Lynn and Frank Mara to be honored at Iona Prep's 2012 President’s Dinner

New Rochelle, NY – November 16, 2012 – Iona Preparatory School and President Brother Thomas R. Leto, CFC are hosting the school’s annual President’s Dinner on Friday, November 16th at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle where the school will honor Lynn and Frank Mara ’78. The night will feature a cocktail hour, dinner and live/silent auctions. Monies raised from the event will go towards the renovation of the Iona Prep athletic field and track. The cocktail hour will begin at 6:30 pm, followed by the dinner and auctions at 7:30 pm.

Mrs. Ann T. Mara, Frank’s mother and wife of the late Wellington Mara, New York Football Giants owner, is serving as the honorary chairperson of the dinner. Mr. & Mrs. Alfred F. Kelly, Jr. ’76 are the dinner co-chairs. Mr. Kelly, former president of American Express, currently serves as the chief executive officer of the 2014 Super Bowl XLVIII Host Committee. Bob Papa, the radio voice for the Giants, will serve as emcee and auctioneer.

Some auction items that will be available for bidding during the evening of the dinner include the following: trip for two on the New York Giants team plane for the game against the Atlanta Falcons, trips to homes in the Hamptons, Nantucket, and Sanibel Island, six tickets in the General Managers Suite at a 2013 Yankee game, pitching lesson with legendary closer Mariano Rivera, four VIP tickets to the Rolling Stones concert, Giants memorabilia, and much more.

Mr. Francis X. Mara is the fifth of 11 children of Ann and Wellington Mara. He is a 1978 graduate of Iona Prep and a 1982 graduate of Fairfield University. After graduating from college, he began his career with the New York Football Giants as the assistant to the president and then worked in the college personnel division. Currently, he serves as the vice president of community relations. In 1987, Frank married the former Lynn Hattrick of Southampton. Thetwo reside in Bedford Corners, NY with their four sons: Sean ’07, Jack ’09, Frankie ’14 and Owen ’16.

Mrs. Mara is an avid painter and spends nearly every day painting in her studio. She also spends much of her free time as a student of the popular scripture study course, “Walking With Purpose.” Mrs. Mara is an active member in the community teaching sixth grade religion at the family’s parish, St. Paul’s in Greenwich, CT, where they have been very active members for more than 25 years. The Mara’s have been active at Greenwich Catholic, where all four of their sons attended grammar school. Additionally, Lynn and Frank have chaired events for Life Athletes, a pro-life organization, and annual gala for the Dominican Sisters in Blauvelt, NY.

Mr. Mara presently sits on the Board of Directors and golf committee at Iona Prep and the Giants Foundation. For the last 20 years, Lynn and Frank have been outstanding supporters of Iona Prep, contributing significantly to the mission, growth and spirit of the School.

About Iona Preparatory School: Iona Preparatory School is an all-boys private, Catholic institution founded in 1916 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. Iona Prep’s mission is to educate young men to be moral, ethical leaders, developing the whole person in the heritage of Blessed Edmund Rice and the American Catholic tradition to be life-long learners, responsible to their commitment of service to others, confident in their self-worth, while being supported by a challenging and innovative college-preparatory curriculum in relationship with dedicated and caring faculty and community.