Welcome to the NYC Club Social Events page. As an alumni community, we want to continue having a variety of engaging activities that span many different demographics and interests. Here you will find information on upcoming events and past events.
If you wish to become involved in helping to plan our group’s fun events, please contact social committee co-chair Liam Dacey at ldacey82@yahoo.com. Note: We are currently looking for an additional social co-chair. If interested, contact NYC co-chairs Edward Augustine, Esq. at edward@edwardaugustinelaw.com or John Flanagan at johnjflan@aol.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Celebrate MetFridays: Pride – Friday, June 15, 2018 5:00pm
Your NYC GALA team is working on joining forces with other LGBTQ+ alumni groups to present a fun event for Pride month!
Celebrate MetFridays: Pride at The Met Museum. Enjoy a silent dance party with live DJs, a panel discussion about artists and LGBTQIA communities, and gallery talks with Museum experts and voices from across the city.
Bring your friends, check out the current exhibitions, and enjoy a specialty cocktail with Central Park views on the Cantor Roof Garden. A more detailed listing will be added. There will be a printed guide and map the day of the event: ask for it!
The event is free with a paid Met Museum admission. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located at 1000 5th Ave.
The MET event is usually packed so we’ll be meeting up at the Roof Garden Bar from 7-8pm weather permitting (if the weather does not cooperate we’ll be meeting at the Great Hall Balcony Bar). Feel free to contact Edward at 917-533-9251 if you have trouble locating the group.
“Third Thursday Thing” Social Series – Thursday June 21, 2018 – Rise Bar
Looking to meet GALA-ND/SMC members in New York? Want to reconnect with old friends in the area? Whether you’re brand new to the big city or you’ve lived here since 1842, join the GALA-ND/SMC Club of NYC on the Third Thursday of every month for “GALA NYC Third Thursdays”!
Join us in a relaxed setting Thursday June 21, 2018 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Rise Bar, 859 9th Avenue between 55th and 56th Streets. Enjoy lively conversation about what the GALA-ND/SMC Club of NYC is up to this month, network with old friends, and meet new alums in the area. Also, enjoy happy hour specials! Feel free to bring friends – ALL are welcome! See you there.
Save The Date! – Fourth Annual NYC LGBT Student Scholarship Benefit – November 18, 2018
GALA ND/SMC, is pleased to announce the Fourth Annual NYC LGBT Student Scholarship Benefit to take place on Sunday November 18, 2018 at 4:00pm. The benefit will be hosted once again by Phil Donahue ’57 and his wife Marlo Thomas’ at their beautiful apartment overlooking Central Park.
Join fellow NYC alumni and friends for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and camaraderie to raise money for the LGBT Student Scholarship Fund. Since the fund’s inception, members & friends have contributed over $115,000 of the $250,000 target. Our goal for this year’s event is $50,000.
Student Speaker – Joining us for the afternoon will be 2018/2019 Student Scholarship Recipient Tim Jacklich ND ’20. Tim is very excited to meet the ND NYC LGBT Alumni & Friends and share his experience as the scholarship recipient. Tim is entering his junior year at Notre Dame, where he majors in history and Spanish. His has been active in Student Government’s Department of Gender Relations, the annual LGBTQ retreat, and the Notre Dame Glee Club
In addition to the main event, there will be a unique opportunity to talk with host Phil Donahue ’57 at a special VIP Reception starting at 3:00pm.
Event Registration & Sponsorship Opportunities – Individual registration will be open mid/late summer. To become an event sponsor, go to Sponsorship Opportunities or contact one of the members of the planning committee here.
Alumni Weekend – This fundraising event will be part of an overall NYC Fall Alumni Weekend, including the 2018 ND Shamrock Series being played at Yankee Stadium. Additional events are being planned over the three days (Friday Nov 16 – Sun Nov 18). Stay tuned for more details, but mark your calendars now to join us!
PREVIOUS EVENTS
Xavier Mission Welcome Table at St. Francis Xavier – Sunday May 20, 2018 11:30am
Open every Sunday, a day when most other soup kitchens in NYC are closed, the Welcome Table serves 900-1,300 hot meals each week. The program strives to go beyond the emergency need of food by also providing our guests with assistance in obtaining government benefits, free chiropractic treatments, legal referrals, and voter registration drives.
GALA ND/SMC members and friends will be volunteering to provide meals to a group of needy individuals served by this program.
