| TOP 100 EVENTS 07.07.09 3:39 PM |
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Chicago's Top Benefits 2009
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 | Ellen DeGeneres and a Make-a-Wish recipient
Photo: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois |
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1. Green Tie Ball
Held in support of Chicago Gateway Green’s mission of beautifying area roadways, this ball draws the largest crowd of the season. Around 3,000 guests take part in charitable gaming, live entertainment, and tastings from dozens of area restaurants. Last year’s event raked in $500,000.
2. After School Matters Gala
The 2008 gala made a splash with its unconventional venue: an under-construction runway at O’Hare airport. Some 2,400 guests browsed a youth art auction and raised $3.5 million for after-school programs. The 2009 fund-raiser for Maggie Daley’s pet charity will take place in September.
3. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Chance of a Lifetime Gala
The most extensive silent auction in Chicago (500 lots, with everything from restaurant packages to trips) is the focus of this 2,000-guest event, which in 2008 raised $2.6 million and featured singer Steve Winwood. The 2009 incarnation is set for December 12.
4. Chicago Urban League Golden Fellowship Dinner
Major players in the city’s political, corporate, and social circles attend this annual event, where past guests have included Barack Obama and Johnson Publishing Company’s Linda Johnson Rice. In 2008, the evening drew 2,000 guests and raised $1.9 million for the civil-rights organization. This year’s dinner is set for November 7.
5. American Cancer Society Discovery Ball
Charlie Trotter designed the cocktails for the 2008 ball, which raised $2.1 million and featured acrobats and a performance by jazz icon Herbie Hancock. This year’s event took place at the Civic Opera House on April 25; some 1,000 guests attended.
6. Children’s Memorial Hospital Children’s Ball
In 2008, the 50th anniversary ball for 1,200 was held at the Hilton Chicago. The Medical Research Institute Council’s 2009 event on December 12 will build on the momentum of excitement generated by a new hospital building currently under construction in Streeterville.
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RELATED TOPICS
Chicago's Top 100 Events, Chicago Gateway Green, Maggie Daley, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Steve Winwood, Chicago Urban League, American Cancer Society, Herbie Hancock, Children's Memorial Hospital, Lincoln Park Zoo, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ellen DeGeneres, Breast Cancer Network of Strength, Shedd Aquarium, Ronald Mcdonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, Museum of Science and Insutry |
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| EVENT REPORT 01.07.09 11:24 AM |
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Dirty Dancing Cast Members Help Celebrate Opening of Joffrey Ballet's New Academy
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 | The evening's dance performance
Photo: Herbert Migdoll |
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Julia Jankowski, events coordinator for the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, spent two months planning Monday night’s event titled "Have the Time of Your Life: An Evening of Song and Dance With the Cast of Dirty Dancing." The event drew some 165 guests—including Chicago's first lady, Maggie Daley—and served as a relaxed grand-opening celebration for the Academy of Dance, Official School of the Joffrey Ballet.
The event’s centerpiece was a two-act performance that featured dancers from the ballet company and the Broadway in Chicago show, a collaboration which came about thanks to a longtime friendship between Kaitlin Hopkins (who plays Baby Houseman’s mother, Marjorie, in the touring company of Dirty Dancing) and Christopher Conway, executive director of the Joffrey Ballet. Further solidifying the link between the two organizations, several Dirty Dancing cast members are also former Joffrey dancers, including Britta Lazenga, who cohosted the evening’s performance.
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RELATED TOPICS
Joffrey Ballet, Broadway in Chicago, Maggie Daley |
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| EVENT REPORT 10.28.08 8:00 AM |
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Halloween Ball Showcases Cultural Center Event Space to Sarah Palins, Zombies
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 | The mayor and his wife's Halloween Ball
Photo: BizBash |
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On Friday night, giant chickens handed out Mardi Gras beads on the steps of the Chicago Cultural Center while witches flanked the doors, ready to welcome some 500 guests to Mayor Richard Daley and Maggie Daley's Halloween Ball. The majority of those guests opted for costumes instead of black-tie attire, and several mock Sarah Palins, and one pumpkin vest (the mayor's) peppered the crowd.
