‘It’s exceeded our expectations.’ Grace Prep seniors combine passions to host fundraising gala

Two Grace Prep seniors are combining their passions and senior projects to host a unique event that looks to draw awareness to autoimmune disorders.

Rebecca Barker and Ava Moriarity are organizing a fundraising gala as part of senior projects that are required at the State College school. The gala, called “One Night For Change,” will take place 6:30 p.m. Friday at State College Alliance Church.

The two have been planning the event since August, finding a way to combine Barker’s love of musical theater with Moriarity’s advocacy for autoimmune disorders.

“We’ve been friends since fourth grade, so nine years now, and when we got our projects I knew mine was going to be a gala,” Barker said.

The gala will raise funds for the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association and aims to bring awareness to Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disorder that Moriarity was diagnosed with at 13. Hashimoto’s disease is when the immune system attacks the thyroid gland and can cause fatigue, dry skin, sensitivity to cold and unexplained weight gain.

The teens are also calling on fellow Grace Prep students for help with the fundraising event. It will feature a musical theater performance from 12 Grace Prep students, alongside a catered meal for those who’ve upgraded their tickets. The meal will be catered by fellow Grace Prep senior Ashley Thompson as part of her senior project.

Moriarity’s passion for advocacy comes from her experience with the difficulty of diagnosing autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s disease.

“I had it for probably close to 10 years, but I wasn’t diagnosed until the past four,” Moriarity said. So it definitely made a big impact on my life. And I’m able now to look back and be like, ‘oh, I acted this way or like, I was always so tired.’”

The musical theater aspect, Barker’s passion, will include a cabaret, a compilation of short performances of theater, song and dance.

“For the past two or three months, I’ve been teaching an elective course here at the school on musical theater,” Barker said. “So we’ve covered what we call a triple threat, which is a fancy way of saying dancing, acting and voice.”

But the gala is only one part of the students’ projects. Seniors must also complete a research element, a personal application and a form of community outreach. During the year-long process, they are helped by a faculty advisor and a community advisor.

Robby Gresh, a math teacher at Grace Prep and Moriarity’s faculty advisor, said he’s noticed a big change in her confidence throughout the course of the project.

“In the beginning she was nervous to ask me questions or give me a call,” Gresh said. “Now she’s much more confident when talking to professionals, she’s even taught at some schools about autoimmune disorders.”

So far Barker and Moriarity have already raised more than $1,000 in ticket sales alone for the American Autoimmune Related Disease Association.

“It’s already kind of exceeded my expectations,” Barker said. “I don’t think going into this, personally, I didn’t expect more than maybe $500. You know, we’re a bunch of high school kids. We hit 500 like a month or two ago. Just through ticket sales, We’ve made a little over $1,000. And yeah, it’s just totally like, whoa.”

Tickets for the event can still be found on sale at their website for $10.

The girls plan to continue following their passions after graduation, with Barker going on to study musical theater and Moriarity studying to become a physician’s assistant.