More than 400 guests attended and raised over $1 million at the 49th Annual Inner-City Scholarship Fund FRIENDS Gala on Tuesday, May 12, at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. Inner-City is the city’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to providing tuition assistance to low-income students attending Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of New York.

Archbishop of New York Ronald Hicks attended the event, and Mo Rocca, correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and member of Inner-City’s Board of Trustees, served as the evening’s emcee. This year’s Gala Chairs were the Barbara and Paul J. Curran family.

“Without our support, these families would not be able to afford the enduring benefits of a Catholic school education. The help we provide translates to over $20 million in scholarships to over 9,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade each year,” said Peter Grauer, president of Inner-City Board of Trustees and chairman emeritus of Bloomberg LP, when addressing his fellow trustees.

“In my role, I am able to see firsthand the transformative power of opportunity. The sense of hope and gratitude from families eager to have their children receive a Catholic education here in the Archdiocese of New York is genuine and significant. We speak often about this education being high quality, rooted in faith and values, and there is no greater proof of that than our students,” said Jill Lloyd, Executive Director of Inner-City Scholarship Fund.

“This crucially important organization is vital to the families who wisely choose a Catholic school education for their children in New York and to the city of New York, in which we live and work. Providing children and their supportive families with a chance to improve their lives and futures through a quality education, not even the most hardened of cynics could doubt the worth of this mission,” said Tom Curran, Gala Chair.

Students take center stage

The event featured an invocation by Chelsea Jeannis, a fourth grader from Our Lady of Lourdes, and remarks by Dennis Le, a senior at Xavier High School. Le expressed sincere gratitude for his family, friends, school, community, Inner-City Scholarship Fund, and his sponsors, Steve and Christine Schwarzman, for their support of his education. During his time at Xavier High School, Le was able to thrive academically, compete on the bowling team, and form a deeper connection to his culture by joining the Asian American Culture Society. In the fall, Le will attend Manhattan University to study mechanical engineering.

In addition to an evening filled with dining and dancing, guests also enjoyed performances by talented students from Our Lady of Lourdes School, Notre Dame School of Manhattan, and Cardinal Hayes High School. The performances included a special original song written to welcome the new archbishop.

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.