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2008 Gala | |
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ENDOW held its annual fundraising Gala, an Evening of Enchantment, on April 12, 2008. The event, attended by 425 guests, was hosted at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver, and ENDOW's teen studies: Girl Genius (for middle school girls) and True Beauty: Revealed (for high school girls) were highlighted all evening. The evening was co-chaired by ENDOW Board Members Wendy Dominguez and Joanie Todd. Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, celebrated Mass and started the event in prayer. In highlighting the youth, the readers at Mass were young women who had participated in the ENDOW teen studies, and the music was provided by the Cathedral Youth Choir. Brigid Sweeney was the main presenter of the evening, and she gave a heartfelt appeal for the formation of youth. ENDOW was proud to honor Elizabeth Wisniewski with the Julia Greeley Award for the many ways in which she applies her feminine genius in the current culture. True to its name, the evening was truly enchanted as guests talked and laughed until nearly 11pm!
The Denver Catholic Register published the following article about the event:
She's a laywoman who is in the business of saving souls-one teenage girl at a time-in her own spare time. Years ago, she said, she made up her mind to be a saint.
Elizabeth Wisniewski, 27, is the 2008 Julia Greeley Award recipient. Wisniewski was presented the award April 12 by the nonprofit organization ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women) during its annual Evening of Enchantment gala. The celebration started with a Mass followed by a silent auction, dinner and musical entertainment provided by the Joe Peterson Dance Orchestra and the Andrews Singers.
Founded in Denver five years ago, ENDOW is dedicated to teaching the "new feminism" of Pope John Paul II. The gala, which this year drew 425 people, is ENDOW's annual fundraiser. This year's proceeds-an estimated $60,000, organizers said-will go toward expanding ENDOW's programs for middle and high school girls.
"It is the mission of ENDOW to show young women, in particular, that there is an alternative to the hedonistic, self-absorbed lifestyle touted by MTV and teen magazines today," Mercy Gutierrez, author of ENDOW's high school study materials and editor of the middle school curriculum, told the crowd. Young people don't want to be sold out by the empty lies the culture of death feeds them, asserted ENDOW marketing coordinator Brigid Sweeney.
"They are aching for the truth," Sweeney declared, adding that the phenomenal success of World Youth Days bears witness to that.
"Pope John Paul II encouraged us to open wide our hearts to Christ," she said. "To promote truth itself-Christ."
Through its programs Girl Genius and True Beauty Revealed, ENDOW teaches young women about their God-given inherent dignity and feminine genius, thereby equipping them to live lives of love and service and to build a culture of life, Sweeney said.
And that, she emphasized, leads to real happiness. (Click here to continue to read this Denver Catholic Register article.)