THE SMA GALA GOES VIRTUAL! 

First and foremost, we hope you and your families are staying safe and healthy during this time! While the COVID-19 pandemic has required us to physically distance, the spirit of the SMA community remains strong and we are SO excited to "socially come together" for our first-ever virtual Gala on Friday, April 24! As you know, the Gala is SMA’s biggest fundraiser of the year with 95% of proceeds benefiting our tuition assistance fund.  The need for this funding remains great, perhaps now more than ever, but just as important is our desire to come together as a community in support of our students, families, faculty, and staff during this time!

Over the next several weeks you will receive a series of three emails detailing all you need to know to participate in and support the 2020 SMA "That '70s" Virtual Gala. The schedule and content of these emails is as follows:

• April 9 –  Virtual Gala Timeline and Online Silent Auction Information
• April 16 – Virtual Live Auction and Paddle Raise Information
• April 23 – Final reminders so that you’re prepared to support the virtual Gala on Friday, April 24, 2020, 7:30 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.

The silver lining to our virtual event is that the SMA Gala is now accessible to those who may not have been able to attend the in-person event so please share this information (and subsequent emails you will receive in the coming weeks) with friends, grandparents, and neighbors and encourage them to join us as we support SMA from the comfort of our own homes, casually dressed, and with our favorite beverage in hand! :)

 VIRTUAL GALA TIMELINE

• The Online Silent Auction opens at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17 and closes at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, April 24 (more information about that below).
   
• The Virtual Gala Program begins (via Zoom) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24 for a 75-minute program that includes the live-auction wrap-up, guest videos, and our paddle raise (more information on this in the April 16 communication). Our previously scheduled auctioneer, Broncos veteran Reggie Rivers, will emcee the virtual Gala program (along with some help from our beloved Charlie Arbogast) and we're excited to have Reggie's energy and enthusiasm that night! By the way, if you haven't seen the video of Reggie visiting Mrs. Garcia's Spanish class last September, you need to check it out! :)

Check out the 2020 SMA Gala Catalog below and scope out your favorite items before the silent auction opens at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, April 17. Information on how to register will be emailed on April 9 and will also be posted on the silent auction section of the SMA Gala webpages.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SPONSORED, PLACED AN AD AND DONATED TO THE 2020 SMA GALA!

 Proceeds from the St. Mary’s Academy Gala benefit Tuition Assistance and Program Resources.

 

Thank you to our Gala Committee Leaders!

Gala Chair:  Andrea Morrissette
Gala Co-Chair: Rebecca Hommertzheim
Décor Chair: Cathy Azcarate
Volunteer Chair: Rhondi Clark