Behind the scenes of the Boston Dinner Gala

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The main function of The American Ireland Fund is to communicate the need which exists in Ireland and to fundraise in the United States to combat that need. We at The Fund would like to give you a closer look at how our major event fundraising works.

The American Ireland Fund’s 22th Annual New England Gala Dinner on November 19th raised in excess of $2.3 million. The staggering sum represents the most successful Boston event in the history of The American Ireland Fund. With an original goal of $2 million, The Fund’s Boston supporters blew past this target thanks to our strong and capable leadership team.

This team was comprised of Dinner Chairman Bob Reynolds of Fidelity Investments and his dinner committee and Advertising Chair Mike Sheehan, President of Hill Holliday, and his dedicated committee. These people put in hard work at early morning committee meetings.

This dinner featured another signature AIF dinner journal called “What Difference Does it Make?” The beautiful book was created under the guidance of Mike Sheehan and his Hill Holliday team. 125 AIF Irish projects were photographed. This was a massive undertaking by AIF Galway-based photographer Aengus McMahon with each page telling the story of an organization funded by The American Ireland Fund.

The dinner was planned by AIF team Event Director Lesley King and Events Coordinator Jean Gerstenhaber. This planning included the cocktail party, beautiful décor, the seating arrangements, the food and the program. This year’s program included a short film on the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, and a musical performance by the Tom LaMark Quartet and the Right-On Band.

Always a highlight on the Boston social calendar, The AIF-Gala attracted more than 1,400 attendees who packed the Copley Marriott Hotel, including such luminaries as Irish Minister for Education Noel Dempsey, Irish Ambassador to the US, Noel Fahey, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, New England Patriots Owner Bob Kraft and Boston Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino.

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Boston Dinner 2003 >

Our thanks to Mike Sheehan, President of Hill Holliday and Advertising
Chairman of the Boston Dinner