Crozier Gala: More than just Catholic Community Foundation’s black-tie event

By Andrew Junker | March 19, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

When smartly dressed men and women attend the Catholic Community Foundation’s Crozier Gala May 2, they’ll be attending Arizona’s only Catholic black tie event.

But organizers say that’s not the really important aspect of the evening. What’s most important is what can be accomplished throughout the diocese because of the gala.

Monnie Calfee, a longtime supporter of the event who throws a yearly invitation envelope stuffing party for it, described the impact that the gala can have. The money raised goes straight toward the foundation’s efforts in helping the needy, promoting Catholic education and a host of other services.

“Many people don’t realize that all this money goes to the Catholic Community Foundation, all of it,” she said.

The money raised by the gala comprises the unrestricted funds that the foundation awards through its competitive grants program. The money directly supports local Catholic schools, communication programs, catechetical formation and services to the poor.

This year’s gala’s theme is “A Call to Serve,” and there’s a special focus on St. Katharine Drexel, who is the patroness of the foundation.

Chairwoman Cindy Todare hopes the evening will inspire attendees to increase their service to the Church.

“We just decided to go into the deeper meaning of what the foundation does, which is foster philanthropy,” she said.

The evening’s program will center on vignettes performed by local high school students that highlight all the services that receive money from the foundation’s grants program.

“We’ll have something on Maggie’s Place, St. Vincent de Paul, Radio Family Rosary and vocations,” Todare said. “Basically, we want to enlighten people in the purpose of the gala.”

The foundation will also honor Lorenza DeMuro, whose philanthropic giving over the years stands as a shining example, Todare said.

And while the country suffers economic pain, the need for philanthropy will only grow, Todare said, especially among programs like the foundation’s tuition assistance.

“There’s such an unmet need,” she said. “But there’s only so much money to go around.”