More than a dozen Boonton small businesses are turning this month’s First Friday into a fundraiser. A Quest for Ellie runs Friday, August 7, 2026, from 5 to 9 p.m. along Main Street in Boonton, and every participating stop is raising money to help a local family buy a wheelchair-accessible van.
The event is organized by Boonton Underground, a grassroots initiative that builds creative events around the downtown business community. Participating retail stores, restaurants, coffee shops, and tattoo studios will run raffles, giveaways, and special promotions through the evening, with proceeds going to Ellie Cooper’s campaign through Help Hope Live, the national nonprofit that manages secure, tax-deductible fundraising for families facing uninsured medical costs.
Ellie was born at 26 weeks weighing less than two pounds and spent months in the NICU. She lives with cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, chronic lung disease, dysautonomia, cortical visual impairment, and Kleefstra Syndrome 2, an ultra-rare genetic disorder. She depends on a wheelchair, a feeding tube, oxygen, medications, and specialized medical equipment every day, and her care includes frequent trips to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and other regional medical centers.
Every appointment means moving all of that equipment with her. The family is raising money for a wheelchair-accessible Ford Transit van that would keep Ellie safely secured during travel while carrying the gear she relies on. Insurance does not cover accessible vehicles or the modifications they require, so the cost falls almost entirely on families like the Coopers. The Boonton community raised more than $6,000 for Ellie in the campaign’s first month, and a June fundraiser at the Boonton Elks Lodge added to that total.
Businesses signed on for August 7 include Artsy, Boneyard Boutique, Boonton Coffee, Catfight Coffee, Chili Willie’s Restaurant, Gemtuitive, Hollywould Studios, Imperfect Perfections, Java Smugglers, Life Center Stage, Melis Sweethouse, Rose & Ruth’s, Sinofilia Tea Shop, Speakeasy Art, Stokedville, and The Tattoo Guild.
“Boonton has always been a town that shows up for its neighbors,” said the organizers of Boonton Underground. “This event is an opportunity to celebrate our incredible small businesses while helping one local family meet a critical need. We hope people come downtown, enjoy everything Boonton has to offer, and be part of something that can truly change Ellie’s life.”
First Friday is already a familiar night on Main Street, where Boonton has hosted live music and family-friendly programming downtown in past seasons. Anyone planning a bigger stretch in town can also mark the calendar for the Boonton Fire Department Labor Day Carnival, which runs September 3 to 6.
Organizers are asking people to spend the evening walking Main Street, eating and shopping local, and taking part in the raffles and promotions along the way. Anyone who cannot make it on Friday can still give directly through Ellie’s Help Hope Live campaign page, where donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
