2016 Annual BEF Gala

Annually the BEF holds The Gala, an event where Bloomfield Alumni are recognized for their impeccable character and outstanding achievement along with an Educator of the Year who has gone beyond the call of duty for the students of Bloomfield. A Community Organization of the Year is also organized. This year, guests were treated to an exquisite dinner and ice cream bar. Guests also partook in a raffle, which included prizes of signed apparel from NFL Hall of Famers. It’s a night filled with excitement and fun. We hope to see you there next year!

Click the link to the right to donate to the BEF. We can’t do it without generous donations from people like you!

Photos

2016 Honorees

Richard Koscielak- Community Organization of the Year
Richard Koscielak graduated Bloomfield High School in 1975 and since then, has served as an Officer, Treasurer, and President for the Joseph Poniatowski Beneficial Association. In 1975, Mr. Kocielak began his association with JPBA to donate to the Bloomfield schools, hospitals, and churches. He also contributed to the community by starting the Family Activity Program at the Essex Manor and coordinated the Roche Foundation Grant for the Bloomfield Education Foundation.

Salvatore DeSimone- Educator of the Year
Salvatore DeSimone returned to his home town of Bloomfield to serve as the principal of Fairview School. Mr. DeSimone was raised in Bloomfield and has always been involved within the community. He’s an active participant in the Bloomfield’s Special Education Parental Advisory Council and has helped with the growth of the Home and School Association and programs for the English Language Learners. In addition, Mr. DeSimone is an adjunct Professor of Education at the Bloomfield College. His reputation as the “People’s Principal” will be forever celebrated within the Bloomfield community.

James Parker Wollner- Alumnus of the Year
James Wollner is a lifelong resident of Bloomfield. He attended Fairview School, South Middle School, and graduated Bloomfield High School in 1964 and was the President of his class of 1971 at Bloomfield College. Since then, Mr. Wollner was the President of the Alumni Association and served the US Army during 1967-1968 and has written a book on his experiences during Vietnam. James currently serves on the Alumni Council, numerous Bloomfield town boards, commissions and volunteer organizations.

Abier Abdelnaby- Alumnae of the Year
Despite being born in Alexandria, Egypt, Dr. Abdelnaby has been calling Bloomfield “home” since the age of 3. Since graduating Bloomfield High School in 1992, she’s currently double-board certified as a Colon and Rectal Surgeon in Dallas, Texas and is the Associate Professor of Surgery and the Program Director at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for the Global Health Surgical Academic Fellowship. Dr. Abier Abdelnaby is a member of numerous professional associations including Physicians For Peace, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgery to Global, and the National Arab American Medical Association. She has also traveled around the world on various mission trips.