Mardi Gras money

Rick St. Pierre, left, with Matheny’s Sandy Josephson.

Rick St. Pierre, owner of Verve Bistro in Somerville, NJ,  presented Sandy Josephson, Matheny’s director of marketing and public relations, with an envelope containing $2,219—the fundraising proceeds from the restaurant’s recent Mardi Gras celebration. That total included $1,000 from a portion of Verve’s food and beverage business during the five-day period from February 27 through Fat Tuesday, March 4. The remaining $1,219 was raised from the sale of Mardi Gras masks, made by facilitators in Matheny’s Arts Access Program and patients in Matheny’s Adult Services program.

This was the third consecutive year that Verve designated Matheny as the recipient of its Mardi Gras fundraising efforts. St. Pierre is treasurer of the Downtown Somerville Alliance, which exists to promote, enhance and revitalize Somerville’s downtown as a thriving commercial district and community gathering place for residents, shoppers and visitors. He was named Somerville’s Citizen of the Year in 2011 and was honored with the Somerset County Business Partnership’s Economic Vitality Award in 2008.