On Saturday night, approximately 1,100 guests headed to the Hilton Chicago for the Children's Ball, hosted by the Medical Research Institute Council of the Children's Memorial Hospital, which raised $2.1 million. Traditionally, the fund-raiser has taken on whimsical themes—past examples have included The Lion King, outer space, and the four seasons—but this year, planners chose to keep the decor focused on the hospital's mission.
"That decision was definitely driven by our co-chairs, Donna Drescher and Debra Marcus," said Renee Anderson, the council's development manager. "Donna's son was treated for leukemia [at Children's Memorial] when he was a teenager, and Donna and Debra agreed that everything should be very mission-focused and very kid-focused. They wanted to make sure that everybody knew that they were there for the kids."
Photos of the hospital's patients adorned two 16-foot arches that towered over food stations during the cocktail hour. In the ballroom where dinner was served, lampshades hanging over the stage and four surrounding dance floors showcased photos of smiling children, and "for the first time this year, we included actual patients in the program to help tie it back to the mission," said Anderson.
Along with remarks from the likes of Patrick Magoon, president and C.E.O. of the Children's Memorial Medical Center, the program included speeches from young patients Aidan Stott, Austin Keating, and Maiya Washington. Eight-year-old piano prodigy Emily Bear, who's also been treated at Children's Memorial, performed after dinner. When she was done, one guest commented "I've attended this ball for years, and that was the first time I've seen this room grow completely quiet."
Though some of the young speakers were nervous to address the sizable crowd, "We did a run-through and they became less nervous," Anderson said. "Having the kids turned out to be a really fun element—people enjoyed seeing them there." The children also seemed to have their share of fun; according to Anderson, "Aidan was on the dance floor till after midnight."
Anderson said this year's ball saw "a significantly reduced decor budget" as compared to that of previous years. "Staying within our budget was a challenge," she said, "but I feel like we were able to deliver a ball that was just as glamorous as last year's." One of the tricks that Kehoe designers used was placing plenty of candles throughout the hotel ballrooms, which Anderson said "created a great, glowing effect, and was really inexpensive."
