Residents and visitors in Connecticut during Peak Foliage Week will have a unique opportunity this year to see nature’s show from a rare vantage point while helping a good cause.

The Marble Villa in Oxford, Conn., is hosting a fund-raiser for The Kennedy Center on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Kennedy Center is in its 57th year, and it currently serves 1,100 individuals with disabilities and special needs on a daily basis.

“Charitable events that benefit The Kennedy Center Endowment Fund have always been special affairs held in the most elegant of settings; however, this year’s Autumn at the Villa, may prove to be the most extraordinary of them all,” stated Martin D. Schwartz, president and CEO of The Kennedy Center. “On Sunday, October 26th, the hills that we’ll view from the Marble Villa are certain to be alive with color at the peak of Connecticut’s leaf-peeping season. Music of a jazz duo will permeate the rooms and patio of this European style 76-acre country estate in Oxford, Connecticut. It will be a wonderful opportunity to meet with friends and new acquaintances, sip wonderful wines, eat hearty hors d’oeuvres, and raise money to benefit a great cause.”

The event also offers folks a chance to see The Marble Villa itself, which is for sale for $5.4 million. A 76-acre estate with panoramic views of the vineyards and distant hills, the Mediterranean-style home offers a touch of Europe with 130 tons of European marble, limestone and granite imported from 10 countries. Two curved, symmetrical marble staircases and a two-story waterfall greet visitors after they pass through the 180-year-old French wooded and wrought iron double doors. Brazilian cherry wood, hand-painted ceramic tiles and stained-glass windows by a well-known international artist are throughout the home.  The listing is held by Mary Kay Daughters of Hoffman International Properties.

Tickets to the benefit start at $100.

“While our volunteers and staff plan and implement at least seven fundraising events each year, holding an early afternoon get-together that also adds funding to The Endowment is the best of all worlds. Our guests have a great time, have fun looking into the future (with a Tarot Card reader), and they make a real difference in these tough financial times,” confided Martin Schwartz. “An Endowment Fund serves as an “insurance policy – a rainy day fund” that can be tapped when non-profit agencies experience a tougher economy. That rainy day does seem to have arrived,” he added.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the The Kennedy Center, may do so by donating online at www.thekennedycenterinc.org or by sending a check to The Kennedy Center Endowment, 2440 Reservoir Avenue, Trumbull, CT 06611.