The Denver Scholarship Foundation’s Annual Gala will be headlined by Christopher Gray, founder and CEO of Scholly on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center. An exclusive VIP reception with Gray will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the dinner and program at 6:30 p.m.
Denver7 is a proud supporter of Denver Scholarship Foundation and this event, which will be emceed by Denver7 evening news anchor, Anne Trujillo
The keynote speaker’s company, Scholly, is a mobile and web app that helps students find scholarships for college. Scholly was featured on ABC’s Shark Tank, landing a deal with Daymond John and Lori Greiner and sparking one of the biggest fights in Shark Tank history.
Raised in poverty and often homeless, Gray's dreams of attending college seemed unattainable until he won $1.3 million in scholarships. While a student at Drexel University, he turned his experience into an enterprise and created an app, Scholly. Gray wanted other students to have a way of easily finding and applying for scholarships that would enable them to attend college, advance their earning potential, and keep them out of debt. There was, and is, a lot of scholarship money available. The problem was finding it.
Since its inception in 2014, Scholly has helped its two million subscribers find more than $100 million in scholarships to pay for higher education. Scholly is the 2017 National Parenting Product Award Winner in the mobile app category. In early 2018, Gray launched Scholly Scholarship Summit, a live touring event and workshop that provides educational guidance and equips young Americans with the tools necessary to achieve their higher education goals.
“Each year, we work with thousands of Denver Public Schools’ students, supporting them on their journeys to and through college graduation, by providing the tools, knowledge, and financial resources essential for success,” said DSF’s CEO, Lorii Rabinowitz. “Every one of our students, and each of our DSF Scholars, brings extraordinary potential; it is our job to help them unlock it, and a gift to our community to help bring their talents to bear. We are honored to feature Mr. Christopher Gray as our speaker for this year’s Annual Gala. Mr. Gray and Scholly’s core value is to make quality education accessible and affordable for everyone, aligning with DSF’s mission to empower students in enrolling in, and graduating from, post-secondary education. This will be an evening of inspiration you do not want to miss.”
The DSF Annual Gala has raised millions of dollars to make college possible for thousands of students in Denver. Since 2007, DSF has awarded $48 million in scholarships to more than 7,600 DPS students. Along with the featured speaker, the evening’s program will also highlight the inspirational stories of several DSF Scholars and Alumni.
Proceeds from the Annual Gala will make it possible for thousands of DPS graduates to complete a college degree.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities and ticket availability please email events@denverscholarship.org, or visit www.denverscholarship.org.
About the Denver Scholarship Foundation
Denver Scholarship Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity whose mission is to inspire and empower Denver Public Schools’ students to achieve their college goals. A direct service provider, DSF provides college and financial aid advice to Denver students and families and offers a renewable, need-based scholarship to support Scholars throughout their college careers. DSF also partners with colleges across Colorado to implement retention strategies that help Denver students complete their college education. DSF aims to create systemic change to prepare Denver’s youth to succeed in today’s evolving workforce. For more information, www.denverscholarship.org or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.