Cheers! Teacher Toasts Raise Funds for Educator Grants
- Erin Madigan White
- Jul 16
- 2 min read

More than 200 partygoers filled Lackawanna Station in Montclair on a summer evening last month for “Toast-O-Rama,” a Hillside school community bash that was part of “Toast to the Teachers,” an annual series of events to benefit the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence.
The giant indoor picnic featured food from @BDP.NJ (Burgers • Donuts • Potatoes), wine from @laluzselections (a bar by @boozies.nj), a bounce house, and more.
Parents and community members hosted more than 20 parties around town between May 1 - June 28, to honor Montclair Public Schools teachers, thank them for a wonderful school year, and raise nearly $25,000 to fund MFEE's educator grants.
The events were also an opportunity for parents and caregivers to share wonderful sentiments about their teachers, such as:
“Renaissance staff is THE BEST!”
“Thank you for a fabulous first year of middle school!”
“So grateful for the love and dedication of our teachers!”
Each year, MFEE awards $60,000 in grants to teachers across the district for classroom innovation, professional development and social-emotional learning. Teacher Toasts are a critical source of funding for this impactful work.
Other Teacher Toast events included:
A whiskey tasting honoring Damen G. Cooper, who served as Montclair’s Interim Superintendent for the past school year.
An evening at Tierney’s Tavern to celebrate all Northeast Elementary School teachers and staff.
Parents and friends of the Montclair Community Pre-K raised a glass in celebration of Director Amy Dorr.
And families at Charles H. Bullock Elementary school hosted a farewell party to thank their 5th grade teachers.
Plus, there were backyard get-togethers, dance parties, ice cream trucks, and even a track-and-field themed party at Brookdale Park!
“Toast to the Teachers has been a Montclair tradition for more than 30 years,” said Masiel Rodriquez-Vars, MFEE’s executive director. “It’s a wonderful way to recognize our incredible educators and also support their creative ideas that make a lasting impact on our students.”
MFEE Board Co-President Bridget Placek added: “We love Teacher Toasts. Getting to give our teachers a proper thank you is really important to us. We are thankful to have some meaningful relationships with our kids’ former teachers and much of those are built on the fun we had together at Toasts! Sending the money we raise back into MPS classrooms is the icing on the cake.”
We can all raise a glass to that.
Check out MFEE.org/blog to read about some of the amazing experiences and tools MFEE funded recently, supporting science education, a character-building program, student journalism, a technology lending library, juggling balls and scarves for physical education, multicultural tea time, musical instruments, grief kits for students experiencing loss, ballet barres, and much more.
MFEE is grateful to everyone who hosted a party, attended a Toast or made a donation.
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