ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL CELEBRATION!
On Thursday, October 13th, Ozanam Inn celebrated our 36th Annual Century Club Gala, Rollin’ on the River! We could not have asked for a more glorious evening, venue and group of friends to revisit a year of amazing accomplishments and gifts.
No words can describe how thankful we are to the hundreds of supporters of the Inn who help ensure our programs and services continue to offer comfort to so many poor, needy and less fortunate individuals and families.
Our immense gratitude to AJ and Anna Tusa for, once again, allowing us the use of their fantastic restaurant, “Poppy’s Crazy Lobster” as the celebration’s setting! They went above and beyond, as always, donating food and an AWESOME service staff! We also thank the Port of New Orleans for allowing us to use the wharf, it was perfect!
As mentioned in the “President’s Column”, by Mr. Claiborne Perrilliat, we were very fortunate to have Most Reverend Gregory Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans, as this year’s honoree. The Archbishop was presented with a crystal trophy as thanks for his support of Ozanam Inn and its programs. Archbishop Aymond spends most holidays at the Inn, engaging with our brothers and sisters who make Ozanam Inn their home for so many of these special days. We are very thankful that he chooses to spread his love among our patrons and residents.
Deacon Biaggio "G" DiGiovanni was presented with a proclamation from the Board of Directors for his years of service as Ozanam Inn’s Executive Director. Again, as you read in the “President’s Column”, Deacon “G” is now semi-retired and, as of Oct. 1, has transitioned into the position of Administrator/Finance Manager with Ozanam Inn's former administrator, Clarence Adams Sr., taking over the position of Executive Director.
Partygoers took photos of the beautiful backdrop of the river and steamboats passing by, sampled delicious cuisine (char-grilled oysters were a favorite), enjoyed music from Chuck Credo and his Mixed Nuts and bid on 70 silent auction items. We thank Chuck and his rocking band for keeping the crowd jumping and generously donating their time and all of the businesses and individuals who donated for the auction.
As expected, the restaurant raffle was popular: It included $100 gift certificates from 10 New Orleans restaurants: Besh Restaurant Group, Brigtsen's, Cafe Degas, Criollo (Hotel Monteleone), Dickie Brennan & Co., Galatoire's, Pascal's Manale, Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, Vincent's Italian Cuisine and Zea Rotisserie and Grill. Thanks to all of the fine restaurants for your support. The lucky winner was Susan Tabary. Congrats and ENJOY!
The beautiful Alexandra Cranford, Meteorologist with WWLTV, once again, served as the evening’s Emcee. We also extend our gratitude to our photographer, Mr. Austin Hummel for lending us his talents for the event. Very special thanks goes out to our 2016 Gala Committee, our Board of Directors and Advisory Board, our Gold and Silver Club members, all of our amazing volunteers for the evening, our patrons and donors for the evening, the Ozanam Inn staff and the amazing men, women and children we serve. Through their courage and God’s love, lives are transformed each day. We are so proud of them for taking steps to turn around their lives which could not be done without you!