Are you ready to help LGBT students at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s?
GALA ND/SMC, the LGBT alumni group for the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College, recently announced the LGBT Student Scholarship Capital Campaign to raise $250,000 over the next five years.
The LGBT Student Scholarship Fund, which was created in the spring of 2015, is to assist qualified LGBT undergraduate students of Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame. To-date, two $2,500 scholarships have been awarded and the process is underway of selecting this year’s recipients to award two more. In the coming years, GALA-ND/SMC hopes to increase the scholarship amounts, with a five-year goal of awarding $12,500 annually in scholarships once the endowment level is achieved.
The initial NYC Scholarship Fundraising Event was held at ND Alum Phil Donahue’s home overlooking Central Park last November with a fabulous turnout of over 80 people.
Now, it’s Los Angeles’ turn to help our LGBT students. For the Los Angeles Scholarship Benefit, join fellow alumni and friends for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and special guests to raise money for the student scholarship. Featured will be stories from current students and how GALA has worked to improve their experience on campus.
The special guest speaker will be West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath ’04. While a student at Notre Dame, Mayor Horvath directed The Vagina Monologues and has been a champion for LGBTQ rights throughout her career. She has served as a Board member of the Victory Fund, was a founding Board member of the NOH8 Campaign, and, in 2009, represented the City of West Hollywood in the National Equality March in Washington DC. Mayor Horvath has also advocated for LGBTQ older adults through her work on the Board of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE).
The host for the event will be Cody Lassen ’09 MBA. Cody serves on the board of GLAAD, and is active in LGBT causes both in LA and on the national level. An entertainment executive and producer, Cody was most recently represented on Broadway by the revival of Spring Awakening. Other projects include It’s Only A Play, Mothers and Sons and the Broadway edition of Kinky Boots starring Wayne Brady.
The benefit will take place on Sunday, June 26th from Noon to 3:00pm at Cody’s beautiful home overlooking the Malibu coast. A selection of wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Get More Information and Register Now
A donation of $100 is requested prior to the event by Friday June 17th. Discounted donation levels are offered for GALA dues paying members ($60) and for students & recent ND/SMC grads ($25).
Pre-Event VIP Reception – Bryan Ricketts ’16, Notre Dame Student Body President, will be our special guest all the way from South Bend. Bryan, who is openly gay, started his work on Notre Dame’s campus as the original president of PrismND, the LGBT student organization, from 2013-2015 and as a peer educator for the Gender Relations Center. Be part of a conversation with Bryan about the current state of LGBT issues on campus, including his experiences as a student leader, and what can be done as alumni to create more change. This will take place from 11:00am to Noon and includes preferred on-site parking. The donation for this VIP Reception is $250 and is available for a limited number of people.
For more information including registration, go to: Register Now HERE. (All attendees must be registered ahead of time and space is limited)
We hope you will join fellow alumni and friends for this event.
LA Area Host Committee:
Tom O’Brien ’86 Liam Dacey ‘04
Cody Lassen ’09 MBA Lindsey Horvath ‘04
Rick Reidy ‘79 Peter McManus ‘86
Brett Peterson ’00 John Whitty ‘10
Tim Hennessey ‘82 Mike August ‘96
David Barber ‘84 Larry Forester Jr. ’69
George Jordan ‘86 Martin van Koolbergen ’94
Jack Bergen ’77
Sponsorships – GALA is seeking sponsorships for this event at various levels. For sponsorship information, go to LA Scholarship Benefit Sponsorships.