BOSTON -- Nearly 470 supporters of the Catholic Schools Foundation (CSF) gathered virtually April 2 to celebrate the 30th Annual Inner-City Scholarship Fund (ICSF) Gala. The gala was held in honor of Bank of America, which received the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Award for their dedication to providing young people the opportunity of a high-quality Catholic education. The event, which raised over $3.6 million towards scholarship support for low-income students, was chaired by Mike Minogue, the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Abiomed.

Ben Simmoneau, anchor at WCVB Channel 5, returned as the master of ceremonies for the virtual gala. Simmoneau's opening remarks were followed by a performance by America's Got Talent semi-finalist Amanda Mena, who is a junior at St. Mary's High School in Lynn.

The virtual event was attended by some of Boston's top business leaders, including Peter S. Lynch, former manager of the Magellan Fund at Fidelity Investments who currently serves as president emeritus of the Catholic Schools Foundation.

Student speaker Aisha Veras, a CSF Scholar at St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Brighton, addressed the gathering to talk about the challenges she faced growing up as a daughter of immigrants in Dorchester as well as her plans for the future.

"My parents took the great risk to leave everything they knew behind them," Veras said.

She said her parents' story, "sparked in me an interest in law, and how it can help better people's lives. Without my scholarship from the Inner-City Scholarship Fund, I would have never been able to grow my passion and pursue my dreams. My dream of becoming a lawyer and helping the disadvantaged has been made possible by the Catholic Schools Foundation."

Veras also shared that she is now deciding between acceptances at UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, Loyola Maryland, Suffolk University, and St. John's University. A poll at the virtual event asking guests to vote on where they thought Veras will attend showed a tie between Suffolk University and Loyola Maryland.

Lynch spoke during the virtual event to honor Bank of America with the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Award for their dedication and partnership with the ICSF for three decades.

Dinner chair Minogue addressed the crowd to express the dire circumstances some families supported by CSF are facing as they struggle to pay tuition in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

"We cannot let COVID-19, or the fear of it, destroy the financial stability of these students. Peter Lynch and I have matched our planned donations to an emergency fund and we hope others will join us. Together, with your support, we will overcome this crisis," said Minogue.

The event was closed out by CSF Executive Director Mike Reardon, giving thanks to all who rallied around their virtual event.

"Whether you've given once in these 30 years, or you've given all 30, I hope you know that your gift is making an impact on students like Aisha and Amanda," Reardon said. "You do make a difference."

Guests of the virtual event also enjoyed a video presentation that was filmed at OLPH Mission Grammar School in Roxbury, celebrating CSF's 30th anniversary. The virtual Gala presentation was made possible by generous supporters at Putnam Investments, WCVB Channel 5, and Abiomed.

As the signature program of the Catholic Schools Foundation, the Inner-City Scholarship Fund supports over 4,000 students across 85 schools in the Archdiocese of Boston who would otherwise be unable to afford a high-quality Catholic education. With a 100 percent graduation rate, CSF Scholars are enriching their communities and paving a better path for themselves and for their families.

The virtual gala can be viewed at youtube.com/CSFBoston.