Thank you for attending! Over 500 guests of all ages attended Chesterton Academy’s third annual benefit gala on February 10 at the beautiful International Market Square in Minneapolis. We were honored to have Father Francis “Fr. Rocky” Hoffman, Executive Director of Relevant Radio, as our guest and keynote speaker for the event! Special thanks to Whitebox Mutual Funds, our event sponsor.
**View the online photo album!**
The International Market Square was transformed for the evening into a glamorous 1940′s patriotic-themed club, complete with period music from the Fabulous Chestertones big band. The Chesterton Academy Choir, under the direction of Dr. Robert Peterson, kicked off the evening with a performance including “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
In a dramatic, surprise announcement at the close of the evening, Andrew Redleaf, founder and CEO of Whitebox Advisors, announced that he will once again match, dollar for dollar, any donations that come into Chesterton Academy by April 30, 2012, up to $75,000. Thanks to donations received the night of the Gala, we are on our way to meeting Mr. Redleaf’s generous challenge grant. Click here to donate now!
Other highlights from our evening included:
- McKaela Laxen ’12 delivered the annual student speech and brought the crowd to its feet! McKaela was the first student to enroll at Chesterton Academy when the school opened in 2008 (click here to view the video).
- The crowd danced the night away to the world premiere of the Fabulous Chestertones led by Chesterton Academy parents John and Claudia Capello! Download a few samples of their amazing performance below.
Sing, Sing, Sing | Minnie the Moocher | I Won’t Dance
- We announced the lucky winners of our exciting Take a Chance prizes! Special thanks to our amazing donors who made these amazing prizes possible.
- Tickets for two for Father Rocky’s upcoming pilgrimage to Rome
- Tickets for two to fly in formation in vintage WWII airplanes
- An all-expense paid trip to the EWTN studios and the set of The Apostle of Common Sense with Dale Ahlquist
- 40″ HD flat screen TV
We are grateful to our Chesterton parents and volunteers who worked so hard to make the event such a wonderful success. Our sincere thanks, as well, to the many donors and event sponsors who helped us raise critical funds for the 2012-2013 academic year.
We look forward to celebrating with you again next year!
