On Saturday, November 8 from 7 pm until 11 pm, there will be a special event at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center.  The purpose? To raise funds for the Sacred Heart Neighborhood Scholarship at UMass Lowell.

Some of the founders of the Sacred Heart Neighborhood Scholarship at UMass Lowell back when they were in college

What makes this event unique is how it came about.  Six individuals who grew up in that tight-knit neighborhood – Matt McCafferty, Jim Neary, John O’Donnell, Ken O’Neil, Brian Sheehan and Ray Crowe – who all were the first in their families to go to college AND all of whom went to UMass Lowell’s predecessor, University of Lowell, one night last fall were reminiscing about all the benefits they had received from UMass Lowell.  This led them to the decision to create and endow a scholarship to be awarded to a Lowell resident who, like each of them, would be the first in the family to attend college and who would be attending UMass Lowell.  Hence the event on November 8 which will feature delicious food, dancing to music by The Funrazers with a couple Sacred Heart guys, Leo Sheridan and Rich Sarmento, and a special entertainment program featuring the Neary Family singers.

Admission to the Sacred Heart Neighborhood Fundraiser is $50 but sponsorship opportunities are also available.  Information about the event and the opportunity to contribute online are both available on the UMass Lowell website.  It certainly seems like a cause worth supporting whether you’re from the Sacred Heart neighborhood or just wish you were.