St. Joe's Ready to 'Celebrate the Academy'

SAINT JOSEPH ACADEMY GETS READY TO “CELEBRATE THE ACADEMY”

CLEVELAND, Oh -- Light up the dreary days of February … and help deserving students … by joining the festivities of “Celebrate the Academy,” the annual benefit for Saint Joseph Academy being held Feb. 19, 2011, at La Centre Conference and Banquet Facility, 25777 Detroit Road in Westlake.

      The fundraiser, a vital source for the 120-year-old, all-girl, Catholic high school’s academic initiatives and scholarship fund, promises a night filled with cocktails, an elegant dinner, and unique silent and live auctions of such items.

      The night, with the theme “Lifting Our Hearts Then, Now and for the Future,” begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails and the silent auction. Dinner and the live auction follow. Tickets are $125 and up.

      Special honors for the evening include awarding Dr. Michael and Cathy Gallagher the 2011 Medaille Shield Award. Dr. Gallagher, president of West Park Dental, has served for six years as a member of Saint Joseph Academy’s Board of Directors and Cathy Gallagher, formerly a researcher in pediatric hematology oncology, has volunteered at the school, served on numerous planning committees and is the past chair of a previous “Celebrate the Academy” event.  Dr. Gallagher is also on the staff at Fairview Hospital and serves on the Board of Trustees at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. 

      The couple’s “tireless support to Saint Joseph Academy (SJA), the Congregation of Saint Joseph, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland and the community at-large further exemplify the qualities of the award’s courageous mentor, Fr. Jean Pierre Medaille,” said Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis, president of  SJA. Fr. Medaille was a Jesuit priest who served as the spiritual advisor for the first Sisters of St. Joseph in 17^th century France.

   Among the items up for auction at Celebrate the Academy include:

• A vintage Christian Dior mink coat
• Corporate or private event for 30 guests on Tower City’s Observation Deck
• A one-week stay for five in Pinehurst, North Carolina, at the exclusive Pinehurst Golf Resort and Spa
• Throwing out the first pitch at an Indians game
• A weeklong stay for five people at a Key West getaway located in the heart of Old Town
• Theater tickets
• Golf, fitness and sports packages
• One-of-a-king artisan items
• The opportunity to be “Principal for a Day”
• Designer accessories.

      Celebrating its 120th year, Saint Joseph Academy is the only remaining Catholic high school for girls in the City of Cleveland. With a current enrollment of 650 young women from four counties, Saint Joseph Academy is rooted in the spirituality of the Congregation of St. Joseph and works to foster unifying relationships with God and all creation. Each young woman is empowered to achieve academic excellence, and inspired to a life of compassionate leadership and service in a global society.  Saint Joseph Academy is located at 3430 Rocky River Drive in Cleveland.

Contacts: For more information, please contact Amy Kocian, Development Director, at 216-251-6788 Ext. 229, akocian@sja1890.org; or Susan Love, Communications Director, at 216-619-1937, slove@sja1890.org.