DANBURY, CONN. — With about 50 percent of the students at Western Connecticut State University getting financial aid to help pay for their education, WCSU’s biggest annual fundraiser, the University Ball, is an important event.

Over the past four years, some proceeds from the University Ball and donor-designated scholarships have funded close to $400,000 in education costs for WestConn students. The university and the WCSU Foundation offer nearly 100 scholarships every year, and the need for financial support is ongoing.

“We count on the community supporting the ball to help us help students,” said Dr. G. Koryoe Anim-Wright, the university’s vice president of Institutional Advancement. “it is our largest annual fundraiser, and besides being important for that reason, it is also a fun evening. We still have seats available and we are expecting this year’s ball will be the best yet.”

May 3 is the date of this year’s ball, at which WestConn will recognize Tony and Roberta Caraluzzi for their family’s contributions to the university and Greater Danbury communities. This year’s ball theme, “Escape to Tuscany,” will highlight an evening program of fine dining, dancing and a silent auction to raise academic enrichment and scholarship funds for the WCSU Foundation. Tony Caraluzzi Jr. serves as a member of the WCSU Foundation Board.

Many community-minded individuals and corporations are supporting this year’s ball with sponsorships and donations, including Isabelle Farrington, Boehringer Ingelheim Corp, Danbury Hospital, Union Savings Bank, The Morganti Group, Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group, KPMG, the WCSU Alumni Association, JetBlue Airways, and the Caraluzzi family.

The 2008 University Ball will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, in the Feldman Arena of the O’Neill Convocation Center on the university’s Westside campus, Lake Avenue Extension in Danbury. The honorary chair for this year’s black-tie event is Wayne Shepperd, director of economic development for the city of Danbury.

For more information about the Ball, call the Office of Institutional Advancement at (203) 837-8279.