The Lycée Français de New York will host its 21st annual Gala, the most important fundraising event of the year for the school’s scholarship program, on Saturday, March 14, at Cipriani Wall Street. On the theme “Le Monde Chez Nous: At Home in the World,” this year’s gala honors designer and entrepreneur Tory Burch, whose namesake foundation, the Tory Burch Foundation, is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurialism in young women.
The Gala co-chairs, Lycée parents Fabiola Beracasa Beckman, Natalya Poniatowski, Lauren Santo Domingo, and Shirin von Wulffen, share all we need to know about Gala 2020.
Tell us about the theme, “Le Monde Chez Nous – At Home in the World.”
We wanted to spotlight what the Lycée means to many families here!
At the Lycée, students grow up in a bilingual, international community. Many students have lived across the world, and they bring their culture and experiences into school each day in an authentic way for their classmates. We believe so much that a Lycée education better equips children for an international life. No matter where they go in life, they will feel at home.
The Gala emblem embodies this idea, with the image of the globe and beautiful butterflies. Across many cultures, butterflies are symbols of hope and life. We see Lycée children in these butterflies, flying off into the world and bringing color and energy wherever they go. It also reminds us also to take care of our world and to steward it for all children.
Why did you choose to honor Tory Burch, Executive Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Tory Burch LLC?
As the U.S. celebrates the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage this year, we felt it was essential to honor a woman, and especially one who is not ashamed to dream big, to have ambition, and to go unapologetically after what she wanted in life. She’s a positive role model for Lycée students and women everywhere.
She understood that a successful company should want to do good, and she was thinking about that long before others in her field. When she first started her company, her plan was to create a foundation. Today, through The Tory Burch Foundation, she has become a mentor for young women entrepreneurs around the world.
Note to readers: On March 5, Tory will host her foundation’s Embrace Ambition Summit for young entrepreneurs in New York City. This year’s theme is “Challenging Stereotypes and Creating New Norms”. Check it out here.
You’ve been hard at work on planning the Gala. It seems to be a true labor of love.
We have had the Gala’s objectives to raise money for scholarships and school programs top of mind in all planning decisions. About one in 10 Lycée students receives financial aid directly from the school, which is so essential to help preserve the school’s socioeconomic diversity. That meant carefully managing the budget for the event and doing as much as we could by hand and with the help of a generous team of volunteers to whom we are so grateful.
For the décor, we wanted to create feeling of community, warmth and coziness that would remind our guests of how connected we are in this Lycée. Tables will be both rounds and rectangles to create a more eclectic feel, and the lighting will be soft. The tables will be strewn with 400 amaryllis flowers, hand made by a team of volunteer parents, faculty, staff and students!
We made a conscious decision to make the flowers from paper, rather than to buy cut flowers. Gala guests will be able to take the flowers home and enjoy them long after the event is over.
We are so excited for the evening! Thanks so much to you for your time and dedication to making this event so special for our community.
Lycée Gala 2020 – Le Monde Chez Nous
Saturday, February 14 at 6pm
Cipriani Wall Street
Tickets here.
Follow Gala 2020 on instagram.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Featured photo image of Tory Burch by Jennifer Livingston.
About the Author :
Caroline Naralasetty, Director of Development, was born in France and is a proud Lycée alumna and parent. She majored in art history at Stanford University, before beginning a career in fundraising for cultural institutions. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.