Short Hills House Tour Benefiting Millburn Township Special Services and Promoting Autism Awareness

House Tour: Saturday, April 27th from 1pm - 4pm, $25 Ticket

Autism affects 1 in 34 children in New Jersey.

It’s an ​Architectural and Real Estate ​House Tour that showcases architecture & design while providing a pulse on our local real estate market.  There are six fabulous, available houses in Short Hills on the tour. It is on Saturday, April 27th from 1pm - 4pm, and you can purchase tickets at ​Eventbrite​/Short Hills House Tour.  The ticket price increases two days before the tour, so buy your tickets today!

The proceeds from this event help assist the Director of Special Services of Millburn Township Public Schools, Jennifer Sowa, fund further parental and professional development opportunities.  The reach of this program goes beyond special services, and usually includes the entire district.

Last year’s fundraising efforts helped provide the following professional and parental development opportunities:

• Four full paid grants to the Autism NJ Official State Conference and two to the Autism NJ Transition Conference
• Guest author/speaker from Harvard, Dr. Robert Brooks, on his book “Raising Resilient Children" and "The Power of Mindsets, Nurturing Engagement, Motivation, and Resilience in Students"
• Seminar on "A Parent’s Guide to Signs and Strategies to Help Reduce Anxiety in Children"

This year, one of the houses featured on the tour is a historic Old Short Hills numbered Stewart Hartshorn house.  The home was named the “Sunset Cottage”, and will be hosted by Cara Moxley, Operating Partner/Broker of the Summit, Short Hills, & Westfield Keller Williams Realty offices.  This home is for sale and she serves as the listing agent for the property. In addition to Moxley, the curator of the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society museum, Lynne Ranieri, will be present to share stories, show pictures, tell facts and provide (for a $5 donation) five historic walking tour.   

12 The Crescent

With a realtor’s prospective, Moxley describes the house as “one of Short Hills’ treasures and rare opportunity to own. This historic colonial was designed and built in 1881-2 by the well-known NY architecture firm of Lamb and Rich and has been noted as one of the finest examples of Shingle Style in the area and has been featured in many architectural publications. It was expanded in 2000 and has continued to adapt to suit the modern lifestyle. The home has been both restored and updated with careful attention to its structure and systems. The possibilities to define the next chapter of this prestigious gem await…”

During a recent walking tour of the historic Short Hills Park, Ranieri pointed out architectural features of this home such as how the home got its name, and the words “Sunset Cottage” in a plaque on the house.  The current home’s owner replicated the plaque, from a picture in an early article about the house. The historical society has lots of background information on local architecture, and the museum collection has old or original photos of the many of the homes in Short Hills, not to mention a wealth of information about the history of Millburn Township.

From the tour organizer’s perspective, the tour is a great opportunity that provides participants with a nice day out, while creating an event where people can learn about and see the fine architecture, building, local real estate values, and design in our community though viewing local high-end homes, all in one day.  The homes on the tour never disappoint, with the prices typically ranging from $1M - $5M including historic, renovated, new construction and even some that are needing updating. It’s an interesting view to see the architecture and real estate in town.

Gold level sponsors of this event include Cara Moxley & Melanie Rosenbaum with Keller Williams Realty, Anthony Verducci with Sotheby’s Prominent Properties, Arlene Gonnella with Weichert Realty, Jon Lamkin of Guaranteed Rate and Matthew Rosenbaum of Simonian Rosenbaum Architects.  At each mansion, participants will receive a light lunch, other treats, giveaways or door prizes along with literature about autism.  Sushi will be provided at one of the houses by our very own Jon Lamkin, from Guaranteed Rate, and all of the literature provided on autism comes from the official state autism organization, Autism NJ.

Unable to attend?  Not a problem! You can still support a great cause and win amazing prizes.   With a $20 raffle purchase, you will receive 5 raffle tickets.  Raffle prizes include, but are not limited to a consultation with an interior designer, architect, financial planner, family photo shoot, manicure & pedicure, pottery by a local artist, beauty products, stationery, restaurant gift certificate, tennis lesson, and music lesson to name a handful. Winner need not be present to win, however you will be contacted by the tour organizer to make your selections.  Drawing will take place on April 28th. Raffle prizes can be picked up or delivered.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 27th from 1pm - 4pm for this special fundraising open house time and day. Purchase tickets at ​Eventbrite​, or for more information please contact the tour organizer, Melanie Rosenbaum at (973) 768-1818 or Melanie@RealShortHills.com​.  If you are unable to attend this event, consider buying a ticket anyway as the proceeds are alloted towards important community events.   

