Gala Raises Money for Scholarships, Honors Community Leader, Helps Students Soar
Alumni, friends, benefactors and community members raised more than $550,000 for scholarships at the University Foundation 2019 Annual Scholarship Dinner on March 9, when 350 gathered at the Alexander Kasser Theater to also honor the service, philanthropy and leadership of Lawrence R. Inserra Jr. and Inserra Supermarkets.
As part of Soar, The Campaign for Montclair State University, the money raised will provide financial assistance to hundreds of students of limited economic means, allowing them to pursue and complete their studies at Montclair State.
“I rise every day grateful for the people such as you who share our understanding of the importance of our mission and, most important, who understand that, among our 21,000 smart, hard-working and hopeful students, there are many thousands who quite literally would not be able to be here without your support,” President Susan A. Cole told the guests.
Inserra Supermarkets and Chairman and CEO Lawrence R. Inserra Jr. received the Rose and John J. Cali Award for Business Leadership and Community Engagement, for his commitment to creating partnerships that enhance research and discovery and ultimately benefit the larger community.
Cole said Inserra, whose company operates ShopRite stores in New York and New Jersey, has been “tremendously generous with his time and resources to benefit our students and support their success.” The Inserra family’s lasting impact on the University also includes generous support of student scholarships, the Red Hawk Pantry, the Emergency Book Fund, Athletics, the Coccia Institute and the Theresa and Lawrence R. Inserra Endowed Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies. He also serves on the Montclair State University Board of Trustees.
The evening’s entertainment featured selections from the musical Guys and Dolls performed by students in the nationally recognized Department of Theatre and Dance and John J. Cali School of Music.
Soar is the largest fundraising campaign in University history and has so far raised more than $72 million of its $75 million goal.