Night of Shining Stars Gala to Honor Big Names: Victor Cruz, Chef Rock and Tiffany Derry

TRENTON, N.J. - March 1, 2018 - PRLog -- The Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County (http://www.bgcmercer.org/) will be hosting their annual Night of the Shining Stars Gala (https://www.501auctions.com/bgcmercer) on May 16, 2018 at Mistral (http://www.mistralprinceton.com/) in Princeton to benefit college and career preparatory programming for teens.

This year's Night of Shining Stars will be like no other Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County's gala in the past. It will feature an upscale restaurant in Princeton with an outside tented area. There will be an array of tasting stations featuring local breweries, distilleries and wineries throughout the venue along with our celebrity chef food stations. Our celebrity chefs will be at your service preparing delectable options for you. We will also have our special guests, the kids of our cooking clubs and afterschool program, preparing the best bites in Princeton!

Celebrity chefs, Chef Rock and Tiffany Derry, are nationally recognized for appearing on the shows Hell's Kitchen, hosted by the legendary chef, Gordon Ramsey and Bravo's Top Chef and Top Chef All Stars. Chef Rock went on to win Hell's Kitchen and Tiffany Derry made it to the final rounds in both her appearances on Top Chef. Both Chefs are advocates in healthy eating. Chef Rock focuses his time in youth since his winning the show and has written a book titled, "44 Things Parents Should Know about Healthy Cooking for Kids." Tiffany Derry invested her time inrevamping the Dallas School District's lunch program with more nutritious options and teaches her community about healthy eating and portion control.

"We decided to do something totally different this year with our gala," said Kathryn Price Engelhard, Development Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Mercer County. "Our Centre Street location will be opening up a community garden right across the street. We are hoping to break ground this summer and our focus will be on promoting healthy lifestyles and eating for our children. We thought that having a Gala focused on small portions and healthy living would pair perfectly."

Our keynote speaker, Victor Cruz, will discuss his triumphs due to the Boys & Girls Clubs, his time with the NFL and what inspired him to make it this far with having so little when he was growing up. Victor grew up in Paterson, NJ and attended the Boys & Girls Clubs of Paterson & Passaic. He received many honors and awards during his NFL career and was an integral part of the Giants' victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

"This is my fifth year of involvement with this fantastic organization" said Board Member, Melissa Davis. "The other board members and I are excited about the new location and theme of this event.  We believe that everyone will have a great night of delicious food and engaging entertainment while learning about the crucial role that the Boys and Girls Club plays in the lives of children and young adults in the Mercer County area.  These children are our future leaders and we all are invested in their success."

If you are interested in purchasing tickets or obtaining a sponsorship for the event please contact our Development Director, Kathryn Price Engelhard at events@bgcmercer.org or visit our Silent Auction site at https://www.501auctions.com/bgcmercer.

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About the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County

The Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County has been providing children and teens with educational, career, and enrichment activities through after school, weekend, and summer programs since 1937. Today, the Club provides programs and services to 2,600 youths in the Greater Mercer County area that attend programs in our Trenton Clubhouse, six public school sites in the City of Trenton, and our Community Center in Lawrence Township. For more information, visit www.bgcmercer.org.