Charles King, Nina Shaw Toast Tim and Vicky Mara Story at Independent School Gala
“I know for sure that you won’t find two people with bigger hearts and that create more opportunities for others,” producer Charles King said in a touching introduction about his good friends and founders of The Story Company, director Tim Story and wife Vicky Mara Story.
The Storys accepted the 2018 impact award at the Independent School Alliance for Minority Affairs dinner at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica on Tuesday evening. Also honored with an impact award was director of admission at Harvard-Westlake School Elizabeth Gregory Riordan.
The theater welcomed a variety of patrons of diversity and education, including Ava DuVernay and “Insecure”’ star Yvonne Orji, who served as the night’s emcee.
Raised by a Nigerian family in Maryland, Orji explained how important education was in her household. “My mother had a whole book throughout the New England area for boarding and private schools, and she made sure me and my three brothers went to a boarding or private school,” she said.
Established in SoCal in 1985, the org consists of 54 private, independent elementary and secondary schools aiming to increase diversity in their student body. Since its inception, the organization has assisted thousands of students from underrepresented communities with the application process for independent schools, as well as provide ongoing support for both students and their families.
As native Angelenos with three children enrolled in independent schooling, Vicky Story explained there was “no other answer but yes” when attorney and alliance chair Nina Shaw approached the couple to support the cause. “What better way for us to give back to our community than to support such an amazing organization,” Vicky said.
The evening afforded four scholarships to students who shared the ways in which their lives were positively transformed after being placed in independent schools by the alliance, as well as a performance by “American Idol” finalist David Hernandez.