NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Friends and families of Iona Prep recently marked the start to a year-long celebration of its 100th anniversary with a President’s Dinner held at Glen Island Harbour Club. The evening officially began the Centennial Campaign for Excellence, with a goal of $10M for facility enhancements and instructional improvements.
Those upgrades include a renovation of the Library and Technology Center at the Lower School, complete with a Makerspace and Storytelling room, and an expansion of the Paul Verni Fine Arts Center at the Upper School to include additional instructional space and a 435-seat auditorium. Brother Thomas Leto, President, announced that $7.5M has already been raised toward the $10M goal.
Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Founders’ Award to Virginia and Thomas Hughes, the latter a 1975 graduate, by Centennial Co-Chair Bill Harrington ’75. In addition to supporting Iona Prep, Mr. and Mrs. Hughes donate much of their time to work with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and have helped to raise more than $20M through their own philanthropy and the Wall Street Charity Golf Classic, which Tom founded in 1987. Mr. Hughes is presently the chairman of Kings Point Ventures, one of the largest Dunkin Donuts franchisees in the nation.
The Founders’ Award recognizes those who are strong in faith and who model Edmund Rice by “standing in solidarity with those marginalized by poverty and injustice.” In 1802 at the age of 40, Edmund Rice gave up all his worldly goods to establish an educational ministry in the Church. He sold his profitable Waterford shipping business, began teaching the Gospel to poor boys, and founded the Congregation of Christian Brothers. In 1996, Pope John Paul II beatified Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice.
“It was a night truly 100 years in the making,” said Chief Advancement Officer Mark E. Hogan, a graduate of the Lower and Upper Schools who served as emcee for the evening. “As we celebrate and share our history over the last century, we are equally excited to be part of the collective that gets to set the stage for Iona Prep’s next 100 years, beginning with our Centennial Campaign for Excellence.”
Centennial events will be held throughout the year including a Christmas Family Mass on December 10th, an Art Exhibit the week of Feb. 6-10, and a Mass with His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, slated for Founders’ Award recipients Virginia and Thomas Hughes stand with Iona Prep President Brother Thomas Leto. Mr. Hughes is Chairman of Kings Point Ventures, which owns and operates one of the largest Dunkin Donuts franchises in the country.June 10, 2017. Future events include a Centennial Olympic Day & Carnival, which will feature the opening of a time capsule, and the culminating President’s Dinner on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017, at Cipriani in midtown Manhattan. To inquire about the Centennial Campaign for Excellence, please contact Mr. Hogan at (914) 600-6158.