Thanks to the generosity of our CEF community, this year’s Gaudeamus benefit gala was a great success, raising more than $2.4 million towards tuition-assistance scholarships for at-risk students.

Held on Saturday, October 29th, the 2022 Gaudeamus gala celebrated CEF’s 25 years of support for Catholic education. The organization’s founders, Blake Mulvany, Tom Zarda, Rich Henry, Archbishop James P. Keleher, Sr. Vickie Perkins, and Leonard and Ellen McKinzie were honored with the inaugural CEF Lifetime Achievement Award. And St. Gregory the Great Catholic School in Marysville, Kansas was recognized as CEF's 2022 Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann School of Excellence award winners.

During the event, gala attendees met two CEF scholarship recipients - ​​Vicki, a senior at Hayden Catholic High School in Topeka and Juan, a recent graduate of Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, Kansas. Both received CEF scholarships in grade school through high school and both came from single-family households, living at or below the poverty level.

"It's like this weight just came off of you and you're thinking, 'My kids are gonna have a faith-filled education because I was able to receive this scholarship.'" - Dora Sandoval

Special thanks to this year's Gaudeamus event co-chairs Jake and Ashley Rieke and Kyle and Nicole Hill along with the entire Gaudeamus committee for their hard work throughout the year to make the gala possible.