The event has added an extra dimension which, he says, may lend a helping hand to those in need in southwestern Connecticut. Procaccini and Len Paoletta, former Bridgeport mayor and founder of B.A.C.I.O., Inc., the non-profit sponsor of the annual event, met with Donna Schmidt, Volunteer Program Manager of Fairfield-based Operation Hope, earlier this year.
The well-known community service organization has agreed to set up a collection booth at the entrance to the sing-along. Procaccini, pictured below at the far right, along with Operation Hope Executive Director Carla Miklos, Schmidt, and Paoletta (left-to-right), are shown holding items of non-perishable donations, the suggested "admission price" for the sing-along.
For the first time ever, the sing-along will feature the participation of some singers from Fairfield Warde High School. This is the very same school that was known as Andrew Warde High School back in 1976, the year Procaccini finished his high school studies.
"I think this year's sing-along will be extra special knowing that I'm conducting singers from the very same high school I attended," Procaccini notes. The school's choral director, Lauren Harmata, assisted in procuring the participation of the young choristers.
An optimistic Procaccini states, "I think this may be the first great sing-along since our inception in 2007, given the increased participation from many groups, and the new aspect of helping the hungry and homeless in the seasons of Advent and Christmas." He also emphasizes that all are welcome to the event, not just those who are Christian.
According to Procaccini, "We are expanding the scope of our musical event in a way that is unique, in accordance with American and Christian values, and likely to help the sing-along become a very popular regional event."
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