A Message from the 2009 Newman Gala Co-Chairs

By now you’ve likely heard about the annual Newman Gala. Many of you have attended the Gala in previous years. As the 2009 Gala Chairs, we hope to see you at the Gala this year, when we’ll share a wonderful evening of community and fellowship in support of the CSC. If you’ve never attended the Newman Gala, please know that you are welcome and encouraged to join us on Saturday, October 10th.

The CSC holds a special place in our hearts. We have been members of the Washington University Newman community for fourteen years, first as undergraduate students, then as graduate students and young adults (in Melissa’s case, a former intern-in-service), and now as supporters of the CSC. In our time as community members, we have benefited from some of the greatest experiences of our lives. We both grew up at the CSC in our student days – attending and later leading retreats, participating in service trips, organizing social functions, and meeting lifelong friends. We met at the CSC. We got married at the CSC. We named our first born son after Fr. Gary. Well, not actually, although he did encourage the idea more than once.

Having received so much from the CSC in our time as students, we have always wanted to give back and make sure that future generations of students could experience the same type support, friendship, and affirmation that we received in our journey of faith, growth, and discovery. We can never do enough to achieve that goal, but we can always try. In the years since graduation, giving back has taken many forms, but our favorite way continues to involve attending and volunteering for service at the Gala. It’s an event that we look forward to each year.

To us, though, the Gala is more than just a one-night event. And it is more than just an annual fundraiser. It is a celebration of community and an affirmation that hundreds of people believe in and support the CSC’s mission. The Gala doesn’t come together overnight, and it doesn’t stop when the music ends and the lights are turned off in the ballroom. It is the culmination of countless gifts contributed by numerous people – the various committees who organize and plan the event, the many individuals who procure auction items, the students and adults who volunteer on the night of the event, and the supporters of the community who generously contribute financial resources. The Gala continues after the evening has ended, too – when mass is celebrated at the CSC the next day, when a student in search of support finds a home at the CSC, when a young adult joins with other CSC community members in service halfway around the world. These things can occur because of the outpouring of support at the Gala.

So, while the Gala is still months away, we hope that you can reflect in the coming months on the countless experiences at the CSC that would not have been possible without the success of past Gala events, and at the same time consider joining us for an evening of celebration on October 10^th.

Sincerely,

Melissa and Bob Zaegel