Second Annual National Gianna Gala was a Huge Success!

from Anne Nolte, MD, Co-Founder
National Gianna Center for Women’s Health and Fertility


On behalf of the Board and Staff of National Gianna, I am pleased to report that our Second Annual National Gianna Gala was a resounding success! Thank you for helping to make it such a memorable event, one which not only raised welcome funds for the operations of our flagship Gianna Center but reaffirmed the importance and urgency of our National Gianna mission.
   

It was truly moving to receive so much support from so many guests – 300 guests to be exact -- all passionate about advancing our vital mission, which is to provide pro-life, authentically Catholic healthcare to women and families in New York and around the country. I was personally humbled by the commitment to the cause of life of those who gathered with us, and I am so grateful to have all of you “on our team!”

This year we had a roster of superb honorees. In addition to the All Saints Council 6277 of the Knights of Columbus (see Derek Brown accepting award above), Eleonora and Joseph Reel, and Gwen and Charles Millard, we also honored Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, S.V., Superior General of the Sisters of Life, with our Lifetime St. Gianna Award.

In addition to the support of our honorees, we were grateful to have the generous, sponsoring support of Supreme Knight Carl Anderson and the Knights of Columbus, whose Building the Domestic Church program so nicely dovetails with our Gianna mission.
  

 

 

To have this much pro-life dedication in one room on one evening was a true blessing. We were moved by the speeches of our honorees, who bore witness to what it means to love authentically – in marriage, in family life, in vocation, and in service. By sharing the stories of their lives they demonstrated what it means to make the “sincere gift of self” for the good of another. Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI’s prophetic encyclical on authentic love, was mentioned more than once!

Most moving was the courageous testimonial of a young Catholic couple, Christine and Joe Riley, who, when faced with the heartbreak of infertility, refused to compromise on their commitment to life by refusing IVF when it was presented to them as their “only hope.” They excitedly shared that they are now expecting their second “Gianna” baby thanks to Dr. Karen Dalton and Gianna of Syracuse!

The evening closed with a life-affirming look to the future. We were blessed to hear Grace McInerney, a third-year medical student, who shared her hopes of becoming a pro-life OBGYN. Grace – we are all praying for you!

We are also grateful to Tribeca 360 – a wonderful venue with great views of the city, great service and great food.

I want to conclude by thanking you wholeheartedly for your generous support and by reminding you of how much your generosity means to those we serve. Your support helps Gianna to continue to provide women and families with the transformational health care they need – health care that is natural, restorative, ethical and effective – and I am sure all of our patients join us in thanking you not only for sharing our mission but helping to sustain and strengthen it.

   

The National Gianna Center for Women’s Health and Fertility is a not-for-profit, 501 (c) 3 dedicated to advancing the culture of life by helping to offer women and families natural, restorative and effective healthcare in line with best medical science and the ethical teachings of the Catholic Church.  To learn more about this organization, please use this link. 

 

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