A red carpet fundraising gala set for September 12 at the Edelman Fossil Park and Museum in Mantua Township will raise money for wheelchairs, strollers and adaptive equipment for children with disabilities, while also serving as a memorial for the teenager whose illness first inspired the charity behind it. The event, called Roar for a Reason, begins at 5 p.m. and supports the nonprofit From We Can't to We Can, which has spent eight years helping South Jersey families access resources insurance often won't cover.
As reported by PHL17, the gala will include dinner, exclusive after-hours access to the museum, and more than 50 gift basket prizes, along with a giveaway of two 76ers tickets. The evening will also mark the launch of the charity's sixth children's book, written in direct partnership with the museum itself, according to the nonprofit's own event materials shared on Facebook. Titled Jaiyana and the Jainosaurus, it continues the organization's practice of publishing superhero stories featuring real local children with disabilities.
A Memorial Woven Into the Celebration
Beyond the prizes and programming, the gala's emotional centerpiece will be a tribute and butterfly release honoring Alexus Dick, the childhood best friend of founder Trinity Jagdeo, who passed away earlier this year. Dick lived with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 and was the original inspiration for the charity, according to the nonprofit's own tribute page and reporting from Follow South Jersey. Jagdeo founded From We Can't to We Can in Vineland in 2018, when she was just 17, after an extended hospital stay with Dick exposed how little representation existed for disabled children in kids' media, per a Forbes account of the nonprofit's founding.
Jagdeo initially tried petitioning media companies like Disney to feature more disabled characters before deciding to self-publish her own superhero books, the nonprofit's website notes. That instinct reflected the representation gap the founder described while building her publishing arm.
Tickets Fund a $50,000 Goal for Medical Equipment
Individual tickets to Roar for a Reason are priced at $60 for adults and $30 for children, with free admission for registered We Can Kid members, and the organization has set an overall fundraising target of $50,000 for the campaign, according to the event's official registration page. Ticket sales support the nonprofit and its fundraising goal. Forbes describes wheelchair assistance and donations of medical equipment and therapy items. The source gives a $40,000 wheelchair as an example of the cost of adaptive equipment.
The nonprofit's community programs and inclusive events are intended to address the needs of children with disabilities and their families. From We Can't to We Can also provides children's books, financial support and community programming aimed at creating what the organization describes as life-changing opportunities for children with disabilities and their families.
A Museum Built on a 66-Million-Year-Old Quarry
The gala's venue carries its own history. The Jean & Ric Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University was slated to open to the public in March 2025 and surrounds an active quarry containing fossils roughly 66 million years old, where visitors can dig for Cretaceous-era remains, according to Rowan Today. The facility followed a donation from Rowan alumni Jean and Ric Edelman.
Gala attendees will also see appearances from alumni of the charity's Including You Runway, an adaptive fashion show that has become another signature annual initiative for the organization. Founder Trinity Jagdeo leads the organization behind the runway initiative.
