True Blue Gala will support scholarships

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Dakota County Technical College will host an evening of elegance to support student scholarships. And the school is inviting everyone to take part in the first True Blue Gala.

“This fundraising event will benefit students by helping them pay for tuition and books and allowing them to stay in college when they experience financial hardship,” said Tharan Leopold, DCTC’s executive director of the Foundation and Alumni. “It also provides a great opportunity for alumni to reconnect with the college.”

The event will raise money for the DCTC Foundation, which provides the grants and scholarships for students. The evening will include a silent auction, Wall of Wine, fine dining, music and a recognition program.

The gala will begin at 5:30 p.m. April 19 at Brackets Crossing. A social hour and silent auction will kick off the event and will be followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and an awards ceremony at 8 p.m. Patrick Lair, who works in admissions at the college, will provide entertainment on the baby grand piano.

DCTC will present several awards during the event, including Alumni of the Year, Faculty of the Year, Spirit of DCTC and Technical Education Advocate.

“This celebration is to recognize award recipients, reconnect alumni and raise money for student scholarships,” said Leopold.

Leopold said so far people have been receptive to the event and he hopes to draw a large crowd. Going forward, the school hopes to make the event bigger.

“Our hope is to really build on this,” said Leopold.

According to information from the college, the foundation is governed by a board of directors with up to 18 members. Over the years the foundation has generated more than $3.2 million in financial assistance for students while building a general endowment fund and establishing private endowment funds. The foundation has also received in-kind donations for equipment, tools and supplies used in for DCTC programs.

Leopold said there is still a lot more work the foundation can do and with the support of the community and alumni the foundation can continue to help students thrive.

“It should be a fun night. We really hope to have as many residents, businesses and alumni as we can,” said Leopold.

Tickets are available on the college’s website at dctc.edu. The cost is $75 per ticket or $500 for a table of 8.

For more information on the True Blue Gala, email Tharan Leopold, Executive Director of the DCTC Foundation, at tharan.leopold@dctc.edu or call 651-423-8293.

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