Seven members of the Class of 1991 connected with their classmates during LEF calling on Tuesday, Oct. 14. From left are Mark Marino, Ryan LeBlanc, Beau LeBlanc, Vinnie Varisco, Mario Munoz, Ryan Gootee, and Charles Haddad.

More than 70 alumni representing seven decades returned to Carrollton and Banks on the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 14, to kick-off the 2014 LEF fall calling drive. The Living Endowment, which is used to offset operational expenses of the school, is the alumni component of Jesuit’s annual giving campaign. The LEF, Parents’ Annual Giving (PAG) drive, and Parents of Alumni (POA) drive help keep Jesuit accessible to as many families as possible.

Alumni volunteers secured pledges from 566 of their classmates totaling $216,663. The average commitment was $383. The Class of 1991 turned out the largest numbers of callers — seven.

The evening began with a delicious spaghetti and meatballs dinner and a short presentation in the Student Commons, which included an overview of Jesuit today from president Anthony McGinn, S.J. ’66. The night concluded with calling in St. Ignatius Hall and third floor tributaries. Callers who remained until the end received Jesuit goodies from the office of institutional advancement.

The chairman of the 2014-15 drive is Mike Varisco, who is a member of the Class of 1983. He is being assisted by 2013-14 chairman Lyon “Snapper” Garrison ’81 and 2015-16 chairman Marc Bonifacic ’92.

The fall phone event continues on Wednesday, Oct. 15, and Thursday, Oct. 16. Alumni interested in assisting as callers should contact LEF coordinator Logan Diano at diano@jesuitnola.org or alumni director Mat Grau at grau@jesuitnola.org.

Check back for a photo gallery of the LEF fall calling event.