PALM BEACH GARDENS | When the Caritas Dei Bishop’s Gala for Catholic Charities occurs in Palm Beach Thursday, Jan. 30, it will be thanks to a dedicated group of local women that the event goes off without a hitch. Working with members of the Catholic Charities staff, the gala planning committee oversees details and helps maximize the fundraising potential for the agency, thus meeting the diverse, ever-expanding needs in the five-county Diocese of Palm Beach.
A vital task of the committee is creating awareness among possible donors about the life-changing work of Catholic Charities, said Marietta Muiña McNulty, immediate past board of directors president who has been a gala planner from the beginning.
“Sixteen years ago, people who lived in Palm Beach had no idea that there was a Catholic Charities agency in our diocese,” said McNulty, a Palm Beach resident and St. Edward parishioner. After completing a successful event for another charity, she was asked to help put on the Catholic Charities gala. McNulty began by forming a committee of women with some exposure to charity work and connections to donors.
“The original get-together was at the diocesan Pastoral Center in the conference room,” she said. “I was so surprised to see all these ladies walk into that room one after the other just because they had received an invitation about joining the gala committee. So, we worked from there. And it keeps on growing, and hopefully we make a difference.”
McNulty is grateful that many on the committee (“I call them the prayer warriors because we all like to pray together”) have served since that first meeting. “We bring our friends, and we raise funds while having fun. It has to be fun. If it’s not fun, they’re not going to come,” she said.
Gathering nearly once a month, the committee members have diverse talents and ties to different areas of the diocese, McNulty said. “Everybody brings their experience in fundraising. All the ladies on the committee are very involved in their community, and they want to help do God’s work.
“In my case, I do it because I need to assist the underserved. I feel that I need to assist in any way that I can the employees of Catholic Charities, who are in the trenches. They’re on the front lines with the underserved, and there is great need in our diocese,” McNulty added. “It’s like a tale of two cities. What we have in Palm Beach and what it’s like in Pahokee. So, I do what I can in any way that I can and, God willing, I will continue to do so.”
The programs and initiatives of Catholic Charities, which create hope and serve struggling people, require significant funding on an ongoing basis. For McNulty, a successful Caritas Dei Bishop’s Gala is one that helps the agency to meet the most needs. “We need to find the funding. If we don’t find the money, we can’t help the underserved,” she said.
It takes a year to plan and execute a successful gala, McNulty said, but the feeling of accomplishment lingers.
“The enthusiasm in that realm at the end of the night stays with you, and you want to continue the work for the following year,” she said. “There is a sisterhood among the ladies, and we help each other in any way that we can to help Catholic Charities. They have big hearts, and their husbands are just terrific.”
To learn how you can help with the Catholic Charities gala, contact Debra Tornaben, development director, at 561-360-3334 or dtornaben@ccdpb.org.
