Alexian's Ball de Fleur proceeds help the most vulnerable

Compelled to serve.

Those are the buzzwords driving this year's Ball de Fleur, the largest fundraiser of the year for the Alexian Brothers' Foundation.

This is the 29th annual edition of the gala. It takes place Saturday, May 2 at Chicago's Radisson Blu Aqua, and is expected to draw 600 guests, from all of the health system's Northwest suburban facilities.

"The Ball de Fleur is the heart and soul of what we do," says Mark Frey, president and CEO of Alexian Brothers Health System. "We cannot do what we do, without philanthropy."

Over the years, the elegant gala has featured big name entertainers, from Bob Hope to Jay Leno and Frankie Valli, and raised nearly $7 million for health care programs for the disadvantaged.

Flower creations, designed by the late Br. Valentino Bianco, were the ball's signature, as they graced the invitations, table centerpieces and even the dessert. Each year was more elaborate, and foundation leaders finally renamed the event, from the Garden Ball to the Ball de Fleur.

Guests still will find beautiful flower arrangements in the ballroom, as well as gourmet dining and a live orchestra; but now the ball itself is more reflective of the straightforward mission. Proceeds will support Alexian Brothers programs that serve the most vulnerable in the community, namely those impacted by mental illness and homelessness.

"For 800 years, the Alexian Brothers have served individuals who do not have a voice, and who are marginalized by illness and poverty," Frey says. "Moving forward, we will increasingly seek to prioritize programs that serve these vulnerable individuals."

Some of the event's beneficiaries include Alexian Brothers Center for Mental Health in Arlington Heights, which helped 3,300 people with mental health treatment last year.

The Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Hoffman Estates also provided thousands of people with psychiatric and substance abuse health care, while Alexian Brothers Housing and Health Alliance provided housing to 175 homeless men and women with HIV/AIDS in Chicago.

"The need within our community for quality mental health treatment continues to grow," says Clay Ciha, president and CEO of Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital. "It is with the help of our partners that we will be successful in meeting the needs of children, adolescents, adults and older adults who come to us for holistic care."

Alexian Brothers Foundation raises money year round for the nonprofit Alexian Brothers Health System, which is based in Arlington Heights and serves more than 2 million people every year.

In 2012, Alexian Brothers Health System merged with the St. Louis-based Ascension, the nation's largest Catholic and nonprofit health system and third largest system in the United States.