Saint Robert Bellarmine’s Bazaar an act of grace

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There’s a rather unique team in Johnston that’s steeped in history and prides itself in giving back to the community, and last weekend set an all-time record.

Meet Team Raging through the Ages, a group of about 15 people with vastly different backgrounds and personalities who are also proud parishioners at Saint Robert Bellarmine Roman Catholic Church.

“Our common bond is that each person is a caring and enthusiastic individual who believes passionately in giving back to the community,” said Sandy Cerel, a highly-accomplished actress. “I feel so blessed to have in my life these remarkable people, who have been inspiring me for the last decade.”

One of those folks is Terry Novak, an English professor at Johnson Wales University, who founded Team Raging through the Ages back in 2008.

The team, Novak and Cerel will tell you, started as fund-raising group that held bake and yard sales to raise money for the on-going battle against cancer. Team Raging was also one of the top two teams every year when the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life was held inside Johnston War Memorial Park and set record upon record during its overnight event.

“Our first full scale fund-raiser was a Holiday Bazaar,” Cerel said while chatting with Rev. John LaPointe, the popular priest at Saint Robert Bellarmine, during Team Raging’s 10th Annul Holiday Bazaar Saturday. “Today is obviously much, much larger than it was a decade or so ago.”

More importantly, while Team Raging is awaiting what Cerel said was, “a few last minute donations, we expect that Raging through the Ages will be making a contribution of $4,200; that will be a new record for us.”

Saturday’s bazaar, which is officially named The St. Robert Bellarmine Holiday Bazaar, hosted by Team Raging through the Ages, attracted people from all over Rhode Island and featured booths that offered raffles, a silent auction, baked goods of all kinds, the always popular straw game and dollar deals.

“Many of our regulars love to approach these tables early in the afternoon to take advantage of the greatest selection of goods,” said Cerel. “People told us they were impressed with the wide variety of items we offered this year.”

Likewise, Team Raging’s Holiday Bazaar has become well known for its food concession, where patrons can take a break from shopping and enjoy Italian specialties like soup, ziti with broccoli, or hot dogs, assorted beverage and more.

Saturday’s food concession, which was staffed by Bill Holtmann, Henry Giolitti, Mike Latour and Bob Ferretti, also served meatballs, eggplant and sausage and pepper sandwiches, and people purchased many of those items to go.

“The food is great here,” said Dan Fleming, a former high school hockey standout at famed Catholic Memorial in Massachusetts, who traveled from Narragansett to Johnston Saturday with his wife Jackie and daughters Madison, 5, and Skylar, 3 to enjoy the food and make buy a few gifts for the holiday. “This sausage and pepper sandwich is great.”

The many groups of people who took in Team Raging’s 10th Annual Holiday Bazaar gave the same rating.

Now, Team Raging will re-evaluate what worked well and what could benefit from alteration. Nonetheless, Cerel said what will remain constant is “our desire to provide a fun and festive atmosphere where people can look forwards to a tasty lunch or dinner, find a bonanza of appealing prizes, enjoy a pleasant experience and be greeted warmly and appreciatively.”

Thanks to the generosity of the owners Casale’s Auto Body, who donated a 43-inch flat screen television to raffle that netted $500, and other event sponsors and many supporters, Team Raging will donate the $4,200 to the Saint Robert Bellarmine Food Shelf which serves, Cerel wanted it known, “the entire Town of Johnston.”

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