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May 1, 2025Nearly 400 alumni, parents and guests enjoyed “A Night Under the Stars” at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School’s annual Continue the Dream gala on Saturday, April 12.
Thanks to the incredible support of our generous attendees, donors and event sponsors, VASJ was able to raise over $269,000. The gala serves as the school’s largest fundraiser of the year, enabling VASJ to continue to offer its high standards of Catholic education to current and future students.
“This year's Continue the Dream gala was outstanding thanks to the many sponsors, donors and attendees who joined us,” said VASJ Director of Advancement Barb DiTurno ’82. "Our VASJ students represented the Viking Village dressed in their best and shared how much VASJ means to them and their education. We were blessed with many generous supporters lighting up the sky with their bid paddles, donating funds to make sure our young men and women can continue to realize a VASJ education rich in academic excellence, spiritual formation, athletics, and extracurriculars to prepare them to become our leaders of tomorrow.”
After a welcome from VASJ President Tom Carone and a blessing from Sr. Laura Bregar ’75, president of the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland, Cleveland 19 News anchor and emcee Brian Duffy ’82 took to the stage to kick off the event.
VASJ seniors Kevin Davis and Josie Radachy were this year’s featured speakers. Kevin reflected on how much he’s grown during his four years of high school, thanks in large part to Coach Anthony Redding ’89 and the Marianist Excel Program at VASJ.
“The teachers and staff at VASJ create this community built around trust and respect,” said Kevin, who will be attending the University of Dayton. “I can tell that they all care for us so deeply, and I thank them all for that. Coach Redd has helped me and all the other members of MEP to grow and learn core values that we can apply to our lives, like how to give back to those who have given to us, learning to improve ourselves, and applying what God has for us to our lives. I think my life would be incredibly different if I hadn't gone to VASJ, and I am completely grateful to everyone and everything this place has given me."
Josie, who also plans to attend the University of Dayton and major in nursing, discussed the importance of being raised in a Catholic family and how much her parents sacrificed to send both her and her siblings to Catholic school.
“I remember going to many scholarship assemblies when I was younger and watching my sisters earn many different awards. I knew that these scholarships were important to my family, but it wasn’t until I came to VASJ that I realized how important they truly were," Josie said. "My parents never let it show how hard it was to give us these opportunities, but once I realized how difficult it really was, I became much more appreciative of what a privilege my Catholic education was and how thankful I was for the people who made these scholarships possible."
The evening also included the formal induction of the VASJ Hall of Fame Class of 2024: Mary "Tweety" Dwyer-Kueller '72, Tony Poelking '66 and Bill Kane '66, and Frank Zbiegien '73. Each inductee was presented with an award to acknowledge his or her incredible achievements and support of VASJ. Kane, who passed away in 2017, was inducted posthumously. His two daughters, Melissa and Molly, accepted the award on his behalf.
Don '70 and Mary Jo Dailey, this year's chair couple, provided remarks as well. Dailey, who was inducted into the VASJ Hall of Fame in 2016, is a dedicated leader at VASJ, most notably serving as current co-chair of the VASJ Board of Advisors and past co-chair of VASJ's $5.5 million Keeping Our Promises campaign.
"I extend heartfelt gratitude to all of our guests for gracing Continue the Dream with your presence," said VASJ President Tom Carone. "Your attendance made the occasion truly special, and I was honored to have had you all join us at this year's event."
Throughout the evening, guests had the chance to bid on nearly 130 silent auction items and participate in several raffles. Auctioneer Andrew Banc '95 led the live auction, which featured an amazing lineup of 12 one-of-a-kind packages.
A delicious sit-down meal was catered by La Vera and craft beer was provided by Collision Bend Brewing Company. After the formal program concluded, guests enjoyed live music by Rick Burke.
Click here to view more photos from the event.
A special thank you to this year’s sponsors:
TITLE SPONSOR
Don '70 & Mary Jo Dailey
PLATINUM SPONSORS
Anonymous
Joe '71 & Cindy Scaminace
Frank '73 and Aimee Zbiegien
GOLD SPONSORS
Greg '70 and Carol Lieb
Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland
SILVER SPONSORS
Euclid Hospital
Hospice of the Western Reserve
McKeon Education Group
St. Joseph Class of 1970
St. Joseph Class of 1974
BRONZE SPONSORS
KeyBank Robert
Ranallo '73 / Ranallo & Aveni LLC
St. Joseph Class of 1973