The gala had a 1970s disco theme.
Photo: Courtesy of the Children's Place
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Starlight Express inspired the theme of this year's gala benefit for the Children's Place Association. Although the show ran on the West End and on Broadway in the 1980s, it was written in the '70s, and it was the latter decade that set the tone for the gala's decor. "Our auxiliary board members wanted to take guests back to the '70s," said Children's Place Association development coordinator Jen Ridder, who had been working on the event since September.
So last Saturday, staffers of the Children's Place donned glitter-flecked newsboy caps, dresses splashed with loud, psychedelic patterns, and—in one noteworthy case—a white tuxedo that seemed plucked out of Saturday Night Fever. After strapping on roller skates, the staffers whirled through the great hall of Union Station, greeting a black-tie crowd of about 460 gala guests. The crowd was dressed, for the most part, in traditional black-tie, though several of the female guests donned sparkly, formal dresses to keep on theme.
"The gala chairs wanted the Starlight Express theme to express a link to Union Station," said event designer Patrick Hanrahan of Joseph Leigh Designs. "But the other goal was to do something colorful and fun, and less fancy than in former years. So the party really acquired a disco theme."To make the theme evident from the get-go, Hanrahan and his team decked the check-in table (at the entrance of Union Station) with a 30-inch disco ball that sat atop a French crystal riser. Downstairs, they hung panels of fabric from the ceiling of the great hall, dividing the cavernous room into separate areas for cocktails and dinner. Firework-like projections lit up the fabric dividers, and Sound Investment shone yellow light on yet another giant disco ball that hung from the ceiling of the cocktail area so that starlike lights spun around the room. Joseph Leigh Designs covered highboys in teal and hot-pink linens and topped them with sequin-filled vases.
In each corner of the cocktail area, appetizer stations channeled vintage hot-dog carts with striped-umbrella toppers. The snacks themselves, which included mini hot dogs, sliders, and grilled-cheese paninis, were in keeping with the throwback theme, and a Grey Goose-sponsored bar featured specialty vodka cocktails with names like the Roxy and the Dinah. (Later, during dessert and dancing, the hot-dog carts would be overtaken by old-school ice cream carts offering treats like strawberry-shortcake bars.)
The disco fever continued at dinner, where guests sat at tables topped with mirrored balls, round arrangements of brightly colored roses, and black linens with multicolored metallic overlays. As guests took their seats, the Stu Hirsch Orchestra added to the spirit with songs like "We Are Family" and "Workin' at the Car Wash."
Apart from reviving the past, the gala served to acknowledge this year's Chicago Champion for Children honoree. (Every year, the award is given to a donor company to acknowledge their support of the Children's Place.) An oversize gobo for this year's honoree, insurance group AIG, shone on the wall of the staircase leading down to the great hall. During the filet mignon dinner, three video screens projected footage of AIG employees reading to or playing with kids at the Children's Place. AIG's regional vice president accepted the award with a speech, and the three screens that surrounded the dinner tables gave guests a close-up glimpse of the honoree.
Ridder said that the award helps "bolster corporate involvement" and attract more guests to the gala. This year, AIG employees notified their friends and business associates that they were being honored and sent out invites with details on sponsorship levels for the evening. "This gala is a big part of meeting our $1 million fund-raising goal for the year," she said, "so when our corporate honorees reach out to their contacts, that's an anchor for getting our dollars for the year." The gala raised approximately $402,000 for the Children's Place.
So last Saturday, staffers of the Children's Place donned glitter-flecked newsboy caps, dresses splashed with loud, psychedelic patterns, and—in one noteworthy case—a white tuxedo that seemed plucked out of Saturday Night Fever. After strapping on roller skates, the staffers whirled through the great hall of Union Station, greeting a black-tie crowd of about 460 gala guests. The crowd was dressed, for the most part, in traditional black-tie, though several of the female guests donned sparkly, formal dresses to keep on theme.
"The gala chairs wanted the Starlight Express theme to express a link to Union Station," said event designer Patrick Hanrahan of Joseph Leigh Designs. "But the other goal was to do something colorful and fun, and less fancy than in former years. So the party really acquired a disco theme."To make the theme evident from the get-go, Hanrahan and his team decked the check-in table (at the entrance of Union Station) with a 30-inch disco ball that sat atop a French crystal riser. Downstairs, they hung panels of fabric from the ceiling of the great hall, dividing the cavernous room into separate areas for cocktails and dinner. Firework-like projections lit up the fabric dividers, and Sound Investment shone yellow light on yet another giant disco ball that hung from the ceiling of the cocktail area so that starlike lights spun around the room. Joseph Leigh Designs covered highboys in teal and hot-pink linens and topped them with sequin-filled vases.
In each corner of the cocktail area, appetizer stations channeled vintage hot-dog carts with striped-umbrella toppers. The snacks themselves, which included mini hot dogs, sliders, and grilled-cheese paninis, were in keeping with the throwback theme, and a Grey Goose-sponsored bar featured specialty vodka cocktails with names like the Roxy and the Dinah. (Later, during dessert and dancing, the hot-dog carts would be overtaken by old-school ice cream carts offering treats like strawberry-shortcake bars.)
The disco fever continued at dinner, where guests sat at tables topped with mirrored balls, round arrangements of brightly colored roses, and black linens with multicolored metallic overlays. As guests took their seats, the Stu Hirsch Orchestra added to the spirit with songs like "We Are Family" and "Workin' at the Car Wash."
Apart from reviving the past, the gala served to acknowledge this year's Chicago Champion for Children honoree. (Every year, the award is given to a donor company to acknowledge their support of the Children's Place.) An oversize gobo for this year's honoree, insurance group AIG, shone on the wall of the staircase leading down to the great hall. During the filet mignon dinner, three video screens projected footage of AIG employees reading to or playing with kids at the Children's Place. AIG's regional vice president accepted the award with a speech, and the three screens that surrounded the dinner tables gave guests a close-up glimpse of the honoree.
Ridder said that the award helps "bolster corporate involvement" and attract more guests to the gala. This year, AIG employees notified their friends and business associates that they were being honored and sent out invites with details on sponsorship levels for the evening. "This gala is a big part of meeting our $1 million fund-raising goal for the year," she said, "so when our corporate honorees reach out to their contacts, that's an anchor for getting our dollars for the year." The gala raised approximately $402,000 for the Children's Place.
