When Lucas was a teenager, he lost his mother. His father, an immigrant from Brazil, was working hard to keep their family afloat, and Lucas was using income from his internship to help pay the rent for his family of two. During the holidays, the Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute at Seton Hall University sent a simple email to its scholarship recipients: “If you or your family are in need, please let us know.” Lucas responded, not for himself, but for his father. In fact, that was the trend of the scholars that responded (we train them to be serve.)
Lucas, was a determined young man who was driven, compassionate and kind. A young man any family would be proud to call their son so when I saw his response, I asked what he might want as a gift. His request was equally simple and created a gut punching reaction in me: “A pair of shoes and a suit.” Lucas was wearing the same suit to his internship every day in New York City. He was wearing the same dress shoes that he had since high school. With hesitation he also said, “It would also be nice if I could have some sneakers because I go home every day in pain.”
Our community went to work. An alumni bought Lucas a suit. Others from a Facebook parents group purchased shoes for him and gifts for his father. A business leader connected to Lucas’s field became a mentor. What began as a holiday email became something much bigger: a network of people reminding a brilliant young man that he did not have to carry his family’s challenges alone … and I think we all could use that reminder.
When he received the gifts, Lucas said something I will never forget: “I feel my mom around me again.” Today, Lucas has graduated and is preparing to begin his dream career with Ernst & Young in New York City. Education is the key to changing these stories and as he grows into the man, husband, and father, I know that he will be excellent. He carries with him resilience, courage and tenacity and a commitment to pay forward what others gave him … always remembering his mother with his faith at his center.
Lucas is why we hold the Generaciones Gala.
On Oct. 16, the Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute will gather hundreds of business leaders, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, alumni, students and friends at Cipriani Wall Street for our annual Generaciones Gala. We will be honoring Ivan Tornos, Chairman, President, and CEO of Fortune, Zimmer Biomet, The Celia Cruz Foundation, Goya Foods Inc., Gregory Schipilliti of DailyPay, and Gema Schipilliti of The Campbell’s Company. But Generaciones is much more than a fundraising dinner. It is a community love letter and an investment in everyone who attends.
The Latino Institute is a welcoming organization on Seton Hall University’s campus where students of all backgrounds can learn about Latino history, impact, leadership and culture. For eligible students (they need a 3.0 GPA and financial need), like Lucas, we also provide opportunities to apply for scholarships. But our work extends far beyond financial assistance.
We offer a holistic approach to student support. Sometimes supporting a student means providing a scholarship. Sometimes it means making a career introduction, finding a mentor, providing a backpack, getting boxes of food from a food pantry, helping parents find a job, offering professional development or creating a sense of belonging. Sometimes it means helping someone navigate an unexpected crisis. And sometimes, as Lucas taught us, it means a suit and a pair of shoes.
When a gala creates an economic ecosystem
For businesses, Generaciones represents something larger than philanthropy. It is an investment in talent, leadership, entrepreneurship and the future workforce. Even the details of this year’s gala reflect that philosophy.
Our centerpieces are being created by the Allegro School flower shop, The Enchanted Florist, a social enterprise providing meaningful vocational experiences to adults with disabilities. Kindred, a new small business for which Generaciones will be its first customer, is helping organize swag bags featuring products from small to iconic businesses, including minority and women owned businesses. The Newark Arts Latin Band will bring emerging artists into a ballroom filled with executives, entrepreneurs, philanthropists and community leaders.
And at the center of the evening will be our scholarship recipients, pulling up seats at each table next to the most powerful professionals in their majors. That is intentional and that changes the trajectory of a family. I want a student to be able to walk into Cipriani Wall Street, walk the red carpet to have the experience of a dream, and meet someone who could become a mentor, employer, advocate or simply the person who says, “Tell me about yourself. What do you want to do?”
Relationships are the real return on investment
We saw what was possible after last year’s gala. Relationships formed that continued long after the lights went down at Cipriani. Maestro Cares Foundation became a scholarship partner.
Private donors stepped forward. 1958 Cuban Cuisine in Westfield transformed its relationship with the Institute into a community fundraiser. One relationship led to another, and then another. But here is the reality, for every Lucas, we have 10 more waiting in line as high school seniors … each who we are hoping to help.
That is why I believe the most valuable thing created at Generaciones isn’t necessarily something we can measure on a balance sheet. We’re in the business of construction, compassion and connection because when universities, businesses, nonprofits, entrepreneurs and individuals come together around young people, we create networks of opportunity that no single institution could build alone. And businesses benefit from those relationships, too. They meet emerging talent. They discover community partners with aligned missions, entrepreneurs, while strengthening their connection to the communities they serve. We can, as one of our alumni told us, “Do good and do well.”
You don’t have to be Latino to be familia
This year, I’m asking our community not simply to support Generaciones, but to come experience it. And you don’t have to be Latino to be familia (just like everyone is Irish on St. Patty’s, you can be unleash your inner Gloria Estefan or Ricky Ricardo at the gala). Bring your colleagues. Bring your clients. Bring your friends. Bring your company.
Come meet the students whose futures you are helping shape. Come celebrate Latino contributions to America. Come support social enterprises, artists and small businesses.
Come build relationships that may change a student’s life … and perhaps discover that one of those relationships changes your organization, your business or even you.
Because somewhere among the hundreds of people gat1hered in that ballroom may be another Lucas. A student with extraordinary potential who doesn’t necessarily need someone to rescue them. We just simply need you to “see them”, introduce yourself, and say “I believe in what you can become.” That is what Generaciones is about.
Join us Oct. 16 at Cipriani Wall Street. For more information, go to www.Setonhall.edu/generaciones For sponsorship or donations contact Lori Tarke at [email protected]
