Getting Ready for Gala

Friday, September 20, 2024
5:30 to 9 p.m.
Brick South, Thompson’s Point
Portland, Maine

Thank you for agreeing to attend Gala 2024 with approximately 70 other Mitchell Scholars! This site will be your main source of information about Gala, including details of the evening program, day-of logistics, what you can expect to happen at the event, and what to wear. If you have questions that aren’t addressed at the links below, please contact Scholarship Director Casey Near.

The annual Gala is the Mitchell Institute’s main fundraising dinner event. Every year, we invite Maine businesses and organizations to sponsor tables and various aspects of the event (sponsorships that can total more than $350,000, which directly fund Mitchell Scholar programs and resources!).

We typically have around 600 people attend, many of them Maine business leaders and their guests, and we always invite Mitchell Scholars. We aim to have two Mitchell Scholars at every dinner table to share their experiences and build their networks.

To see what last year’s Gala looked like, just visit the links below.

Click here to see our multimedia coverage of Gala 2023

 

Watch as Bryanna Alley, the 2020 Mitchell Scholar from South Portland High School and a recent Allied Health Sciences graduate of Plymouth State University, shares a story of loss, grit, and gratitude with Gala 2023 attendees.

Watch Senator George J. Mitchell’s remarks at Gala 2023.

This is a formal evening event with a mixture of networking at a reception and then a seated dinner. There will be speakers throughout the evening, both Mitchell Scholars and staff, as well as some of our sponsors. Scholars also help with greeting, registration, and other small tasks during the event as well.

• 3:30-3:45pm: Scholar arrival
• 4pm: Scholar preparation & prep photo
• 5pm: Scholars head to greeting stations
• 5:30pm: Guests begin to arrive
• 6:30pm: Seated dinner begins
• 9pm: Program ends

We’ll host a prep call for all Scholars attending, just to get more familiar with the event and what to expect, and to ask any questions. We’ll meet on Zoom at 6pm on September 16th at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5796715917. We hope that as many Scholars can join this as possible because it gives you the chance to ask questions about the event, and we’ll address some of the most frequently asked ones. If you can’t make this call, we’ll send a recording and are happy to chat with you in advance of the event if that’s helpful.

This is a dressier event, but we want to make sure you feel comfortable, in clothes that make you feel like you, and without needing to buy anything new. If you’re unsure about how to find an outfit that works, please reach out to Casey (Scholarship Director) at cnear@mitchellinstitute.org – we’re here to help!

The recommended attire for Gala is called “business formal,” which basically means to dress a little fancier than a job interview. It’s the most formal attire people typically would wear to work, so it’s a bit more modest than what people might wear to a wedding or prom. Here’s some ideas of what business formal looks like, and you can use photos from last year’s Gala as helpful reference as well.

Suits:

  • Dark suit or blazer with a dress shirt, tie, and pants
  • A hurta or thobe
  • MMA Scholars can wear uniforms

Dresses/skirts:

  • A dressy top with a skirt (typically knee-length or longer)
  • A business-style dress with a blazer or nice sweater
  • An abaya or sari

Shoes:

  • Dress shoes and dark socks; shoes should be professional but comfortable (no need to wear heels if you don’t want to!)
  • Ideally, no athletic shoes, but dressier (or darker) athletic shoes can work

The Gala will be at Brick South at Thompson’s Point, 15 Resurgam Place, Portland, ME (exit 5A off 295 from the north). If you are driving, please park in the dirt lot or as directed by parking attendants. Parking has been paid for by one of the sponsors, Bangor Savings.

If you need a ride or would like to coordinate carpooling from your campus, please reach out to Casey, as we’ll be helping Scholars find their way to Gala together.

Thanks again for agreeing to represent the Mitchell Institute at the Gala on Friday, Sept. 20. Year after year, our guests tell us that a highlight of the night is getting to interact with Mitchell Scholars and learn more about their goals and aspirations. Meeting you helps them see the impact of their financial contributions to the Mitchell Institute and understand the importance of the work the organization does to support college-bound students from every community in Maine.