NEW ORLEANS, LA, March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The ninth annual New Orleans Mayor’s Masked Ball took place on Saturday, March 26 with over 600 attendees and generated over $605K. The opening act consisted of the famous St. Augustine’s marching 100 band and concluded with an exhilarating performance by Grammy Award-winner Stephanie Mills.  

Xavier University graduate, and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell served as host of the Masked Ball for her fifth year and gave passionate remarks about our treasured HBCUs and the need to support them. 

The New Orleans 2022 UNCF Mayor’s MASKED Award was presented to two outstanding individuals. The first went to Dillard University President, Dr. Walter Kimbrough. The second recipient was Joel Vilmenay, newly appointed president and general manager for CBS News in Los Angeles.

Student leaders Paulina Webber, Ms. UNCF of Dillard University, and Emmanuel Ukot, SGA president of Xavier University gave passionate testimonials, which helped to spark giving during the fund-the-mission appeal. 

The event was chaired by Michael O. Smith, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Hotel New Orleans. Ochsner Health served as the event’s presenting sponsor. Marquis sponsors included: Encore, the Entergy Corporation, the Hyatt Regency Hotel New Orleans, Karen and Henry Coaxum, Donna and Paul Flower, Sherry and Alan Leventhal (all members of the Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences), Mardi Gras Productions, Gayle Benson and the New Orleans Saints & Pelicans, WDSU and other generous sponsors.

New Orleans’ Community Leader and former WDSU anchorman Norman Robinson served as the event’s emcee.

“For more than 77 years, UNCF has fueled HBCUs with vital resources to educate generations of African American and other minority students,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. “During the continuing unprecedented health and racial pandemics we’re all living through, our students and institutions need support now more than ever. We are at risk of washing away a generation of talented and deserving African American and minority students. We are asking for as many donations as possible right now because the students we help now will be our next generation of doctors, nurses, biologists, virologists, epidemiologists—the pandemic frontliners of the future. We thank everyone in New Orleans who participated in the UNCF Mayor’s Masked Ball to help ensure better futures for us all.”

UNCF-New Orleans is still accepting donations. To learn more or to donate, please go to https://uncf.org/local-offices/neworleans.

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About UNCF

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20% of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.