The 11th annual gala for Archdiocese of Baltimore schools Sept. 28 saw more than $720,000 raised in scholarships funds, raising to approximately $8 million the effort has brought in since its inaugural in 2009, one that had already created more than 1,300 scholarships for students in need.

Mary Catherine Bunting, a Baltimore philanthropist, has given a record $2 million gift to the Institute of Notre Dame in Baltimore, according to a Sept. 30 news release from the school.

Bring on the flavors of the harvest and the memories of a tree at my boyhood home that burst into brightness every year, and I’ll accept the shorter days and longer shadows.

“The generosity of the people who put this on is remarkable,” Father Foppiano said. “They all have lives to live. They’re doing this on the side, and for some, with the effort they put in, it could be a full-time job. So often we focus on our own territory, and it’s nice to come together.”

Notre Dame Preparatory School broke ground on a new Innovation Wing in June 2018, when it had barely scratched the surface on a $10 million capital campaign that would pay for the latest transformation of the school.