Lighting the Way Gala

In February, MUSC College of Nursing held the Lighting the Way Gala to raise money for student scholarships. Development Board Chair Pat Marr was instrumental in organizing and implementing the gala along with newly appointed Dean Catherine Durham, DNP, FNP, FAAN. Both stressed the importance of raising scholarships for students as well as educating guests on the recent projects and initiatives of the College.

An impactful moment from the event was the opportunity to hear from two speakers, accelerated BSN student Tyre Vasquez and DNP student Elizabeth Kelly, who each spoke about the impact that scholarship donations had on their lives and ability to succeed in their programs of study. Dean Durham also highlighted the need for scholarships to remove the financial barrier that potential nursing students face.

The gala was held at the Embassy Suites in Mount Pleasant with a cocktail reception and silent auction. Guests were invited to bid on items, including a getaway at the Woodhouse Day Spa and an extravagant weekend on Shem Creek. Later in the evening, following the event’s program, the live auction took place with donated trips to Italy, a week at Folly Beach, and more. Both the silent and live auction were key in raising scholarship funds to support the College’s mission to counter the rising nursing shortage across the country. With 15 community sponsors and 122 guests in attendance, the Gala was a huge success and raised funds for three nursing scholarships.

Thank you to Board Chair Pat Marr for spearheading this incredible fundraising event, as well as to all the event’s sponsors: Chronic Care Staffing, Millenia Medical Staffing, Bank of America, Brown & Brown, The Bartone Family, Cobalt Commercial Services, Cobalt Property Group, First Capital Bank, MUSC College of Nursing, MUSC Palliative Care, Palmetto Restaurants, The Finch Family, The Robert Mason Family, Steinberg Law Firm, and WRS, Inc. Thank you for supporting this worthy cause!