Come Sept. 21, hundreds of supporters of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton will gather in The Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village for the 23rd annual Catholic Guardian Angel Dinner Dance.

The event, which will be held from 6 to 11 p.m., is the agency’s major fundraiser to support the many works of Catholic Charities throughout the counties of Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean.

Among the distinguished faces expected to be at the gala will be Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., Marlene Lao-Collins, Catholic Charities’ executive director, and Daughter of Charity Sister Joanne Dress, diocesan executive director of Catholic Social Services.

“This is our signature event and it is a wonderful celebration in which we salute some very special people who have positively impacted our ability to meet the needs of the poor and vulnerable,” said Jane Hargraves, Catholic Charities’ development coordinator.

Extending appreciation to all who have attended past Guardian Angel Dinner Dances and to those planning to attend the 2012 gala, Hargraves stressed that “In light of the financial hardships that we at Catholic Charities and our consumers have seen over this difficult year, we deeply appreciate your most meaningful generosity. Your support of our mission and honorees is truly appreciated and helps to make the event a success.”

“Thank you for being a part of the Guardian Angel Dinner Dance, for helping to make a difference for our brothers and sisters of all faiths and for enabling us to continue renewing lives and restoring hope for our clients,” Hargraves said.

Daughter of Charity Sister Joanne Dress, diocesan executive director of Catholic Social Services, echoed Hargraves sentiments on the work of Catholic Charities and the services that the agency provides.

“I have had the opportunity to learn about and visit many of the services and programs that Catholic Charities provides and I am very impressed with the many ways that Catholic Charities addresses a broad array of needs within the diocese, and the dedication, competency and professionalism of the staff,” said Sister Joanne.”In these services, and in many other ways, Catholic Charities is a source of strength and support for vulnerable families and individuals living in the four counties of the Diocese of Trenton.”

Sister Joanne noted that next year will mark a milestone for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Trenton as the agency marks its 100th anniversary of serving people in need.

In past years, the gala, on average, has drawn more than 600 Catholic Charities staff and supporters and has generated more than $200,000 in income. Last year’s gala, according to Hargraves, generated $248,205, and this year’s anticipated goal is $245,000. Proceeds from the GADD are directed to the various service areas that come under Catholic Charities.

A highlight of the annual GADD is the recognition of women and men who have given of themselves to help those most in need. Among this year’s honorees are: Mary Ellen Griffin, recipient of the Richard J. Hughes Humanitarian Award; Lucy Yeager, Burlington County Light of Hope Award; Len Berlik, Mercer County Light of Hope Award; Bob Powderly, Monmouth County Light of Hope Award, and  St. Mary of the Lake Parish, Lakewood, Ocean County Light of Hope Award.

St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton, will receive the Corporate Citizen of the Year Award. Jay Scott Rosen will receive the 2012 Client Achievement Award.

Mary Ellen Griffin became involved with Catholic Charities 10 years ago when she was asked to handle publicity for the Monmouth County Ray of Hope Gala. Her passion and interest in helping others inspired her husband, Peter, to become a volunteer as well. Together they have helped to publicize and generate advertising for the Ray of Hope gala, and both were asked to serve on the Monmouth County board. Mary Ellen eventually went on to chair the Monmouth County board and, in 2008, she was named vice chair of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, board of trustees and first chair of the board’s social policy committee. In 2010, she was named chair of the board of trustees and served on the search committee that recruited Marlene Lao-Collins as executive director.

Born in White Plains, N.Y., Griffin is a graduate of the College of Mount St. Vernon, Riverdale, N.Y. She held a career in public relations in Massachusetts and New Jersey before she switched career gears and became a stay-at-home mother.

In St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck, where she has been a member for more than 30-years, Griffin has served as coordinator of the baptismal preparation team, a catechist, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and reader.

Griffin is the mother of two children and step mother to three children. She also has six grandchildren.

Lucy Yeager, a resident of Mount Laurel and member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown, was born in Philadelphia and moved to Mount Laurel in 1964 when she married her husband, Robert. The Yeagers have three children and five grandchildren. Robert Yeager was the Light of Hope recipient for Burlington County in 2008.

Yeager became involved with Catholic Charities through her friendship with Louise Carter, a 2002 Light of Hope recipient. Yeager assists Catholic Charities with the planning of the annual Guardian Angel Dinner Dance and serving on the silent auction committee.

In Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Yeager serves as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion and is a member of the adult choir music ministry. She has also served on the PTA in Our Lady of Good Counsel School and on the committee of the Burlington County PTA board.

Len Berlik, a Princeton resident and consultant, and his family are global citizens who have lived and worked in the United States, Europe and Asia. Berlik enjoyed a 40-year career in the chemical industry, finishing as executive vice president at Imperial Chemical Industries. Although retired, he continues to work as a consultant for a number of private equity firms with investment in the chemical industry.