- Location: The mission is located at 55 West 15th Street (Between 5th and 6th Avenues)
- Date: Sunday May 20th
- Time: 11:30AM to 3:30PM
- What to wear: Be comfortable! T-shirts and jeans are fine. No sandals or other open shoes.
- Meal Service: We will be performing tasks such as:
- Putting hot meal items (entrée, bread, juice, coffee, dessert, etc.) on trays
- Working at food stations giving out extras—e.g., coffee, bread, water, etc.
- Washing, rinsing, and drying trays
- At 3:00pm, cleaning the tables and chairs and sweeping the floors
The Welcome Table will provide full aprons, hairnets, and gloves, which everyone working with the food must wear; if you don’t want to wear a hairnet, you can bring your baseball cap, bandana, or some other type of hat.
To register for this event, go to: St Francis Xavier Mission Event. We already have 5 people signed up and are looking for 5 more!!
MINI Golf at Hudson River Park – Saturday April 28, 2018 11:00am
Spring is on the way! It will be getting warm soon. Once it does, join fellow alums for a fun weekend game of Mini Golf at Pier 25 on the Hudson River Park. The 13,000 square foot, 18-hole professional grade miniature golf course features a waterfall, stream, pond, a cave, footbridges and sand traps. Prices are only $5 for a child’s game (13 and under) and $7 for an adult’s game (14 and over). Note: Cash Only. Where else in Manhattan can you get a bargain like that!
This event is sponsored by the “Women of GALA ND/SMC” NYC Club and is open to everyone. A perfect event to bring the family for an afternoon of fun competition.
Everyone will be gathering around 11:00am for the round of golf. For those that want to continue with the camaraderie, there will be an optional brunch following. Even though there is no need to pay in advance, we ask everyone interested to add your name to the event registration list here.
The venue is a short walk from the Canal St Subway station serving the A,C,E and N,Q,R,W lines. Event Contact: Arlene Ortiz-Leytte ’08 at arlene.ortiz.leytte@gmail.com.
Happy Hour with the GALA ND/SMC National Leadership Team – Saturday April 28, 2018 6:30pm – Boxers Chelsea
Our National Leadership team including our 2018-2020 newly elected officers (pictured above) will be meeting in New York City this weekend and wanted to plan an informal happy hour for any members in the city that would like to come and say hello. We’ll be meeting up at Boxers in Chelsea at 37 W 20th St around 6:30pm on Saturday, April 28th.
Event Contact: Ramiro Ballesteros ‘09 at rballest@alumni.nd.edu.
St Patrick’s Day Parade – Saturday March 17, 2018 – 5th Avenue
What better way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day than by marching with fellow “Fighting Irish” in the St Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17th. This year, our group marched in the parade with the Lavender and Green Alliance, an LGBT group that celebrates being Irish and Gay!!
Monthly Social’s – 2018 – Rise Bar
Second Annual NYC Christmas Party – Friday December 15, 2017
GALA ND/SMC of NYC held the Second Annual Christmas Party for our NYC LGBT Alumni & Friends community on Friday December 15th. The event was hosted by John Flanagan ’93, NYC Chapter Co-Lead, at his home in Harlem in conjunction with his Flanagan’s Harlem Holiday Happening 2017. Everyone had a great time and the group raised over $800 for the LGBT Scholarship Fund and Midnight Run.
ND/Miami Game-Watch – Saturday November 11, 2017 – Boxers
A group joined together to watch the Fighting Irish take on Miami. The game ended in a tough loss for ND, but everyone had a great time.
Monthly Social Series – Thursday October 26, 2017 – Rise Bar
Another fun alumni social at Rise Bar in Hell’s Kitchen.
ND/USC Game-Watch – Saturday October 21, 2017 – Boxers- Chelsea
A group of faithful ND football fans gathered to watch the Fighting Irish beat rival USC. As with previous game watches, Boxers in Chelsea.
Notre Dame/Boston College Game-watch – Saturday September 16, 2017 – Boxers Hells Kitchen
Local ND NYC alums joined the NYC Boston College LGBT Alumni group to see ND beat BC 49-20 at the heights.
Notre Dame/SMC Back to School and Work Social – Thursday August 24, 2017 – Boxers (Chelsea)
Over 20 alums and friends met for a end-of-summer event at Boxers Chelsea. This was the inaugural “Monthly Social Series” held the 4th Thursday of Each Month.
