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Newport (R.I.) July 15, 2011 — When guests arrived at the
14th Annual IYRS Summer Gala sponsored by The Hilton Group
at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and The Prestige Family of
Fine Cars, the scene was pure glamour: gala-goers were
ushered into a setting of elegant black and white on a long
red carpet. But the outcome of the evening was more profound
than the shine and shimmer of a magical night in Newport:
guests helped to raise nearly $700,000 for IYRS educational
programs, ensuring continued opportunity for students who
want to use the training programs at this Rhode Island
school as a gateway to skill-building, jobs, and careers.
“Students of all ages and backgrounds come to IYRS from all walks of life,
but they all leave on a common path: using their high level
of craftsmanship and technical skills to build successful
careers,” said IYRS President Terry Nathan. “We are
fortunate that our many supporters understand the important
role
that our school plays—both for our students in search of
skills and opportunity, and for the region’s marine industry
that relies on the talented workforce trained here at IYRS.”
The Gala comes on the heels of a successful chapter at IYRS.
Now with three full-time programs, IYRS graduated its
largest class in the school’s history this June, including
the first graduates from the new Composites Technology
Program. Students matriculated into a tough job market, yet
85 percent of the students in this year’s graduating class
have already secured jobs. Molly and Guillaume de Ramel,
residents of the school’s Lower Thames Street neighborhood,
served as event co-chairs.
The de Ramels have been raising their young family in the
neighborhood during the time that IYRS transformed its
historic mill from a derelict structure into a crowning
center of the community.
“IYRS has been a good neighbor to us,” said Guillaume de
Ramel. “It was gratifying for Molly and me to see so many
people come out and give back to an organization that has
been such an asset to our community. We want to thank all
the generous supporters and sponsors who made the evening
such a great success.”
Live and silent auctions featured an impressive lineup of
art objects, sailing opportunities, and unique travel
opportunities. Stephen Lash, chairman emeritus of Christie’s
Americas, presided over the live auction, which was held
under the Gala’s big tent during a formal sit-down dinner.
Popular auction items included a stay in a private villa in
St. Barths and mega-yacht racing during the St. Barths
Bucket Regatta, a Mediterranean cruise onboard the luxurious
four-masted barque Sea Cloud, a seven-day charter on the
classic 105-foot ketch Whitehawk, and a rare opportunity to
join a South Atlantic expedition heading to the remote
wildlife refuge of South Georgia. The largest ticket item
was a reverse auction where dinner guests all had an
opportunity to help equip the IYRS programs with the proper
supplies, tools, and state-of-the-art equipment; that item
generated a wealth of bids from the audience and a total of
$77,000.
The decor for the evening adhered to a Black & White Party
theme—including much of the cuisine prepared by Blackstone
Caterers, a black-hulled Beetle Cat restored by IYRS
students, and a special exhibit comprised of work by the
world’s leading marine photographers. Billy Black, Daniel
Forster, Dan Nerney, Amory Ross, Cory Silken and Onne van
der Wal each composed a single black & white shot that
depicted their interpretation of the IYRS spirit—and their
work ran the gamut from shots of the restoration of the 1885
Coronet to images that illustrated the beauty of sail. The
photographers’ work was a part of the silent auction. A
strong lineup of sponsors joined title sponsors The Hilton
Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and The Prestige Family
of Fine Cars at the July 9 Gala, including: the Argo Group,
Brooklin Boat Yard, Jimmy & Minnie Coleman, Condé Nast
Publications, Front Street Shipyard, Hinckley Yachts,
Infante Construction, Migliaccio Consulting, Mt. Beautiful
Vineyards, Northrop & Johnson, Rockport Marine, Rybovich
Super Yacht Marina and Refit, ShowBoats International, and
Jay & Brenda Wilson.
For more information about IYRS and its educational programs, visit
www.iyrs.org .
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