AN EVENING WITH ANN DOWD AND FRIENDS

Everyone from comedian, actress, TV personality and autism-awareness advocate Rosie O'Donnell to The Handmaid's Tale star Madeline Brewer showed up at The Cutting Room on June 3^RD for An Evening with Ann Dowd and Friends to have fun and more importantly, raise funds for Triform Camphill Community.  Triform Camphill Community is an organization which provides a vital community life for young adults with special needs and is a supportive environment for their growth and self-development. As a Camphill Community, Triform bases its work on the recognition of the spiritual integrity of the individual regardless of ability, and aims to provide residents with dignified, meaningful work, a healthy social atmosphere, and a vibrant cultural, artistic and spiritual life.

The evening, which was hosted by actress Ann Dowd, known for her role on the wildly popular The Handmaid's Tale, also featured live musical performances, stage readings, a dance performance and heartwarming tales along the way.  Rosie O'Donnell got the evening off to a fun start with her uproariously funny stand-up comedy act. She even helped to spontaneously raise an extra $100,000 from the energetic crowd. 

"If you are privileged enough to be the parent of a special-needs individual, as I am, your greatest worry and hope is that when the time comes for him or her to leave home, there will be a community that will offer a peaceful, meaningful, and productive life. Triform is that place," Ann Dowd stated. "The profound gratitude we feel for the extraordinary people at Triform that make it all possible is the reason we are celebrating. Thank you so very much to all who are joining us."

Musicians included up-and-coming synth pop performer I Am Boleyn; legendary jazz musician Sean Smith accompanied by Gary Versace and Keith Ganz (better known as The Sean Smith Trio); the beloved local NYC rock group The Tim Grant Band and the funk-rock-blues-jazz fusion group Three Guys Band amongst other surprise guests.  The residents of Triform Camphill Community also performed songs together including a rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," played instruments and performed readings which had the whole crowd on their feet!

The Cutting Room, located on East 32^ND Street between Park and Madison, has hosted some of today's top performers, including Lady Gaga, John Mayer, Sting and many more, but the Triform residents were the most heartwarming performers yet!

Attendees enjoyed hors d'oeuvres, a dinner buffet, open bar and silent auction featuring a wide range of one-of-a-kind items and experiences with the evening culminating in a performance from the Triform Bell Choir. 

Triform is located two hours north of New York City and features a 500 acre farm community with fields, forests, organic gardens, ten houses, a dairy, a barn with pigs and cows, a bakery, pottery studio, recreation hall, meeting hall and much more! Triform is home to young adults with developmental disabilities, as residential or day students, who are on the threshold of transitioning to adulthood. From music programs to farming responsibilities, Triform provides a comfortable and caring environment.