Our Mission
Celebrate St. James - Past - Present - Future, Our mission is to preserve and celebrate St. James’ rich history and inspire an appreciation and knowledge of the arts in our community. Our goal is to revitalize St. James as the flourishing hamlet it once was by bringing the cultural arts to our community to drive economic growth.
A Message From The President
A Night at the Oscars! Our 2023 Annual Fundraising Gala promises to put the "celebrate" in Celebrate St. James!
Get ready to walk our red carpet in your most elegant attire and join us for an evening of glamour and glitz as you dine and dance the night away. 2023 marks the 5th anniversary for Celebrate St. James as a not for profit organization actively engaged in promoting the cultural arts through the presentation of a wide variety of events for our community.
Will we be able to continue to offer such rich experiences for all ages? We will, but only with your support. With your generous donations to help save the historic St. James Calderone Theater building, we hope to have a permanent home for a cultural arts center.
This milestone year is a time to reflect on the initiative and imagination of the three extraordinary visionaries who are the founders of Celebrate St. James: Jack Ader, Arline Goldstein, and Natalie Weinstein. With profound pride in their accomplishments, we have selected them as our honorees and invite you to join us in applauding their tireless dedication to enriching our lives through the arts.
With sincere appreciation for
your generous support,
- Doris Meyer, President
Celebrate St. James
Honoring Our Founders
Jack Ader
Jack Ader, a founding member and Executive Vice President of Celebrate St. James, has had professional experience in several fields. In his early life he was involved in theater and film, and later he worked in the printing industry as an estimator and manager of several large print firms in Manhattan. Jack was recruited by Peter Arnell, a highly esteemed photographer and owner of a premier branding and marketing firm in New York City, to work for his company. Jack remained in this business for almost twenty years and often collaborated with Mr. Arnell on many projects. Since Jack’s retirement from the printing industry in 2011, he has had great success as a well-known published photographer. His iconic photo of the American flag that survived the terrorist attacks on September 11th and was found in the rubble of the World Trade Center has been archived by New York State and was displayed in the 9/11 Tribute Center in New York City. Jack’s collection of photographs of many historic sites in St. James were showcased in an 18-month calendar which has raised funds for Celebrate St. James and promoted an awareness of what St. James has to offer.
Jack is curator for the art shows that are presented by Celebrate St. James, and, thanks to Jack, the series of exhibits is a very popular one among artists and the residents of St. James.
He and his wife Harriet and children moved to St. James in 1973 and he is pleased to be a leader in Celebrate St. James, an organization that is dedicated to preserving the history of St. James and promoting the cultural arts.