By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
On April 18, the Cazenovia College Business and Management senior class will present the seventh annual Senior Capstone Gala.
This year, ten senior business students are partnering with Make-A-Wish of Central New York to help make a difference in the lives of children with critical illnesses.
Held at Traditions at the Links in East Syracuse from 5 to 9 p.m., the “Once Upon a Dream” charity gala will feature a cocktail hour, live entertainment, guest speakers, a sponsorship gallery, a silent auction, and other services.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a critical illness.
All Senior Capstone Gala donations and sponsorships will help fund a “wish” — the average cost of which is around $12,000.
“Each year, the current senior business capstone class chooses the charity that the following class will support,” said Gala Manager Madison McDade, who is pursuing a bachelor of professional studies in management. “Last year’s class enjoyed supporting Make-A-Wish’s cause so much that they decided to do it for the second year in a row . . . We are incredibly honored as a class to be able to work with Make-A-Wish CNY. If we can reach our goal of $12,000, we will be able to bring happiness and joy to a family’s darkest time. And that is what we call transforming a ‘Dream’ into reality.”
The seniors are responsible for planning all aspects of the event, from choosing a location and the decorations to contacting sponsors and collecting silent auction donations.
“The students are working very hard and diligently to make this year’s gala a great success,” said Joseph Adamo, professor of business and management. “ . . . [They] are able to put to use the management skills they have learned throughout their studies.”
According to McDade, the senior class started working on the event in August 2019.
“Each senior in the business major is required to do a senior capstone project, which includes two parts — the research component in the fall and the application of management skills in the spring,” said McDade. “In the fall . . . we did an annotated bibliography, interviewed relevant industry professionals, created a research survey, and analyzed the data collected from the survey to draw conclusions about the planning aspects of the gala. This semester, we are working on the organization and implementation components of the gala . . . [and] at the end of the semester, we are creating a marketing plan . . .”
Tickets are $65 per person and $50 for Cazenovia College students. Purchase tickets online at cazenovia.edu.
For more information, visit cazgalamakeawish.wixsite.com/home.
