BOSTON -- John Connaughton, co-managing partner at Bain Capital for 37 years, is used to getting "the famous call."

The call comes regularly from Peter Lynch, the legendary philanthropist who dedicated the last several decades to supporting the Archdiocese of Boston's Catholic schools. Lynch is renowned for calling his wealthy friends to encourage them to donate to the Catholic Schools Foundation, which provides financial aid to low-income students in Greater Boston.

Connaughton recalled that Lynch's message was always "do your duty."

"But it never felt like a duty," Connaughton said upon receiving the Carolyn and Peter Lynch Award during the 35th annual CSF Building Minds Scholarship Fund Gala, held at the Boston Marriott Copley Place on April 3, "because Peter was such an inspirational and mission-driven colleague."

The gala raises roughly $5 million annually, 92 percent of which goes directly to scholarships for students in need. This year's gala honored Bain Capital for its long-time partnership with CSF. The foundation hoped to raise $500,000 that night, a goal it exceeded. According to Archbishop Richard G. Henning, who delivered the invocation at the gala, one in 10 Catholic school students in the archdiocese receive financial aid from CSF. This year, 4,000 students received scholarships.

"There's always more demand," the archbishop said in his remarks. "I'm so grateful for this amazing work, and all of you and all of those who make it possible. May God bless you."

Connaughton said he was in Japan just before the gala and was "immediately greeted by the most high-energy, enthusiastic students" and faculty members upon his return to Boston.

"And so there is hope in the world," he said.

He said that CSF "has really shown again and again it's worthy" of investment from Bain Capital.

"It is with great honor that we hold the Catholic Schools Foundation as one of our exceptional partners," he said. "They've done an amazing job, and we're very proud to be a partner of this organization."

Connaughton said his parents were Irish immigrants who sent him and his siblings to Catholic schools from kindergarten to 12th grade.

"It was a transformational opportunity that I hold dear as part of my own personal experience," he said. "But not everybody gets that chance. And so being part of an organization that enables that opportunity for people who don't have the resources to achieve that outcome, to achieve that transformational journey that many of us in the room have been fortunate enough to realize, is truly something I'm thankful for."

He partly dedicated the award to this year's student speaker, Tatiyana Orrego-Dupree. Orrego-Dupree attended middle school at St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton (whose choir sang at the gala) and is now a senior at Newton Country Day School. She will be attending Boston College in the fall, her "dream school." Ninety-seven percent of Building Minds Scholarship recipients attend college.

"I am so honored to be standing here this evening celebrating an organization that has done so much to uplift me," Orrego-Dupree said. "The Catholic Schools Foundation has blessed me and my family with the ability to receive a high-quality education."

She received a Building Minds Scholarship in 2016, when she said she "was most vulnerable." Before then, she lived with her mother and stepfather in Maine, both of whom struggled with substance abuse. One day, her mother left and never returned. At age nine, Orrego-Dupree had to fend for herself for a week, buying groceries with her mother's food stamps and ensuring she got to school on time. Eventually, her biological father took her to live with him in Massachusetts.

"My dad gave me the structure and support I needed while St. Columbkille and the Catholic Schools Foundation provided me with the hope, stability, and opportunities I had been missing," Orrego-Dupree said. "St. Columbkille heard my story and welcomed me with open arms. They understood how hard my dad was working to ensure I had the best education possible, and they wanted the same for me."

She said that when she entered St. Columbkille, she felt like she was part of a family.

"My teachers, classmates, and all the staff cared for me, protected me, and treated me as one of their own," she said. "The Catholic Schools Foundation has given me opportunities I never could have imagined."

She is currently taking three AP classes and is a member of the National Honor Society. She will be the first in her family to graduate from high school.

"Thank you all for being such a big part of my story and for making my dreams possible," she told the donors. "Your support of Catholic schools has changed my life and will continue to change the lives of others. If you remember anything about my story, please remember that Catholic education truly changes everything."

In his remarks, Gala Chair David Foss, a managing partner at PwC in Boston, said that he came to the U.S. as a teenager. His father worked all day and his mother worked all night to provide him with a good education.

"Tonight is an opportunity for all of us to pass that spirit along to the amazing kids of Boston," he said, adding: "The Catholic schools in Greater Boston have been a beacon of hope for thousands of students as they pursue their dreams and capitalize on their strengths."

Orrego-Dupree wants to become a social worker, but Foss joked that if she wants to become an accountant, she should talk to him.

"We believe that the Catholic Schools Foundation and all the educators here today are the leaders in creating a more equitable future," Foss said. "I can think of no better way to prepare students for the challenges they will face in life, and they will face them, than a values-based education rooted in faith."