December 6, 2011
Scene Last Night: Adam Sandler Menorah, Jim Simons, Seth Meyers
By Amanda Gordon
Archbishop Finds Money
The matriarch of professional football’s New York Giants, Ann Mara, wasn’t about to forgive
New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan for backing the Green Bay Packers Sunday.
“I told him, ‘I hope your collection plate was empty. Serves you right!’” she said last night at the
Inner-City Scholarship Fund 35th Annual Award Dinner.
Still, she can’t deny the archbishop’s money-raising prowess on behalf of the fund, which sends
underprivileged children to New York City Catholic schools. On the elevator ride to the event at
the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Dolan secured a $1,000 donation from a Jewish Philadelphian
staying at the hotel named Brett Ian Rubinson, who works for Veritable LP.
“I told him, ‘Come sit with me,’” Archbishop Dolan said at the reception in the hotel lobby.
“I can’t join you, but where do I send the check?” Rubinson replied, as guests including hedgefund manager Richard Brennan, Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s Michael Millette, Citigroup Inc.’s
Samuel Di Piazza, and JPMorgan Chase Co.’s Catherine Keating filed in.
The event honored James Donaghy, chairman of Structure Tone, a construction firm whose
projects include the Setai hotel on Fifth Avenue, the renovation of Macy’s and work at the
Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.
“We make these big buildings, and we have to take an interest in the people who live around
them,” Donaghy said before his turn at the lectern. “We can change the odds for kids by giving
them a safe, secure and values-based environment.”
Many guests cited the statistic in the event program that 95 percent of graduates of New York’s
Catholic schools pursue post-secondary education, compared to 67 percent of graduates of New
York City public schools.
CBS Sunday Morning contributor Mo Rocca, a board member of the organization, emceed the
event, which raised $1.3 million. The president of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund board of
trustees is Peter Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg News parent company Bloomberg LP.