Since 1982 the Gala has helped raise roughly $15 million, and almost 5 million of that total has been raised in the past four Galas.
Every year, the Gala proves to be the biggest fundraising event for the school. This past Gala was no different, attracting hundreds of alumni and friends on September 21st. It was hosted in The Huddle and moved to the gymnasium as the night went on. The Big Event, as it was called in its inception, combines entertainment, catching up with old friends, and bidding on auction items in a lively environment. However, The biggest function of the Gala is to raise money for the Mount Carmel Educational Foundation.
This night is very enjoyable for the guests, but it takes a lot of preparation to set it up, as it starts as early as the previous winter. The main organizers of the event are the Development Team: Director of Scholarships and Event Fundraising Mrs. Jenny Czerwonka, Vice President Mr. Tony DiFilippo ’91, President Mr. Brendan Conroy, Director of Development Mr. Andy Dimas ’88, CFO Mr. Delfino Unzueta, and Director of Planned Giving Mr. Craig Ferguson ’79.
“The Mount Carmel Educational Foundation was established in 1981,” Mr. Dimas said. “The purpose of the foundation is to manage the funds in our endowment.”
The Foundation entails many different purposes, such as lowering tuition and covering the annual budget.
“There’s different lanes within the Foundation,” Mr. Dimas said. “We have a board of directors for the Foundation, and there are various [financial] backgrounds of members on this board. They have really good input on how best to invest these funds. Overall, we can always safely use up to 5% out of the endowment and not worry about ever depleting the funds.”
The endowment ultimately benefits each family at the school.
“We’d probably have to charge each family an extra $1,000-$1,500 a year [without] the Foundation supporting the school,” Mr. DiFilippo said. “It doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re already paying $14,000-$15,000, an extra thousand dollars is a lot of money.”
Since the Gala and Foundation were started by Father Dave Dillon ’57 in 1981, the event has always been hosted in a hotel. However, it moved to the school campus in 2021, which received much positive feedback from alumni. The Development team credits this as a big reason for the recent increase in planned giving.
“I think bringing [the Gala] back to the campus has played a really big part in it,” Mr. DiFilippo said. “I think we’ve done a better job of getting out earlier and talking to people about endowed scholarships and other programs that are in the Mount Carmel Educational Foundation. We don’t treat it like an event, we treat it more as an opportunity.”
In 2022, The Huddle was completed as an outdoor event area, and it showcases the school’s atmosphere.
“I think The Huddle has played a big part in the Gala and will for years to come,” said Mr. DiFilippo. “It has sparked an increase in donations for the Foundation. We’ve really been able to transform the campus into something special that night, and it’s been a really cool experience.”
Alumni seem to enjoy the atmosphere in the new paved gathering space.
“People love being out there,” Mrs. Czerwonka said. “They love being able to see it. People want to come back, and The Huddle is like nothing else around.”
Another recent addition to the Gala has been the increased student involvement.
“[Previously], students were involved as far as selling and intermingling with the guests,” Mrs. Czerwonka said. “But [in the last two years] we decided to put a student at each table, and that is a huge hit because our guests love to talk to the kids.”
This is possibly the most important part of the Gala.
“Guests love to see where their money is going,” she said. “[In the future], I personally would like to see the students be involved in so much more of the show itself. There’s no reason we can’t have students talk about their experience.”
(Keion McNeal ’14)
This year’s event also tried to engage guests in different financial ways from previous years.
“This year we did add a raffle to try to sell prior to the Gala and going into the evening,” Mrs. Czerwonka said. “We also encouraged people to use this time frame to establish a scholarship in their name, or donate to a scholarship that’s already been established so that it can benefit the students for the next year.”
While the Gala is a night of fundraising, it is ultimately also a night of reconnecting with the school and its lessons.
“You get to see your old stomping grounds,” Mr. Dimas said, “and probably get to see a lot of your old classmates, teammates, and some of your old teachers.”
He wants all alumni to consider giving back to the school.
“I would encourage everyone to ask yourself,” Mr. Dimas said, “what did Mount Carmel do for you? Do you feel like Mount Carmel shaped who you are today? And if the answer is yes, consider what you’re able to give back to help the next generation of Mount Carmel students.”
