Check Out the Fun at Our Past Benefits!
2025
2024
Since the inaugural event in 2018, Fordham Prep's award-winning Annual Benefit, IGNITE, has raised over $2.6 million in support of educational programs, including iSTEAM and Global Education, scholarships and essential capital improvements such as the new Fitness & Wellness center and the East Wing Project.
In addition to being the Prep's major fundraiser of the year, IGNITE, is also a fun and social evening for current and past parents, alumni and friends. Case in point, ticket sales are capped at 500 and sell out every year.
This year's Benefit, will transform Moglia Commons at the Prep into the center of Paris - complete with student artists, mimes and special entertainment. Dining, dancing, open bars (including our French Champagne tasting tables) are on the menu along with our favorite MC and Auctioneer Bruce Beck from NBC 4 New York who will also be broadcasting the Summer Olympics later this year from Paris.
Support
While we hope you'll join us on the Champs-Élysées at 441 E. Fordham Road, if that's not possible, there are also many other ways you can help support the Benefit and our students. Please review our website: ignite2024.givesmart.com for tickets, sponsorships, and underwriting opportunities. Additionally, go online with our silent auction and bid on unique and wonderful items/experiences leading up to and the night of!
Donate
We would be grateful for any items or experiences you are able to donate to help make our auction a success. Among the most popular auction offerings:
- Vacation homes, sports, concert, theatre, cable and television network tickets, gift certificates
- One-of-a-kind experiences (i.e. - private helicopter tour of NYC, VIP backstage meet-and-greets)
- Private tours at museums, art institutes, broadcasting facilities
- Shadow experiences at your place of business for current Prep students or college-age Rams
- Mentoring lunch with a current Prep student or college-age Ram interested in your professional field
Please reach out to Erin Trainor (trainore@fordhamprep.org) if you have any questions or would like to contribute in any way to the success of this uniquely Prep event.
2023
We are pleased to share that the date for this year's event, IGNITE '23 UNDER THE BIG TOP IN THE BRONX, will be Saturday, March 4, 2023. This year all proceeds from IGNITE will benefit Ignite Scholarships and the creation of the new 8,070 square foot Fitness & Wellness Center, which is slated to begin construction in May, 2023 (and will be completed by September in time for the '23-'24 school year).
The new Fitness & Wellness Center will impact the physical and mental health and well-being of every Fordham Prep student by providing the best modern facilities for athletics training, both recreational and for team sports, physical education classes and, mindfulness initiatives.
While we hope you'll join us under the big top, there are many other ways you can also step up to support the Prep and its students. Especially, this year with our enhanced mobile bidding platform, the auction will allow us to extend the celebration and our reach to a record number of Prep families near and far.
DONATE
Fordham-themed and one-of-a-kind auction experiences are among the most popular auction offerings. As with any auction, items for bid or purchase are essential.
- Can you provide a shadow experience or mentoring lunch with a current or college age Ram interested in your professional field?
- Can you donate a short stay in a vacation home, a gift certificate, sports, concert or theatre tickets?
- Can you source a Prep-themed item crafted by you or someone else?
- Do you have ideas for creative, unique experiences to offer as an auction item?
VOLUNTEER
Perhaps you can share your time and skills with our auction team:
- Can you share best practices from a recent auction you planned or attended?
- Are you interested in helping with decorations, logistics and ticket sales?
We will host a WINE PULL at our Ignite 2023 Benefit on March 4th. Help us stock it.
Your donation of one or more bottles of wine helps to make our benefit a financial success and adds to the enjoyment of the evening to raise funds for the IGNITE SCHOLARSHIP FUND.
Please reach out to Erin Trainor (trainore@fordhamprep.org) if you have any questions or would like to contribute in any way to the success of this uniquely Prep event. We hope you will join us. If you do, prepare to be amazed!
2022
Over 400 attendees, sponsors, and underwriters helped make Saturday's fundraiser, IGNITE 2022 - An Evening In Spain, a success raising over $400,000 for the Prep's new IGNITE Scholarship Program. We would like to thank all the parents, alumni and friends who so generously supported la fiesta en Fordham Prep.
The evening kicked off when members of the Prep's Dramatic Society captured everyone's attention in the Moglia Commons, as they sang their way through the crowd, leading guests into the Leonard Theatre. Once seated, a student-produced video, FPTV's BIG opened the program and was followed by the Ram Raffle drawing* before our emcee, NBC 4 Lead Sportscaster Bruce Beck, took to the stage for the Live Auction.
The evening had many highpoints, including a special presentation from Board Chairman Mario Ciampi, '78 to Fr. Devron, in recognition of his nine years of leadership as the Prep's President.
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Whether you toasted the Prep at one of our tasting tables, participated in the running of the bulls, were a winner in the Ram Ramble, danced to the music of the Artie Stuart Band or were entertained by our enthusiastic auctioneer and emcee Bruce Beck, we hope you enjoyed the celebration back on campus, our first since February, 2020.
