50th Anniversary Voices From the Heart Gala

Thursday, September 27th was a magical evening, as nearly 300 friends, supporters gathered at historic Preston Hall in Baltimore to celebrate the Franciscan Center’s 50 years of service to the Baltimore community –and the good people of Baltimore who built and supported the Center throughout the past half century. ABC2 News Anchor Jamie Costello served as the evening’s Master of Ceremonies, and we were privileged to welcome U.S. Senator Chris Van Hellen. Representatives from Governor Hogan’s office and the office of City Council President Jack Young were on hand, as well, to present citations in honor of the Center’s 50 years of service.

We were privileged to honor Ryan Yu and Margaret Chao of Daly Computers with the Franciscan Center’s Spirit of St. Francis Award, for their extraordinary compassion and community spirit. For the first time this year, we also presented our St. Clare Award to McCormick and Company, whose “Flavor for Life” program has helped so many of our neighbors in need to make better dietary choices that will improve their overall health. Our guests also enjoyed the musical stylings of The Towson Trills, a wonderful a capella singing group from Towson University.

With your help, we were able to raise more than $93,000 — making this historic event our most successful Gala to date! Our live and “Fund-a-Cause” auctions raised more than $20,000 to support operations of the Center’s dining and pantry programs — the hands that make these programs happen. We would like to thank our generous sponsors, donors and volunteers, who helped to make this such a beautiful celebration — as well as the many wonderful friends who made generous in-kind donations. Your kindness will make an important difference in the days ahead, in the lives of men, women and children who are among our most vulnerable neighbors. We look forward to partnering with you in the days ahead, as we continue working to reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency in Baltimore.