Deborah Greenawald bustled from table to table, stopping to greet diners Thursday at Co-County Wellness Service’s Good Thyme for Life.
Greenawald and her husband, David Lawton, served as hosts at Judy’s on Cherry, one of nine restaurants participating in the five-day event.
Each restaurant donated a percentage of its revenue on a designated day.
The annual fundraiser is the largest for the nonprofit that provides free services addressing issues of sexual health in Berks and Schuylkill counties, including prevention, screening and treatment education for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Though the Muhlenberg Township couple supported the event in past years as diners, this was their first as hosts.
Greenawald, who recently retired as chair of Alvernia University’s nursing program, has served on Co-County’s board of directors since 2022.
“I wanted to help in a bigger way to support the mission of Co-County Wellness and the important work that they do,” she said. “Public health is my background. When you talk about screening, prevention, education, clinical services, nobody does it better than Co-County Wellness.”
Since hosting was something new for the couple, Greenawald asked to be paired with a mentor. She was assigned to longtime volunteers William Bender, one of the organization’s founders, and his husband, O. Christopher Miller, who is a Reading city councilman.
The four shared hosting duties, including spreading the word about the event, getting donations for raffle gift baskets and hawking raffle tickets.
Friends Rancel Hernandez, Wellington Giraldo and Johanna Castaneda were invited to the event by their mutual friend Margarita Caicedo.
Caicedo, bilingual ESL program coordinator at Reading Area Community College, said the event offers a chance to dine out for a good cause.
The event is a great way to try a new restaurant or revisit a favorite, said Castaneda.
With the event spread out over multiple days, diners can select one or more nights to dine out, said Barbara N. Waller, deputy director of Co-County.
“It’s our most important fundraiser,” she said, noting Good Thyme typically brings in about $40,000 or more to support Co-County’s programs. “Our restaurants are very generous, and our hosts are very helpful. And we thank them and all who dined out to support us.”
Judy Henry, owner of Judy’s on Cherry, said she has opened her restaurant for the event since it started about 25 years ago.
Back then the focus was on AIDS and HIV services, she noted.
“The organization has continued to evolve,” she said, “and it’s such a worthwhile cause. Tonight’s event was a smashing success.”
In addition to Judy’s, 30 S. Fourth St., the following restaurants participated: Saucony Creek Franklin Station Brew Pub and The Inn Centre Park, Reading; Anthony’s Trattoria, Lower Alsace Township; 201 West, Shillington; Café Folino and Building 24, Wyomissing; Mangia! Italian Restaurant and Dans at Green Hills Inn, Cumru Township.
Source: Berkshire mont
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