Symphony in C hosted its annual gala on May 17 at Tavistock Country Club to honor the work of Kyle Ruffin and the women’s organization she founded, Impact100 South Jersey.
Gala chairs Debbie Lisker and Edward Chernoff opened the event by addressing the borough symphony’s impact.
“Classical music has brought us joy for many years,” Lisker said. “It has marked important occasions in our lives. It has comforted us, challenged us and connected us to something that is larger than ourselves. And one of the reasons we care so much about Symphony in C, is that it keeps up that tradition, not as something distant or reserved for just people, but as something vibrant, living and growing in the hands of young musicians.”
“That is what makes Symphony in C so special,” Chernoff observed. “This organization can create great music while preparing great musicians for tomorrow. It gives young performers the chance to train at a high level, to work in a professional orchestra setting and to develop the skills and confidence and artistry that will carry them to the next stage.”
Symphony in C is a professional training orchestra that teaches musicians in the South Jersey area.
“These kinds of events are a powerful reminder of why this organization matters so deeply,” Chernoff explained. “Symphony in C exists to do something rare and essential: We prepare outstanding young musicians for professional careers at the highest level, while also bringing music education and artistic opportunity into our communities.”
Former borough mayor Jack Tarditi, who is also chairman of the symphony’s board of directors, noted that the work of the orchestra adheres to the musicians’ adage: “Play your part.”
“Every person connected with Symphony in C plays a part,” Tarditi pointed out. “Our musicians bring talent and education. Our staff brings vision and hard work. Our educators bring patience and care. Our donors, sponsors and friends provide the support that makes all of it possible.
“And when all these parts come together,” he added, “the result is more than an organization, it’s a living institution with momentum, purpose and promise.”
Jack Tarditi, chairman of Symphony in C (left to right), with honoree Kyle Ruffin; Kate Williamson, Impact100 South Jersey president; and Pamela Brant, symphony president, at the gala.
Ruffin, a past president as well as founding member of Impact100 South Jersey, shared that men and women have different donation habits.
“Women have a more maternal approach to their giving,” she said. “They want to ensure that they have an impact, they want to be a part of what they’re contributing to. They don’t want their name on the building. I think it’s less about legacy building and more about having a true impact in the community that they are a part of. And that’s really what we’ve built our model on, is giving people the opportunity to have an impact.
“You also want to make sure the organization and the women who are involved are making the decisions and moving the mission forward,” Ruffin added. “It’s important for it to belong as much as possible to as many women as possible.”
Impact100 South Jersey has donated $1.6 million to area organizations over the past nine years. President Kate Williamson related that while the group is all women, it doesn’t limit its support to females.
“The Father Center (of New Jersey) was one of our finalists,” she noted of the Burlington organization. ” … Everyone benefits when men are better dads, and better citizens and better men. So thinking about women’s collective giving, a lot of the organizations we fund, they’re not all headed by women, but women are a big part of those.
“This was a first … People got excited about the men.”
Impact100 has also supported environmental organizations like the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford and Farmer’s Against Hunger in Delran, along with the homeless shelter Joseph’s House of Camden. It gave Symphony in C a grant for $30,500 last year.
But Ruffin said it often happens that donations go to organizations unfamiliar to Impact100.
“Most of the women who are a part of our organization, who are giving, who are going out into the community, who know the need and respond to it,” Ruffin revealed, “are like, ‘Wow, I never even heard of them. I had no idea this was something that was happening.’
“So I think that’s one of the great benefits of what we do,” she added. “That we expand people’s knowledge about the work that’s actually being done in our communities.”
Kyle Ruffin, founder and past president of Impact100 South Jersey, addressed attendees at Symphony in C’s recent gala.
