Auto dealers give $2.5 million Valentine to local charities
Looking for something different to do on the eve of Valentine's Day?
You and your date could get a first look at the Chicago Auto Show in an opulent event preceding the public opening. The annual First Look for Charity features more than 1,000 vehicles, music, hors d'oeuvres and beverages, all while raising millions of dollars for 18 local charities.
Even in a city teeming with black-tie fundraisers, First Look for Charity is one of the area's most bountiful charitable events, generating more than $39 million since its debut in 1992. The event is from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13. Tuxedos are required.
You can direct the proceeds of your ticket purchase to any or all of this year's beneficiaries, with $199 of each $250 ticket tax-deductible. And two attendees will win a drawing for a 2015 Ford Explorer and a 2015 Ford Fusion, compliments of Ford Motor Co. and the Chicagoland Ford Dealers Association.
Here's what the show's Erik Higgins had to say about the event:
Q: Is there anything new or different about this year's show that sets it apart from prior years as an attraction?
A: I think there is an excitement about the automotive industry overall. Americans bought more than 16.5 million new cars in 2014, the highest number since 2006. And with an improving economy and the average age of used cars on the road at more than 11 years, attention to new cars remains high.
Q: What's your experience of the vibe at the event?
A: Held at the largest auto show in North America, it really is a party like no other. People might question how an event with 10,000 people can be called intimate, but with a show floor measuring 1.2 million square feet, there is plenty of elbow room for everyone. The head count pales in comparison to any of the days the show is open to the public.
Q: Why do people choose to come? To be first to see the show? Because it's a great party? Because they want to support the charities?
A: Many of the attendees are there to support the benefiting charities, but about 10 percent of the people express no affinity to the charities; they're there because they enjoy the event. As the name indicates, attendees are getting the "first look" at the auto show.
Q: How do the Chicago Automobile Trade Association members feel about putting this charity event on every year? Does it seem to have solid support?
A: The evening before the Chicago Auto Show opens previously was used to give dealers a chance to take a private lap around the show floor, until the association's board of directors in 1991 decided the evening could be put to better use by making it a fundraiser. The membership is proud of the more than $39 million that has been raised since then for nonprofits in our backyards.
Q: How many people and how much money did you generate last year? How many people and how much money are you expecting to raise this year?
A: The 2014 event raised $2.5 million on sales of 9,000 tickets. Through Jan. 16, ticket sales are up nearly 30 percent compared to the same point last year, so the trend is definitely headed in the right direction.
Q: Can you say which charity is the best at promoting this event - is there a clear leader in ticket sales?
A: The 18 benefiting charities are a mix of large and smaller organizations, and about one-third of them count First Look for Charity as their largest fundraiser each year. Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, which has been with the event since the beginning, tends to be the ticket-sales leader each year.
First Look for Charity
This year's Chicago Auto Show <a href="http://www.chicagoautoshow.com/first-look-for-charity/">First Look for Charity</a> will benefit 18 local charities. Individual tickets are $250, with $199 of that tax deductible. Tickets are for sale at the First Look for Charity website or through these charities. Proceeds can be directed toward one or all of the participants:
• <a href="http://www.100clubchicago.org/">100 Club of Chicago</a>: 100clubchicago.org
• <a href="http://www.advocatehealth.com/sherman/">Advocate Sherman Hospita</a>l: www.shermanhealth.com/
• <a href="http://www.bgcc.org/">Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago</a>: bgcc.org
• <a href="http://catholiccharities.net/">Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago</a>: catholiccharities.net
• <a href="http://catholiccharitiesjoliet.org/">Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Joliet</a>: cc-doj.org
• <a href="http://www.clearbrook.org/">Clearbrook</a>: clearbrook.org
• <a href="http://www.cradlefoundation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=foundation">The Cradle Foundation</a>: cradlefoundation.org
• <a href="http://www.cff.org/">Cystic Fibrosis Foundation</a>: cff.org
• <a href="http://franciscancommunities.com/">Franciscan Community Benefit Services</a>: franciscancommunities.com
• <a href="http://www.franciscanalliance.org/hospitals/pages/stjameshealth.aspx">Franciscan St. James Health</a>: stjameshospital.org
• <a href="http://www.ray-graham.org/">Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities</a>: raygraham.org
• <a href="http://i-sba.org/">Illinois Spina Bifida Association</a>: i-sba.org
• <a href="http://illinois.jdrf.org/">JDRF</a>: jdrfillinois.org
• <a href="https://www.luriechildrens.org/en-us/Pages/index.aspx">Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago</a>: luriechildrens.org
• <a href="http://www.marchofdimes.com/illinois/">March of Dimes</a>: marchofdimes.com/illinois
• <a href="http://www.misericordia.org">Misericordia</a>: misericordia.org
• <a href="http://www.soill.org/">Special Olympics Illinois</a>: soill.org
• <a href="http://www.turningpointeautismfoundation.org/">Turning Pointe Autism Foundation</a>: turningpointeautismfoundation.org
• <a href="http://jessewhitefoundation.org/">Jesse White Tumbling Team</a>: jessewhitefoundation.org
Source: Chicago Area Trade Association