On Thursday night, May 16th, the Philadelphia chapter of the Young Leaders hosted their inaugural Spring Celebration at the magnificent Franklin Institute in Center City Philadelphia.
As guests mingled over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, images of projects supported by The American Ireland Fund played on four screens in each corner of Franklin Hall, while local favorite “Blackthorn” began their first set, playing traditional Irish tunes and American classics.
Once the night was in full swing, National Director of the Young Leaders, Pat Tully, welcomed the guests and briefed them on the mission of the American Ireland Fund and how their donations from the evening would go towards reaching the goal of raising $140 million for the Promising Ireland Campaign.
Philadelphia Young Leaders Steering Chair, Jason Early, followed Mr. Tully and talked about the exciting new developments with the Philly group and encouraged the guests to get involved in the growing chapter in Philadelphia.
With the party reaching a fever pitch, Pat Tully once again took the microphone to begin the live auction that included VIP passes to the US Open golf tournament, taking place this summer in the greater Philadelphia area. NY Young Leader Christine Chase also donated VIP access to Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week coming up this fall.
Overall, the night was a big success thanks to the committee including Jason Early, Chris Carroll, Fran McCartan and Michael Nolan.
Special thanks to our Young Leaders in New York, Washington, DC and Dublin who made the trip and our sponsors: Jameson, Janney, The Brian H. Early Foundation, & Buckingham Research.