April 8, 2019 - Catholic Schools Foundation Raises Record-Breaking $3.6 Million Dollars

On Thursday, April 4, 2019, around 1,100 friends of the Catholic Schools Foundation (CSF) gathered at the Marriott Copley Place for the 29th Annual Inner-City Scholarship Fund (ICSF) Gala. The Gala was held in honor of Dick Connolly, Managing Director of the Connolly Group at Morgan Stanley, who received the Carolyn & Peter Lynch Award for his dedication to providing young people the opportunity of a high-quality, Catholic education. The event, which raised $3.6 million towards scholarship support for low-income students, was chaired by Jim Judge, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Eversource Energy.  
As guests entered the Marriott for the cocktail party before the dinner, they were greeted by student performers from Saint Anthony School in Everett, MA as well as student presentations from a variety of schools throughout the Archdiocese of Boston (see below for a full list of schools).
Ben Simmoneau, Anchor at WCVB Channel 5, was the Master of Ceremonies at the Gala, which was kicked off by an invocation by Bishop Uglietto, who attended in place of Cardinal Seán O’Malley. The invocation was followed by a performance by Amanda Mena, sophomore at Saint Mary’s High School in Lynn and America’s Got Talent semi-finalist.
The event was attended by some of Boston’s top business leaders, including Peter S. Lynch, former manager of the Magellan Fund at Fidelity Investments who currently serves as President Emeritus of the Catholic Schools Foundation.
Student speaker, Julian Delgado-Figueroa, CSF supported senior at Saint John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, addressed the crowd to talk about the challenges he faced growing up in Lawrence, his transition to Saint John’s Prep, and his plans for the future.
“Many of you may have thought of Lawrence as a city of kids caught up in the worst of situations,” Delgado-Figueroa remarked. “But now, I want you also to think of the leaders and role models, like me, when you think of Lawrence. They just need a chance, like you have given me.”
Delgado-Figueroa also surprised the crowd by announcing he will be attending the College of the Holy Cross in the fall.
After accepting the Peter & Carolyn Lynch Award, Honoree Dick Connolly took the podium as well.
“For many of us in this room, our Catholic education played an important role in shaping our lives.  This room is filled with people who are grateful for the opportunity that our parents gave us so many years ago,” Connolly explained. “It is both a privilege and an obligation to pay it forward.”
Other guests heard from include: Sharon Rodriguez, Family Support Associate at Malden Catholic High School and CSF Scholar parent; and Sean Judge, Principal at Highland Capital Partners who co-chaired the Young Leader Dinner Committee alongside Kelli O’Donohue, Vice President at Wellington Management.
As the signature program of the Catholic Schools Foundation, the Inner-City Scholarship Fund supports 4,000 students across 84 schools in the Archdiocese of Boston who would otherwise be unable to afford a high-quality Catholic education. With a 100% graduation rate, CSF Scholars are enriching their communities and paving a better path for themselves and for their families.
The Catholic Schools Foundation, Inc. (CSF) supports the educational mission of the Church while helping to provide programs and services that insure optimal educational opportunities for all students regardless of race, religion, national origin, or gender attending Roman Catholic primary and secondary schools located in the Archdiocese of Boston.
Schools who participated in the ICSF Gala:
Cardinal Spellman High School, Brockton
Catholic Memorial High School, West Roxbury
Fontbonne Academy, Milton
Immaculate Conception School, Marlborough
Malden Catholic High School, Malden 
Mount Alvernia High School, Newton
Nativity Preparatory School, Jamaica Plain
Sacred Heart School, Lynn
Saint Anthony School, Everett
Saint Charles School, Woburn
Saint Columbkille Partnership School, Brighton
Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy, Lower Mills, Dorchester
Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy, Neponset, Dorchester
Saint John’s Preparatory School, Danvers
Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Brighton
Saint Mary of the Assumption, Brookline
Saint Mary of the Hills School, Milton
Saint Mary’s High School, Lynn
Photos from the event can be found here.