Please enjoy our photo gallery of highlights and we look forward to seeing you at upcoming events, including the Golf/Tennis Annual Outing at Quaker Ridge Golf Club and Reunion (if this is your reunion year) back here at the Prep next month.
Lastly, good news for those of you who expressed interest in purchasing some of the FP branded items in the silent auction. Limited quantities of several popular offerings will be available shortly. Details to follow next week.
Thank you for making IGNITE 2022- An Evening In Spain a memorable evening of dining, dancing and fun at the Prep! |
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*Congratulations to the winners: 1st prize - Ersilia Molisse, P18,'22 , 2nd prize - Terrence Morris, P'22,'24 and 3rd prize - Lara Magzan,P'24
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2021
Thank you to everyone who tuned into Saturday night's Igniting Our Mission Benefit program, heeded Liam Neeson's warning, and stuck with us till the end of the program and the final scroll of faculty names/photos and student testimonials.
In gratitude for carrying forward the Prep's mission of leading students in faith, scholarship and service we are pleased to announce that the event raised $415,000 to benefit faculty development, a new record in the 4-year history of our annual Igniting Our Mission fundraiser.
Thank you to all of our Sponsors, Underwriters, Donors and Virtual "attendees" who made Igniting Our Mission an extraordinary success. Fundraising in a virtual environment is challenging but the Prep community showed its support: every Silent Auction item exceeded its goal amount, several Live Auction items went to multiple bidders, the Ram Raffle was a sell-out and record numbers of new and incoming parents joined and participated in the program.
For those of you may wish to revisit some special highlights, you can view the entire program on the Prep's YouTube channel or jump past the PreShow and go right to the show's opening with Liam, followed by our Master of Ceremonies NBC 4 Lead Sports Anchor, Bruce Beck.
Thank you for your generosity and ongoing support of Fordham Prep.
On Saturday, May 8, members of the Prep community from near and far joined us virtually for our 4th Annual IOM Celebration - a record-breaking event! We look forward to seeing everyone in person and back at the Prep for next year's Annual Benefit on Saturday, April 9, 2022 as we celebrate the Ignatian Year, commemorating the 500th anniversary of St. Ignatius of Loyola's conversion..
Thank You Attendees! IOM Sponsors, Underwriters and Virtual Guests Watch Virtual IOM
2020
A record-breaking 541 attendees, event sponsors, underwriters, and journal advertisers helped make Saturday's Igniting Our Mission - A Celebration of Fordham Prep a successful benefit for the Prep's iSTEAM and tuition assistance programs. We would like to thank all the parents, alumni and friends who so generously supported our Party at the Prep.
Whether you toasted the Prep with our signature drink, the Full Steam Ahead,* took a spin with our flight simulators, spoke to our student demonstrators, were entertained by our enthusiastic auctioneer and emcee, Bruce Beck, or danced to the music of The Artie Stuart Band, we hope you enjoyed the celebration and had an opportunity to meet new and old friends.
The proceeds from the evening are being tabulated and will be shared in a future communication. In the meantime, here's the student-produced video, The JUG Club, a high point of the evening's program. We hope you also enjoy our photo gallery of highlights and we look forward to seeing you at upcoming events.
Thank you for making Igniting Our Mission - A Celebration of Fordham Prep a memorable evening of dining, dancing and fun at the Prep.
* By popular request, the ingredients were:
2 oz Absolut Citron Vodka
.5 oz Blue Curacao (any Orange Curacao or Triple Sec will do if you don't want it to be Electric Blue!)
.75 oz Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
Topped with Sprite
2019
During the last few weeks, the Prep has sent students to three continents on mission-focused service trips, conducted several Emmaus retreats, competed and advanced to the finals of the National History Bowl in Washington, DC and, in a sports "quadfecta", cheered on our basketball, hockey, indoor track & field, and swimming teams as they capped their winning seasons at city and state championship finals.
We acknowledged those achievements and heralded the groundbreaking of the Prep's East Wing Project at Igniting Our Mission - A Celebration of Fordham Prep. Thank you to the over 500 parents, alumni, faculty and friends who attended and so generously supported the Party at the Prep.
Last Saturday night, with your help, we were able to raise $420,000, in addition to receiving two gifts totaling $100,000, in support of the Prep's East Wing Project.
Whether you joined us in person, were a sponsor, made a donation, participated in our community mass, purchased a Ram Raffle ticket, or simply kept us in your prayers, we are grateful for your generosity and contribution to our mission.
We would like to thank all our event sponsors, underwriters, journal advertisers, and every attendee who helped make this celebration such a success.
In the meantime, and at the request of many of our guests, we're happy to share the two short videos that were shown Saturday night. The first, "Igniting Our Mission," was created and produced by juniors Connor Begley and Charlie O'Connor, under the direction of FPTV Club Moderator JP Feighery '03.