City Year Gala Celebrates Young People in Service; Honors Tom, Lisa Raffio with Service Award

Sellout event unites 250 business and civic leaders from across NH, raises over $200,000 for leading education non-profit.

Leaders in  business, education, nonprofits, the media, and the public sector gathered on Saturday night to celebrate idealism in action and honor Tom and Lisa Raffio, recipients of the Lifetime of Service Award, at the 14th annual City Year New Hampshire gala. Set at the gracious Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in New Castle, NH, the Starry Starry Night gala featured a black tie dinner, live and silent auctions, live entertainment, and dynamic presentations by City Year AmeriCorps Members devoting a year of full-time service in New Hampshire’s highest-need elementary schools.

At the gala, Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas presented City Year's annual Lifetime of Service Award to Northeast Delta Dental CEO, Tom Raffio and Lisa Raffio, of Bow, NH. Mr. Raffio has led Northeast Delta Dental for nearly twenty years and was named Business Leader of the Decade in 2010 by Business NH Magazine. The company administers dental insurance plans for some 750,000 citizens of New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont and has been named one of the top 25 Best Small Companies to Work for in America for five consecutive years.

Mr. Raffio’s extensive list of local and statewide service commitments includes serving as Chair of the New Hampshire State Board of Education, which shares City Year’s commitment to reducing the high school dropout rate in high-poverty schools. Mrs. Raffio, a former registered nurse, has dedicated her life to raising and educating four children and investing in her community.

“We are extremely honored to receive the Lifetime of Service Award from City Year New Hampshire because of what City Year represents in the lives of young people in our state,” Mr. Raffio said. “City Year is about mentorship, investing in the success of at-risk kids and turning their lives around – it is probably the most meaningful award I have received,” he said.

“Education is the most important gift we can give to a young person, more than any material thing,” Mrs. Raffio said. “For students who are struggling in school and life, having just one City Year mentor to help them learn, get inspired, and stick with school can be life-changing.” 

Past recipients of the City Year Lifetime of Service Award include Senator Jeanne and Bill Shaheen, Senator Judd and Kathy Gregg, Governor John and Susan Lynch, and Mayor Ted and Cassandra Gatsas.

The Starry Starry Night gala began with a high-octane “power greeting” by City Year’s 50 AmeriCorps members wearing their signature red jackets and khaki pants, a strategy corps members use each morning to energize students and boost attendance in their schools.

23 year-old City Year AmeriCorps member Fabrice Julian gave a dynamic presentation of his journey to full-time service at City Year and the impact that City Year corps members have in the lives of each of their students, whom they come to know by name. He was joined by four other corps members who playfully described their own roots and challenged the audience to learn more about the need for educational supports in New Hampshire's highest-poverty schools.

Guests participated in a live auction emceed by "TV Diner" host and "Kiss 108" radio personality Billy Costa. The live and silent auction featured a pair of rare Series Badges to the 2015 Masters Tournament, an original Leonard Cohen print, Beetles and Rolling Stone memorabilia, a one-in-a-lifetime Celtics Ball Boy / Ball Girl experience, and holiday getaway packages to New York City, Arizona, the Cayman Islands, and South Africa, among other items. New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan, Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas, and all four members of New Hampshire’s Congressional Delegation contributed to City Year’s auction with personal lunches, Capitol tours, and the like. 

The event concluded with the Lifetime of Service Award presentation by Mayor Gatsas, City Year Board Chair Beth Roberts, and City Year Executive Director Pawn Nitichan, and a rock opera-style closing with live entertainment.

New Hampshire business leaders Paul and Sandra Montrone served as Presenting Sponsors of the Starry Starry Night gala. Mr. Montrone is Chairman of Perspecta Trust, Liberty Lane Partners, and Latona Associates, and previously served as Chairman and CEO of New Hampshire-based Fischer Scientific. The Montrones are longtime supporters of City Year. 

Boston-based Bain Capital served as National Presenting Sponsor of Starry Starry Night with a landmark gift of $50,000. The Bain Capital investment in New Hampshire is part of the company's $3 million National Sponsorship of City Year's 25th Anniversary to support the organization's work keeping struggling students in school and on track to succeed across the country and world.

“It is an honor to support City Year New Hampshire, whose corps members commit a year of full-time service to help at-risk students stay in school,” said Sally Fassler, Chief Financial Officer at Sankaty Advisors, the credit affiliate of Bain Capital, who will attend the Starry Starry Night. “City Year and Bain Capital approach their missions in the same fundamental way.  Both organizations analyze the root cause of a situation, develop a set of solutions and then roll up our sleeves to get the hard work done.  We’re thrilled to continue our support of City Year by helping celebrate 25 years of positive impact on communities and schools.” 

“We couldn’t be more grateful to our City Year New Hampshire champions like the Montrones and Bain Capital who make this important work possible,” said Pawn Nitichan, City Year New Hampshire Executive Director. “Our annual dinner provides an exciting opportunity to celebrate City Year corps members who bring energy and enthusiasm into schools, work one-on-one with students and serve as important additional resources for teachers in the classroom.”

The gala’s Platinum Star Sponsor, Heinemann Publishers, was joined by Gold Star Sponsors Burlington Coat Factory, Eldridge Investment Advisors, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Northeast Delta Dental, Topol Family Fund, and University of New Hampshire, along with dozens of Silver Star and Bronze Star sponsors.