The ball's purpose was two-fold: "The Cultural Center offers free programming such as concerts and activities for children," said event manager Kim Snoddy. "The gala raises funds for those programs, but it also lets people see a lot of rooms and halls throughout the Cultural Center, giving guests a chance to see what they could do if they wanted to host an event here." Snoddy added that the center hosts approximately 500 private functions a year, which run the gamut from weddings to conferences.
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RELATED TOPICS
Maggie Daley, Mayor Richard Daley, Chicago Cultural Center |
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| EVENT REPORT 10.08.08 1:26 PM |
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Unicef Benefit Mixes Wine and Nordstrom Shoe Shopping
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 | The Wine, Women, & Shoes event
Photo: Gail Pollard Photography
Pollard
Pollard Photography |
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On Thursday evening, more than 700 guests filtered through the back entrance of the River East Art Center for the third annual Wine, Women, & Shoes fund-raiser hosted by the Midwest regional office of the U.S. Fund for Unicef. The back entrance helped keep the general admission ticket holders on the main floor, allowing the V.I.P. ticket holders (distinguished by their pink rubber bracelets) exclusive access to the upstairs area, where a selection of designer handbags and shoes from sponsoring partner Nordstrom could be found.
Maggie Daley returned as this year’s honorary chair (she also chaired the Museum of Science and Industry's Columbian Ball), while Judy Fitzgerald of Macquarie Real Estate and Joe Silich of Morgan Stanley served as co-chairs of the shopping event, fashion show, and cocktail party. Eight Unicef executive committee members and a host committee of 35 began planning the benefit in March, and an additional 62 volunteers helped out the night of the fund-raiser.
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RELATED TOPICS
Nordstrom, Maggie Daley, Morgan Stanley |
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| EVENT REPORT 10.07.08 8:00 AM |
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Columbian Ball Reaches Fund-Raising Goals Despite Lower Attendance
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 | Columbian Ball at the Museum of Science and Industry
Photo: JB Spector/Museum of Science and Industry |
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On Saturday night, the Museum of Science and Industry's annual Columbian Ball (which we ranked among our top benefits in Chicago's Top 100 Events list) raked in more than $1.6 million dollars for the museum, despite the nation's current financial climate. Denise Hicks, the museum's manager of campaign special events, planned the ball dubbed "Unbelievable! 75 Years of Inspiration" in honor of the museum's 75th anniversary.
Though Hicks said that the state of the economy made finding sponsors "a little more challenging" than usual this year, the event ultimately landed principal sponsorships from companies such as Allstate, BP, and United Airlines. "What helped the most [with attracting sponsors] is who the co-chairs were," Hicks said. "[Our co-chairs] are well-known in the community and the city, and their involvement made people want to be a part of this event." (This year's co-chairs included Max and Jim Farrell and Mayor Richard Daley and his wife, Maggie.)
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Museum of Science and Industry, Mayor Richard Daley, Maggie Daley |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.23.08 12:33 PM |
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O'Hare Airstrip Becomes Art Gallery and Stage for After School Matters Gala
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 | The After School Matters Gala
Photo: Rick Aguilar |
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"The next time someone uses this runway, hopefully it'll be Air Force One," said an O'Hare employee at Friday night's After School Matters Gala, a fund-raiser for the nonprofit organization devoted to providing after-school activities for local teens. But instead of the president and his posse, the airport's not-yet-complete Runway 9 Left/27 Right was overrun with trolleys, 2,300 local philanthropists, and a 100,000-square-foot tent.
"The After School Matters Gala is known for occupying unique venues," said Kim Snoddy, the nonprofit's director of events. Still, Snoddy and her team were somewhat hesitant last November when they received a call from the commissioner of the O'Hare modernization program, asking if they'd be interested in hosting their gala on the airport's newest runway, due for completion on November 20. (Mayor Daley hopes to inaugurate the runway with an Air Force One landing, as he announced in a press conference earlier this year.)
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RELATED TOPICS
After School Matters, Maggie Daley |
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