Real Short HIlls with Keller Williams Premier Properties

Keller Williams Realty, Summit, NJ

Millburn/Short Hills Historical Society

Autism NJ

Architectural and Real Estate House Tour Benefits Millburn Township Public Schools, sending key district professionals to the Autism NJ conference

Architectural and Real Estate House Tour Benefits Millburn Township Public Schools  

At the most recent Board of Education meeting, a presentation was made to share how funds were raised from the Architectural and Real Estate House Tour which benefits our very own Special Services in Millburn Township Public Schools.  Proceeds from the tour enabled 4 individuals to attend the Autism New Jersey main and transition conferences. Autism New Jersey’s main state conference was recently held on October 18th and 19th. The district’s three behaviorists received grants to attend the conference.  The behaviorists don’t just help those with Autism, they assist anyone who has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). The fourth individual to receive a grant was a self-contained autism teacher from our district. They all shared their takeaways from the conference at the board meeting.  To see a video of their comments, please see the following link.   

For perspective, Autism Speaks is the Official National Autism Organization, while Autism New Jersey is the Official State Organization.

Background on Autism NJ:

It’s the largest statewide network of parents and professionals dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with ASD, autism spectrum disorder. This nonprofit organization is committed to providing information, education, awareness, and public policy work to NJ’s autism community.

Autism affects 1 in 41 children in NJ.

Background on the tour, which is the fundraiser to send our district professionals to the conferences:

It’s an architectural and real estate house tour in it’s 7th run and the idea came into play, by Melanie Rosenbaum and her husband, Matthew Rosenbaum.  He is an architect and Melanie is a realtor with Keller Williams Premier Properties. Melanie also serves on the SEPAC  (Special Education Parent Advisory Committee). Architecture and real estate are definite passions for both Melanie and Matthew Rosenbaum.  Many in this town seem to be similarly interested. The tour was a natural event to host, as a win win win for all.

It’s a unique tour that gives community members the chance to view high-end local homes all in one day.  Tickets are $30. It showcases architecture, design, and provides a pulse on our local real estate market. The homes on the tour never disappoint with prices typically ranging from $1M to $5M. At each mansion, participants receive a light lunch, other treats, giveaways and door prizes along with literature about autism.  Sushi was even provided in one of the houses by our very own Jon Lamkin, from Guaranteed Rate.

A very noteworthy sponsor was Anthony Verducci, Jr. with Sotheby’s International Realty, he jumped at the chance of supporting with adding one of the homes on the tour.  He also provided a sponsorship which actually sent two of the 4 individuals that received the grants to the conference. Arlene Gonnella with Weichert Realty has always generously contributed.  She tends to have some of the most expensive and interesting homes on the tour. Her sponsorship sent the other 2 district professionals to the conference. Architect Matthew Rosenbaum usually puts his own design/build high-end renovations and/or new construction homes on the tour.  (He’s the architect of the new construction modern home at 171 Highland Drive in Short Hills). His sponsorship will send two district professionals to the Autism NJ transition conference occurring in early 2019.

The amount of money being raised seems to be growing each year, with almost $40K raised to date.  Keller Williams Premier Properties is another generous sponsor and supporter. With that, additional monies have been slated for Jennifer Sowa, Director of Special Services for Millburn Township Public Schools to add to her  parental and professional development programs. Keep an ear out for those programs as some topic presentations/seminars relate to the entire school district.

Front row:  Dr. Christine Burton, Superintendent; Arlene Gonnella, Weichert; Melanie Rosenbaum, Tour Organizer; Dr. Christopher Mesopotanese, Behaviorist; Meghan Stenziano, Behaviorist, Jennifer Stracquadanio, Behaviorist;  Catherine Benedetto, Behaviorist; Jennifer Sowa, Director of Special Service; Matthew Rosenbaum, Design/Build Architect; Jon Lamkin, Guaranteed Rate; Anthony Verducci, Jr., Sotheby’s International Realty;  Back Row: Emily Jaffe, Board of Education (behind Melanie every step of the way)

Thanks to all those who assisted in making this tour a huge success!  Hope to see you at the next one on April 28, 2019.  April is Autism Awareness Month.  

For Sponsorship opportunities, please contact the tour organizer, Melanie Rosenbaum, Melanie@RealShortHills.com or see the following link.

Annual Short Hills House Tour Makes The Cover

So nice to have an article written about the annual house tour (and perhaps my journey related to the cause).  It certainly expresses my passion regarding (though some of the details are mildly off - see below) my desire to spread autism awareness, help enhance parental & professional development in our local schools, and share my passion for local real estate and architecture.  (My husband is an architect and I'm a realtor).  

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A few points deserving clarification are:

• The kindergarten teacher gets a huge hug most every time I see her, since she has educated all 3 of my children as their wonderfully caring teacher.  Check out another article written related to  our journey.  
• One of the letters written from an educator who has received one of the grants for attending Autism NJ's conference can be seen here.  They come back refreshed and ready with up to date strategies for the children in our schools.  
• Regarding the real estate that is seen on the annual tour it really does give people a true sense of the values of the Short Hills market and potentially your own home.  It's a fun opportunity to get a pulse on the local market!  
• All of the additional programs, besides the conferences from Autism NJ, where initiated by the Director of Special Services, Jennifer Sowa.  The tour helped pay for part of those programs.

