A late rush of aid ensures Overlea-Fullerton party is on

The Baltimore Sun

After a period of uncertainty and financial stress, Overlea-Fullerton community officials have declared that the neighborhood's 46th annual Independence Day celebration is on, after all.

The party is to start at 5 p.m. today at Fullerton Elementary School and will feature live music, a puppet show and concessions. The fireworks display is scheduled to begin at dusk.

The organization in charge of raising money for the event, Allied Community Services, was $18,000 short two weeks before the holiday, said treasurer and coordinator Joe Ferraracci.

"The collections ... have been dismal," he said at the time.

The main problem was a lack of business sponsorship, he said.

After The Sun ran an article saying the fireworks display might not take place, anonymous donors contributed enough to ensure it would, Ferraracci said.

Neighbors helped too, he said.

"We got notes saying, 'We're praying for you, we hope you continue,'" he said. "They'll send you a dollar or something, say, 'This is all I could do, but I hope you have the show.' I've had some of them come to my house."

Fundraising is still short more than $3,000, Ferraracci said. Volunteers will ask for donations tonight, said Jeff Stintz, Overlea Community Association president. "I'm confident that we can close the gap," he said.

Raising money has been getting harder every year, partly because of dwindling community and business response, Stintz said. Ferraracci said he aims to sign more members for Allied Community Services next year.

"Many of our people have gotten older, and they just can't do it anymore," he said. The organization also plans to reach out to new business sponsors, Ferraracci said.

alia.malik@baltsun.com

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