Summer LGBT Alumni/Student Networking Social – July 27, 2017 – Boxers Hells Kitchen
A group of alums gathered at Boxers on Thursday July 27th at Boxers Hell’s Kitchen to enjoy a hot summer evening of camaraderie and cocktails.
New York City Pride Alumni Celebration – Jazz in the City – Duplex Cabaret & Piano Bar – Monday June 19, 2017
Over 30 alums and friends celebrated NYC Pride Monday night June 19th at the Duplex Cabaret. The group was taken on a journey through New York via stories shared by Charles Hale and painted vividly by the musical talents of David Raleigh and their incredibly talented band.
LGBT Alumni Mixer in Harlem – Wednesday April 12, 2017
In partnership with the IVY League LGBT Alumni Network, a group of ND alums met in Harlem for alumni mixer at the beautiful Sexy Taco. A fun time as had by all that attended.
St Patrick’s Day Celebration – Rise Bar – Friday March 17, 2017
A group of about 15 alums met at Rise to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. You can tell by the pics everyone was “getting on their green”.
St Patrick’s Day Parade – Sunday March 5, 2017 – Queens
On Sunday March 5th, a hearty group of NYC alums marched with other Irish LGBT organizations in a St Patrick’s Day parade sponsored by St Pat’s for All. Even though it was cold, everyone was bundled up and enjoyed the day.
The St. Pat’s for All parade celebrates the diversity of the Irish and Irish American communities of New York. After the parade we all gathered at a local watering hole to warm up. The parade even made the local news: Spectrum News NY1.
GALA ND/SMC NYC Christmas Party – December 15, 2016
Over 30 members of the GALA ND/SMC NYC Community gathered for a Christmas Party on a cold, blistery evening. A gay and festive time was had by all. The party was hosted by Kevin Romero ’03 and his husband Philip Maziarz in a beautiful lounge at their building. Through everyone’s generous participation in the raffle over $600 was raised for the LGBT Student Scholarship Fund.
The Raffle Winners
Second Annual New York City Alumni Fall Weekend – September 30 to October 2, 2016
GALA ND/SMC sponsored our Second Annual New York City Alumni Fall Weekend from September 30 to October 2, 2016. There were a number of planned events for GALA members and friends to enjoy. For a recap of the main events, go to 2016 Scholarship Benefit and LGBT Pilgrimage of Mercy. In addition, a game-watch was held at Boxers for the ND/Syracuse football game played that weekend. Everyone enjoyed hanging during the game (and even watching some of it).
Summer Social – Wednesday July 27, 2016 Boxers (Hells Kitchen)
A group of alums met at at Boxers in Hell’s Kitchen on Wednesday evening July 27th. The group enjoyed 2 for 1 happy hour prices while getting out of the hot summer heat. Everyone made it up to the rooftop to enjoy the cooler temperatures as the sun was setting.
Alumni Events at NYC Pride
GALA members attended two Pride events in partnership with the Ivy League LGBT Alumni network. The first event was a visit to the Metropolitan Museum on Friday June 24 featuring the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus. The second Pride event was a “Mixer” at the Yale Club on Tuesday June 28th. Both were extremely fun and entertaining.
ND/SMC LGBT Alumni Social at Rise – Thursday May 12, 2016
Over 30 alums and friends gathered for a few cocktails on May 12th at Rise Bar (859 9th ave). Judging by the pics, everyone had a great time. As a special prize, tee shirts were given out to the first 10 people that attend including the 2016 version of “The Shirt” and GALA ND/SMC ones.
NCAA Sweet Sixteen ND Men’s Basketball Game Watch – Saturday March 25,2016
GALA hosted a game-watch for the Notre Dame men’s basketball game against Stephen F. Austin in the Sweet Sixteen round. A group of fellow alums and friends got together at Boxers Chelsea for the win.
New York City Fundraiser – November 12, 2015
GALA held it’s premier event of the 2015 fundraising campaign in New York City. The host for the event was Phil Donahue, ND alum (class of ’57), GALA board member and a celebrated talk show host of The Phil Donahue Show which ran for 29 years. The event took place on Thursday November 12th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Phil and Marlo’s penthouse home overlooking Central Park.
The evening included cocktail and hors d’oeuvres and featured a video of stories from current students and how GALA has worked to improve their experience on campus.
