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Save the Date: DLA’s 3rd Annual Charity Gala and Scholarship Dinner

D-Day Leadership Academy’s work is built on a simple belief: when young people encounter history up close, and are held to a higher standard while they’re there, it changes what they think is possible for their own lives.


On Thursday, February 19, 2026, DLA will gather supporters, partners, and friends for our 3rd Annual Charity Gala and Scholarship Dinner at the Denver Athletic Club. This is the night we rally the community behind the students we serve and the mission we carry: to preserve the stories of D-Day and use them to shape the next generation through leadership, gratitude, and lived perspective.


Event Details

DLA 2026 Scholarship Dinner (3rd Annual Charity Gala)

6:00 PM — February 19, 2026

Denver Athletic Club




Why this night matters


Every year, DLA works with students who have carried adult-sized problems with kid-sized tools. Many have never left their state, some have never been given a reason to believe they can. And yet when they’re placed in the presence of real sacrifice, real history, and real standards, something changes.


DLA doesn’t treat history as trivia. We treat it as a mirror.


A scholarship doesn’t just fund a seat. It funds a shift in trajectory, one student at a time. Your support helps underwrite the real costs that make these experiences possible: travel, lodging, instruction, safeguarding, materials, and the operational backbone required to run programs responsibly and safely. Most importantly, it makes sure that access to the experience is not limited to students who can afford it.


This gala is how we expand that access.




What to expect at the 2026 Scholarship Dinner


This event is designed to be clear, meaningful, and action-oriented.


You can expect an evening that honors the legacy DLA protects, highlights the students DLA serves, and gives you a direct line of sight into what your support funds. It is a scholarship dinner with purpose: a room full of people choosing to carry a mission forward rather than simply admire it from a distance.


This is not a night for vague promises. It is a night for outcomes.




How your support translates into impact



There are a lot of charities asking for help. DLA takes a different approach: DLA ties giving to mission delivery.


When you support DLA, you are helping fund:


  • Scholarships that put underserved students in the story, not just in a classroom

  • Leadership development rooted in gratitude, accountability, and perspective

  • Historical preservation through storytelling, so the men and women of D-Day are not reduced to a date on a calendar

  • Operational readiness and safeguarding, because integrity is part of impact


If you’ve been looking for a cause that is both emotionally real and operationally serious, this is it.




Ways to participate


There are multiple ways to show up for DLA at the 3rd Annual Gala. If you’re reading this, you’re already in the right place.



Attend


If you want to be in the room when scholarships are funded and the mission is reinforced, plan to attend on February 19, 2026 at the Denver Athletic Club.



Sponsor


Sponsorship is for individuals and organizations that want to underwrite scholarships at scale and be recognized as a key supporter of the mission. If you’re considering sponsorship, whether you’re a business owner, veteran-led organization, civic leader, or family foundation, email director@ddayleadershipacademy.com to discuss options.



Donate if you can’t attend


Not everyone can make it to Denver. That does not mean you can’t move the mission forward. A donation, at any amount, contributes directly to scholarship capacity and program delivery.




This is a “show up” moment


There are events people attend for networking. There are events people attend out of habit. And then there are nights that actually matter.


This is one of those nights.


If you believe young people need more than inspiration, if you believe they need real standards, real examples, and real perspective, then you already understand why DLA exists. The 3rd Annual Charity Gala and Scholarship Dinner is where supporters help ensure the next student gets the chance to experience something that changes how they see the world and how they carry themselves inside it.


Mark the date. Bring someone who shares the values. And if you’re in a position to sponsor or give, step forward.


Save the Date

Thursday, February 19, 2026 — 6:00 PM

Denver Athletic Club

Questions and sponsorships: director@ddayleadershipacademy.com

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