THE LIVE BAND PLAYED as women in floral dresses in the stunning colors of Havana mingled alongside suited men with fedoras. Hot house flowers in a bed of tropical leaves decorated the tables as parents celebrated a night out while supporting their children’s education.
St. Columban Catholic School hosted its second annual Gala Night, themed “Havana Nights,” on April 24 at the Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach. The night featured passed hors d’oeuvres, signature cocktails, live and silent auctions, along with dinner in view of the sunset over the golf course.
GROUP OF ST. COLUMBAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL’S “HAVANA NIGHTS” GALA ATTENDEES POSES FOR A PHOTO ON THE PATIO AT THE OLD RANCH COUNTRY CLUB IN SEAL BEACH. PHOTO BY ALAN WEDNDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
“’Havana Nights’ — it’s tropical, it’s fun, it’s a laid-back lifestyle,” said gala co-chair Haydee Villagomez. “It brings the community together. We wanted it lighthearted and lots of fun.”
The event is the Garden Grove school’s biggest fundraiser of the year, said principal Melissa Geary. The money raised goes towards the overall needs of the school as well as tuition assistance, Geary noted.
“We are excited that the event is finally here and it is all coming together,” said gala co-chair Glenda Rodas, adding later, “I think all of us work hard in the day-to-day things, so it’s nice to have a night where we can all mingle and get to know each other.”
While the night is primarily about the children so they can have a great school community, it also allows the parents to get to know other parents, explained Camille Burlaze, who led the decorating committee. “This is only our second gala, so it would be great if the parents have a great night and they spread it around to the rest of the parents of our school,” Burlaze said. “And hopefully our third, fourth and so on will be bigger. It’s such a fun night for parents.”
The fundraiser brought out alumni, including families with multiple generations of former graduates. Brother and sister Pat and Rose Passanisi graduated from St. Columban in the late ’70s along with their two other siblings.
“I couldn’t be more happy or more appreciative to my parents that we have a Catholic education,” Pat Passanisi said. “I was an altar server. We all had our sacraments there. We’ve seen a lot of change there, pastors come and go … but it’s home. It’s home for me.”
Another family of alumni was the Daltons, whose third generation currently attends St. Columban. They began attending St. Columban when matriarch Sandra Dalton decided to send her children there despite having a public school across the street. She wanted them to have a strong education with a Catholic foundation. Now, Sandra Dalton is watching her great-grandchild go there.
It has become a true tradition, said William Dalton, III, grandson of Sandra and father of her great-grandchild, who is currently in sixth grade.
“It was something that we enjoyed,” he added, “so we wanted to give them that.”