Berlik’s involvement in philanthropy began while living in the Netherlands when he joined the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a non-profit that teaches business skills to disadvantaged youth. In 2007, he established the Len & Laura Berlik Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving the quality of life in communities through supporting social services, health care, education and cultural enrichment.

Berlik joined Catholic Charities’ board of trustees in 2007. For the past few years, he has chaired the development committee and has recently led the effort to establish a speaker’s bureau to spread the message of Catholic Charities throughout central New Jersey.

Berlik holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee where he is a frequent guest lecturer at the school of business. He also holds a master’s of business administration degree from Xavier University in Ohio.

Berlik and his wife, Laura, have four children and seven grandchildren.

Bob Powderly is a resident of Middletown and member of St. Catharine Parish, Holmdel. He graduated from St. John University and Baruch College at the City University of New York where he earned a master’s degree in finance.

Powderly’s main work experience has been in finance, spending more than 33 years with Novartis Consumer Health USA (formerly CIBA Consumer Pharmaceuticals, USA) where he was chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

In 1984, Powderly and his wife, Diana, moved from Staten Island to Middletown and joined St. Catharine Parish, Holmdel, where they were active in various parish ministries, including the parish’s social justice and finance committees.

In 2009, Powderly was inspired to do more to help the needy. At the recommendation of Fran Dolan, former executive director of Catholic Charities, Powderly joined the Monmouth County board. He subsequently became active with the Ray of Hope Gala Committee, the primary annual fundraising event for Catholic Charities in Monmouth County, serving as a co-chair of the sponsorship committee. He and co-chair, Peter Griffin, have raised more than $240,000 during the past three years to fund Monmouth County Catholic Charities programs.

Powderly and his wife of 43 years have two children and three grandchildren.

St. Mary of the Lake Parish has stepped up to the plate to help people in need for many years and in many ways. The parish became involved with Catholic Charities in 1995 when Msgr. Michael J. Walsh, pastor at the time, helped to bring Catholic Charities’ Emergency and Community Services to Lakewood. The parishioners assisted by hosting food drives and with other chores such as stocking the shelves and sorting clothes.

Under Father Michael O’Connor’s pastorate, the parish established a St. Vincent de Paul Conference in 2005, and has since worked to address the needs of the community by providing food and financial assistance. Conference members currently feed about 2,000 people each month and they also act as advocates for families and individuals in need of monetary assistance to help pay utility bills and rent.

Other parish outreach efforts to benefit Catholic Charities including the Altar-Rosary Society members taking the lead in preparing Easter for the children who attend the Emergency & Community Services program. Members of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas sponsor Lenten and summer food drives and help with making Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets. CDA member Bobbi Banks-Grove, also a 2010 Guardian Angel Dinner Dance honoree and Ocean County board member, collects used cell phones to be reprogrammed and given to clients seeking assistance through Providence House Domestic Violence Services in Whiting.

St. Francis Medical Center is a Catholic teaching hospital established by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. The hospital was officially dedicated on May 31, 1874, by Bishop Michael A. Corrigian, Bishop of Newark.

Today, St. Francis remains committed to providing total healthcare (physical, emotional and spiritual) in an individual-centered care environment.

St. Francis and Catholic Charities have a shared vision that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all people, especially the poor and vulnerable. Over the years, the hospital has worked directly with Catholic Charities in community medical services and a behavioral health collaborative to help bring better access to mental health services for the residents of Mercer County.

“St. Francis has been and continues to be a valuable partner in our mutual quest to provide quality services that focus on the wellness of the whole person,” said Harry Postel, director of behavioral health services at Catholic Charities. “Our organizations share a common goal in striving to improve the quality of life for individuals and families in our community.”

Jay Scott Rosen will be honored for the progress he made through the Catholic Charities’ Transitional Residential Program. He will share his harrowing experience of being homeless, dealing with alcohol and substance abuse and mental illness diagnosis. In addition to having received services from a Princeton-based partial-care program, the Transitional Residential Program at Catholic Charities helped Rosen to obtain proper medications, clothing, housing and the support he needed to “begin the next chapter of my life’s journey.”

Rosen, who graduated from the Transitional Residential Program in February 2011, reflected: “Being a ‘consumer’ in the Catholic Charities Transitional Residential Program, I have grown and matured as a person and was given the tools in which I was able to grow as a man and a father to my children.”

“Catholic Charities has given me a chance to quiet my restless soul and start to try to put the pieces of my shattered life together again,” he said.

For ticket information or reservations, call 609-394-5181, ext. 1159 or visit www.catholiccharitiestrenton.org