cestra &am p\; Hannah Overlock Cestra\, Sarah &\; Alex Diacre\, Libby Kane\, Annab ella Salas\, Blake Sterling\, Julie Snow\, Mariah Whitmore and Nikki &\ ; Matias Whitmore.\n\nTo ensure the event is accessible to all\, tickets a re available for every budget. Select your tickets using the purchase opti ons here:\n\nhttps://eleanorwhitmoreearlychildhood.betterworld.org/events/ summer-benefit.\n\nPrefer to choose your own amount? Use the Pay-What-You- Can option here.\n\nAll proceeds benefit the Eleanor Whitmore Early Childh ood Center\, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN: 11-2202-589 ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://sparkhamptons.com/wp-content/uploads/202 6/05/gEdD6Ctg.jpg CATEGORIES:Community,Kids & Family,Philanthropy LOCATION:Mulford Farm\, 10 James Lane\, East Hampton\, NY\, 11937\, Hampton s\, United States GEO:40.956855;-72.190157 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=10 James Lane\, East Hampto n\, NY\, 11937\, Hamptons\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Mulfo rd Farm:geo:40.956855,-72.190157 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR