INNER-CITY SCHOLARSHIP
FUND RAISES
OVER $1.3 MILLION
TO BENEFIT LOW-INCOME
STUDENTS
AT 47th ANNUAL
FRIENDS GALA
Funds raised during the
event will support students in Catholic
schools with scholarships and enrichment
programs.
More than 420
guests
attended and raised over $1.3 million
at the
47th Annual Inner-City Scholarship Fund FRIENDS Gala
on Tuesday, April 30, at Cipriani
42nd Street in Manhattan.
Inner-City is the city’s leading
non-profit organization dedicated to
providing tuition assistance to
low-income students attending Catholic
schools within the Archdiocese
of New York.
His Eminence, Timothy
Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of
New York
attended the event, and Martha
MacCallum, news host for Fox News was
the evening’s emcee. This year’s
Gala Co-Chairs were Donna D'Urso, Lisa
D'Urso, Mark D'Urso and Marion Macaro.
“Through this successful
event, we are able to further our
mission of providing low-income families
the opportunity to give their children a
quality, values-based Catholic education
in the Archdiocese of New York.,” said
Jill Lloyd, Executive Director of
Inner-City Scholarship Fund. “All of us
at Inner-City and most importantly the
children and families we serve are
grateful for the generosity of all who
have and continue to support us.”
Ruth Woolard, one of
Inner-City’s most dedicated donors,
received the inaugural Founders Award
for Lifetime Service at the event. Under
Ruth’s leadership and presence for all
of the previous 46 FRIENDS Galas,
Inner-City has hosted this annual event
with hundreds of guests featuring
student speakers and performances at
some of New York’s premier venues.
Ruth’s late husband, Paul P. Woolard,
was one of the eight founding members of
the first executive council for
Inner-City in 1971.
The event featured
remarks by Cardinal Dolan and Gianna
Raldiris, a senior and Inner-City
scholarship recipient attending Preston
High School in the Bronx. Raldris
expressed sincere gratitude for the
opportunities she has received through
her Catholic education, which would not
have been possible without the
generosity of her Inner-City scholarship
sponsors, Martha MacCallum and husband,
Daniel John Gregory. Raldiris has
evolved into an involved student in her
school community, joining numerous clubs
while being a key player on the school’s
Varsity basketball team. In the fall,
Raldiris will attend Pace University to
study nursing, with hopes of one day
being a Nurse Practitioner.
In addition to an evening filled with
dining and dancing, guests also enjoyed
performances
by the talented students from All
Hallows High School in the Bronx,
Cardinal Spellman High School in the
Bronx,
Notre Dame School in Manhattan, and St.
Raymond Elementary School
in the Bronx.
About the Inner-City Scholarship Fund
Founded in 1971,
Inner-City Scholarship Fund exists to
ensure that the gift of an excellent
Catholic school education continues to
be a viable option for both current and
future students of all faiths.
Inner-City changes lives for the better
by providing families with demonstrable
financial needs the opportunity to give
their children a quality, values-based
K-12 education within the Archdiocese of
New York. |