Kick-starting the holiday season, the ninth Giving Thanks by Giving Back luncheon on November 18, benefiting Bay Scholars, is always a heartfelt fete. The 350 guests at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in the Merchants Exchange Building raised more than $1.1 million for merit-based scholarships granted by this organization, founded by Nob Hill Gazette owners Janet and ClintReilly.
Since inception, Bay Scholars has provided more than a thousand low-income students with full-ride scholarships — totaling more than $10 million — to attend 13 Bay Area Catholic schools, from Saint Francis High School in Mountain View to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco to Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward. And thanks to a multiyear, million-dollar pledge by John M. Sobrato (son of philanthropists Sue and JohnA. Sobrato), Bay Scholars will add four San Jose high schools to its roster (Archbishop Mitty, Bellarmine College Preparatory, Notre Dame and Presentation).
Led by Bay Scholars executive director CaitlinCurranKavanagh and award-winning author–media host BrianCopeland (a proud Moreau alum), the event featured a Thanksgiving feast punctuated by scholar success stories, a mayoral certificate of honor, and a Q&A between UC Regent Janet Reilly and Dr. Michael V. Drake, president of the University of California.
Noting new faces in the room, Clint Reilly welcomed their support with enthusiasm: “Where else can students receive academic preparation, a gateway to college and learn inspirational values? Bay Scholars is an incredible investment.” 
