The first ever Bishop Hendricken High School For The Boys celebration proved to be a great success, raising more than $70,000 for the school’s Tuition Assistance Fund.

Held Feb. 1 at the Providence Public Library, more than 270 Hendricken parents, alumni, faculty, staff and friends from all over Rhode Island turned out for a cocktail hour, dinner, live auction (hosted by WPRI’s Mike Montecalvo and Danielle North) and performances from two Hendricken student jazz ensembles and the school’s Young Men’s Chorus.

The event’s co-chairs were Mr. and Mrs. Ted Garrahy, Mr. and Mrs. James Iacoi, and Mr. and Mrs. Drew Williams, all of whom are parents of current Hendricken students.

“For The Boys was one of the most wonderful nights in my 36 years at Bishop Hendricken,” said President John Jackson, a graduate of the Class of ’71. “To see hundreds of our community members come together to celebrate our mission and help the boys at Bishop Hendricken was a tremendously energizing experience. The dollars raised will change the lives of many young men.”

For school year 2013-2014, 57 percent of Hendricken students received some form of financial aid; that number has increased roughly 4 percent each year for the past three years.

A high point of the evening came during the “mission moment” when an eight-minute video depicting the stories of two students currently receiving tuition assistance and the need to help more students to fund a Hendricken education. The presentation also included speakers to testify to the need, including Jackson; Rev. Robert Marciano, a member of the Class of ’75 and pastor of St. Kevin’s; and Luis Lawrence, a member of the Class of 2015, currently attending Hendricken on a full tuition scholarship sponsored by the event’s honorary chair, Joseph Healey, Class of ’84.

“I felt a tremendous energy in the room as the video played and as Luis told his story,” said Jackson. “The way people stepped up and contributed in response for the boys of Bishop Hendricken is a great tribute to our community.”

“The students performing added a fantastic element to our evening,” said Martha Murray, Hendricken’s special events coordinator. “Those boys show how students can grow in so many ways from the opportunities that exist for everyone who attends Hendricken. For The Boys was all about giving more students those opportunities.

Because of a number of corporate sponsors, all expenses for the event were underwritten and every dollar raised that evening was donated directly to the Tuition Assistance Fund. Corporate sponsors included John Andrade Insurance Agency, Automatic Heating Equipment, Calenda & Iacoi, Ltd., Flood Auto Group, GTECH, Jeneet Inc., and Magna Hospitality.