Noteworthy (with many more involved not mentioned - see the tour map and photos)... Arlene Gonnella is always a generous sponsor with some of the best on the tour (this year $6M & still available);  Jon Lamkin and Matt Keane of Guaranteed Rate always put sushi and sandwiches in some of the houses on the tour;  Amy Burakovsky always puts a house on the tour;  Maggee Miggins, every time she participates gives out candles;  Jacky Elliott, the team leader at Sotheby's International was the igniter & cheerleader in the beginning for this event; Joanne Tedesco Kloud, the team leader at Weichert has always been a lovely supporter;  Tom Baio, local architect always writes a phat check;  The managing partners of KW, Howard Bunn & Cara Moxley are beyond generous and always show up to support me in some form or fashion;  Cecilia Valdez, KW Sales Associate partnering with me on planning this tour;  My family and especially my husband, Matthew Rosenbaum, high end local architect/design builder usually provides a highlighted house on tour, while providing patience and love (and amazing architecture in our town).  

Another special thanks to my dear friend, Lara Stolman, local producer of the movie "Swim Team".  It's a special award winning movie about a team consisting of only children on the Autism Spectrum.  It was playing in the media room in one of the mansions on the house tour.  If you missed it, check it out on Netflix!  

Seriously it warms my heart how all of these people come together to give to this cause.  
Thank you! 

Short Hills House Tour

The 4th Annual Short Hills House Tour

It was a wonderful day spent seeing great local architecture, Short Hills real estate, and exceptional designers talents via this Architectural and Real Estate Short Hills House Tour. Thank you to everyone who supported this hugely successful event, and supported spreading Autism Awareness. We raised almost $9K! The proceeds are going to Autism NJ and Millburn Special Services. Autism NJ will be providing materials and support direct to Millburn Township Public Schools to help educate and spread autism awareness. Millburn Special Services will be utilizing the monies raised for further professional development.

Thank you so much! For additional information please go to www.RealShortHills.com or contact the tour Organizer, Melanie Rosenbaum at 973-768-1818 or Melanie@RealShortHills.com.

4th Annual Short Hills House Tour to Promote Autism Awareness

a local architectural and real estate house tour

Preview Party: 5/20 7pm-9pm
House Tour: 5/21 12noon-3pm

The 4th Annual Short Hills House Tour to Promote Autism Awareness will take place on May 21, 2016 from noon to 3pm, with a Preview Party on May 20th between 7pm - 9 pm. Tickets are available for $25.00, and may be purchased via Eventbrite/ Short Hills House Tour. All proceeds directly benefit spreading autism awareness in Millburn Township Public Schools. Last year’s proceeds went towards funding Autism NJ’s Classroom Kits. The kits were provided as gifts to teachers within our public school system to foster acceptance and build understanding within the classroom. New this year, Millburn Township educators will be given scholarships for the chance to attend the main Autism NJ Conference, as well as the Transition Conference the state organization provides.

Autism affects 1 in 45 children in New Jersey.

With those astonishing numbers, Sales Associate & Blogger, Melanie
Rosenbaum of Real Short Hills along with Keller Williams Premier Properties have put together an architectural and real estate house tour experience in which participants will be given the opportunity to view local available Keller Williams Premier Properties real estate in Short Hills, with properties usually ranging $1M - $5M on the tour. This year the homes are sure to not disappoint, as the houses are on average over $3,000,000!

On Friday May 20th, from 7pm-9pm there will be a Short Hills House Tour Preview Party in which participants will have the chance to spend time in one of the spectacular homes on the tour. This year’s preview party home will be a 10,000 square foot modern new construction design/ build by upscale local architects, Simonian Rosenbaum Architects. A design show house will be found inside the home, with local designers staging the 4 second floor bedrooms to showcase their style and design. Also to be enjoyed over the course of the evening will be light bites & beverages, exceptional service by locals “We’re Having A Party”, artwork by Contemporary Art & Edition, and with musical entertainment. Raffles provided by Bedazzled, Schultz Furrier, Bungalow, and Salon La Mode, among others.

On Saturday, May 21st, between 12 - 3 pm, participants will attend the 4th annual Short Hills House Tour to Promote Autism Awareness. The $3M+ homes will be opened to those attending with treats, light lunch, and giveaways provided by Acres Title, Guaranteed Rate, Philly Pretzel Factory, Squirrel & The Bee, among other wonderful & generous sponsors. Participants will also find information about our school district’s referendum, as well as information from Autism NJ to help spread Autism Awareness.

To support this cause and take part in what is sure to be a truly memorable
local event, please visit the following link: Eventbrite/ Short Hills House Tour

For additional information about the main state autism organization Autism
NJ, please visit: www.AutismNJ.org.

For all other inquiries or more information, please contact Melanie
Rosenbaum, Sales Associate & Blogger with Keller Williams Premier Properties of Essex, Union, & Morris Counties, Melanie@RealShortHills.com, or please visit www.RealShortHills.com