Baldwin-Whitehall Hall of Fame Gala to be held virtually tonight

The Baldwin-Whitehall Educational Foundation is making the best of a bad situation.

After the Baldwin-Whitehall Educational Foundation 80th Anniversary Gala was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year, the BWEF decided to switch the gala to a virtual format, which will take place Thursday via a YouTube video at the BWEF website.

“The whole concept of the school district theme this year was to ‘Dare Greatly,’” BWEF president Erik Arroyo said. “So we figured if we tried something new and created a virtual ceremony, it would align with that credo — we are daring to do something innovative, daring to do something we’ve never done before. This would give us the opportunity to honor all the distinguished Highlanders in a safe and socially distant environment.”

Along with honoring the Distinguished Highlanders, Champion of Character and Above and Beyond award honorees, the BWEF also will redirect the proceeds from tickets and sponsorships for the gala — which are normally used for event costs — to other initiatives.

Arroyo said the proceeds will be used to increase the BWEF Annual Scholarships for the 2020 senior class, while also supporting a recently created covid-19 relief fund to help Baldwin students and families that were negatively impacted by the pandemic.

The proceeds will also be used to fund the expansion of the Distinguished Highlander Hall of Fame exhibit at Baldwin to include the 2020 class and all Champions of Character and Above and Beyond honorees from 2015-2020.

“It’s very exciting,” Arroyo said. “All of the collaborators who helped create the virtual ceremony, it was something new for all of us. Even for the donors and the sponsors, it really felt good for us to honor the Distinguished Highlanders in a way that they appreciated and award scholarships to students in a way that benefited them.”

The Distinguished Highlands Hall of Fame virtual ceremony will premiere via YouTube on Thursday and will induct four new members, including Sen. Pam Iovino (‘74), Regis O’Keefe (‘77), Doug Strott (‘83), and Heather Tomko (‘06).

The BWEF will honor six Champion of Character honorees, including two members of the state House of Representatives, Harry A. Readshaw and William C. Kortz, who will be retiring later this year. Seven Above and Beyond award winners also will be honored during the virtual ceremony.

“We’re really happy that BWEF was able to honor the 2020 Distinguished Highlanders in a way that maintained the lure of the gala, but also kept the Baldwin-Whitehall community safe,” Arroyo said.