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! 

We are getting very excited for our 34th Annual Century Club Gala, "Rollin on the River!". This year's gala will be held on Thursday, October 16th, from 6:00PM – 9:00PM at the Crazy Lobster Bar & Grill. We are proud and honored to have A.J. & Anna Tusa reigning as this year's honorary Chair-couple!

The venue sits right on the beautiful and MIGHTY Mississippi River and we'll have live entertainment by the Mixed Nuts, delicious food from the Crazy Lobster, open bar, a silent auction and a FABULOUS restaurant raffle! Tickets for the Gala are $100 per person.

RESTAURANT RAFFLE! $100 GIFT CERTIFICATES TO EACH OF THESE WORLD CLASS NEW ORLEANS AREA RESTAURANTS!!! A $1000 value! Acme Oyster House, Brigtsen’s Restaurant, Criollo (Hotel Monteleone), Desi Vega’s Steakhouse, Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak, Horn’s,  Irene’s Cuisine, Mizado Cocina, Ruth Chris Steakhouse  and Vincent’s Italian Cuisine.
$25 per ticket or 5 for $100. Drawing will be held at the Ozanam Inn, Century Club Gala, Rollin’ on the River,  Thursday, October 16th.                                          Do not need to be present to win.

All proceeds from the Gala and the raffle benefit the programs of Ozanam Inn.  Please call 504-523-1184 Ext. 13 for more information or to purchase tickets.
 

What a ball!!! The 33rd Annual Century Club Gala, "Rollin on the River" was a huge success! The Gala was held on October 11th at the Mardi Gras World Café inside of Mardi Gras World. Mr. & Mrs. Frank Stewart reigned as this year's honorary chair couple and brought with them lots of support and fun…as you can see from the photos! The venue was perfect including both inside and outside areas with stunning views of the Mighty Mississippi and the Crescent City Connection. The weather could not have been better, the food, from several local restaurants and caterers, was scrumptious, the auction had lots of amazing items with great deals to be had and the entertainment by John Rankin and the Young Pin Stripe Band got the place hoppin!

A special award, in recognition of their years of volunteer work to the Inn, was presented to Mr. Art Riley, former board member and Mr. Preston Cifreo, volunteer grant writer.

Ozanam Inn would like to thank everyone who made this year's event such a fun and memorable evening. We raised much needed funds to help support our programs and efforts to end the suffering of so many within our community.

Special thanks to our hosts, Mr. & Mrs. A.J. Tusa, Jr. and our honorees, Mr. & Mrs. Frank Stewart.

To our wonderful Emcee for the evening, Mr. Derek Kevra, thank you!

Also to our sponsors: Acme Oyster House, Barreca's Restaurant, Brigtsen's Restaurant, Canal St. Grill @ the J.W. Marriott, Central Po-Boys, The Davenport Lounge @ the Ritz Carlton, Dorignac's/Chef Jezz's Kitchen, Chef Joseph Fardoli Catering, Galatoire's 33 Bar & Steak, Haydel's Bakery, LA Fish Co., Maurice French Pastries, Mr. Mudbug/12 Seasons Catering, Sportsbeat Pub & Café, Vincent's Italian Cuisine, Caire Hotel & Restaurant Supply, Southern Eagle, Trinchero Family Estate, Stewart Enterprises, Mr. Paul Leaman, Dr. & Mrs. Theodore Borgman, Paul & Maroin Claudel, Gary & Kathy Vincent, Ms. Monica Alicino, Mr. Clyde Raymond, First NBC Bank and Dave & Lelia Daigle.

We also would like to offer our gratitude to Mr. Frank Aymami, III, Mr. John Rankin, Deacon & Mrs. Carlo Maniglia and Emination.com.

The 2013 Gala Host Committee included; Clarence Adams, Robert Barbier, Renée Blanche, Ron Cambias, Paul Claudel, Kevin Colomb, Leon Connelly, Dave Daigle, Deacon "G" DiGiovanni, Fred Kirchgraber, Mike Lanaux, Paul Loisel, Spike Muscarello and Jessie Pullins…Thank you all for your hard work!