More than 400 guests from across the country logged on for Chestnut Hill College’s 12th Annual Scholarship Gala, which took place virtually on Thursday, May 13.
For more than a decade, the Chestnut Hill College community has come together annually to showcase the true spirit and mission of the College for the Scholarship Gala. The event serves as the largest fundraiser for the College, with all proceeds directly funding student scholarships.
With the pandemic still limiting social gatherings and in-person events, the Gala Committee, which was comprised of all alumni and led by Board member Ken Wong, created an engaging, virtual experience that included a VIP cocktail hour – made complete with customized Gala-To-Go boxes that were delivered ahead of the event – live performances, and remarks from staff, students, alumni, and special guests. The event was hosted by alum Chris Shriver ’16 and 6abc’s Nydia Han, who also led a compelling retelling of the College’s rich history and legacy.
This year’s event was marked with the presentation of the first Lifetime of Service and Achievement Award, which was created to recognize benefactors of Chestnut Hill College who have made outstanding contributions to advance Catholic education. The award recipients have shown a strong commitment and leadership to make a significant impact to Catholic education and, ultimately, to Chestnut Hill College.
Ann and Mark Baiada, widely recognized as the leaders of BAYADA Home Health Care, were bestowed the award for their dedication to community service and philanthropy to institutions of higher education across the Greater Philadelphia region, disaster relief efforts across the nation, and Catholic Charities.
In celebration of their recognition, the Baiada’s launched the Baiada Scholarship Challenge to raise $100,000 in contributions to which they would match. Within two weeks, the CHC community met Baiada’s challenge and exceeded the goal, raising more than $253,000.
More than 550 contributions, including donations from every CHC graduating class from 1949 to 2021, reflecting 72 years of alumni, were made during the Baiada Scholarship Challenge and the Gala event. In total, the 12th Annual Scholarship Gala raised more than $546,000 to fund scholarships and additional financial support to current and incoming students of Chestnut Hill College.
This record-breaking amount was the result of the hard work and dedication of the Gala Committee and the Chestnut Hill College community – all in support of the next generation of Griffins. Every individual who took part of the event – from the video production team to the Office of Institutional Advancement staff – all worked diligently to make this Gala one that captured the true spirit of Chestnut Hill College community.
The work, however, continues and planning begins for the 13th Annual Scholarship Gala, scheduled for June 11, 2022.
