Thursday, January 22, 2009
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – UMES Gala chairpersons Jackie Cassidy, James Gillespie and Dr. Shirley Hymon-Parker are pleased to announce that “Celebrating the Blues” is the 2009 theme for the best party on the Shore. On Saturday, March 7, the party begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Services Center ballroom on the UMES campus.
“Through my help with the Gala, I am helping to make possible scholarship funds for deserving students . . . funds that will help make their dreams of a college degree a reality,” said Cassidy, a revered community leader and realtor and a long time supporter of UMES and its galas.
James Gillespie, executive director of the Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council, is new to the committee but not to the community. “I am serving on the UMES Gala committee because the scholarship funds that we raise will open avenues of opportunity through higher education for many talented and deserving students who otherwise may not be able to afford it.”
Said Dr. Shirley Hymon-Parker, who is chair of the UMES Department of Human Ecology and no stranger to the talents nor the needs of UMES students, “I chose to work with the 2009 Gala because it’s a great way to help the University raise funds for student scholarships. Raising money for any cause is difficult, but this event enables people to support a cause they believe in while enjoying a night out. In essence, you feel good about giving and you’re able to partake of an evening of entertainment performed by the recipients of previous goodwill efforts. Further, it is such a fun event to plan and it is for a truly worthy cause – UMES students.”
UMES is in its tenth year of gala celebrations, celebrating themes that include Mardi Gras, Carnival and Motown. For more information, to donate or to purchase tickets to the UMES Gala, call 410-651-8142 or visit https://www.umes.edu/IA/Pages/UMES-Gala-2012–Lights,-Camera,-Action!/.
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Suzanne Waters Street, director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355, sstreet@umes.edu.
Photos:Pictured left to right are Jackie Cassidy, James Gillespie and Dr. Shirley Hymon-Parker.
