BRIDGEPORT—Foundations in Education, a non-profit organization established to support Catholic education in Fairfield County, was forced to cancel its 2020 gala due to the COVID pandemic and the potential risk. The Board of Trustees with the Development Committee’s urging determined it best to forgo the event in order to ensure the safety of honorees, committee, staff, volunteers and guests.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined 2020 as a year like no other,” said Foundations in Education Executive Director Holly Doherty-Lemoine. “Life’s experience has taught us to buckle down, take the necessary action, and do what needs to be done to survive the challenge before us.”
The challenge before Foundations now is to secure additional funds that were budgeted to be raised at the gala. The annual gala is Foundations in Education’s premier fundraising event.
Last year the gala raised over $1 million, which allowed Bishop’s Scholarship Fund to award 1,456 students tuition assistance so they may experience a transformational education based on Christian values and character formation at Catholic elementary schools throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport. Foundations also funded grants to educators for innovative and leadership initiatives within Diocesan Catholic schools which foster creative instruction and support faculty and administrative leadership.
This year, in light of the pandemic, several donors and sponsors who had already committed their support to the gala converted their gifts to straight contributions. Many more stepped forward to “raise the paddle” from home and gave to our Leaders of Tomorrow campaign, where gifts support a scholarship for a student at a full, half, or quarter tuition. Additional support to help fill the gap is welcome. Please contact Foundations in Education by phone at 203.416.1671 or make a donation online at www.foundationsineducation.org.
Foundations will return to the annual gala on Thursday, May 6, 2021, honoring Lynn and Francis X. Mara of the New York Football Giants, Inc. and Dr. Julia M. McNamara, President Emerita Albertus Magnus College.
Please save the date and join us May 6, 2021 for the Foundations in Education Gala as we celebrate a night of academic excellence, faith formation and enrollment in Catholic Schools.
For more information on the gala, or to make a contribution today, please contact Megan Quinn at 203.416.1671 or mquinn@foundationsineducation.org.
