TriCity Family Services helped radio host Scott Mackay

It doesn't happen too often that the emcee of a fundraising event for a local organization or agency airs his dirty laundry to humanize the reason for everyone attending.

Scott Mackay, the host of Mackay in the Morning at Aurora-based 95.9 The River, figured it was perfect timing to do so while handling the task of master of ceremonies at the recent annual gala for TriCity Family Services.

During his introductions about the evening's activities in the main ballroom at Pheasant Run, Mackay said he was not only happy to be taking on the emcee chores, but also to share his story about how the agency helped when his life had hit rock bottom 10 years ago.

Mackay, who has been on the radio for 35 years, was a happy fellow working at 94.7 True Oldies in Chicago in 2007, earning a six-figure salary on a popular station.

But changes at the station resulted in him being let go, and he was given the opportunity a week later to start at The River. It was a position he figured could hold him over for a couple of months until he found a higher paying job.

"Shortly after I lost the job in Chicago, I went through a divorce, bankruptcy and foreclosure, all within a time frame of six months," Mackay said. "I lost everything."

Mackay said he remains best friends with his ex-wife, but it was the total picture of what was going on at that time, when he was still falling, that ended the marriage and made it tough on their 4-year-old child.

When he started dating again, the woman who would eventually become his current wife told him about TriCity Family Services, an agency that provides guidance and therapy to resolve mental health issues that can damage or destroy families.

"So, I stopped in there," Mackay said. "I was teamed up with a therapist who was amazing and went for more than a year."

Mackay said he also went for occasional "tuneups" over time, and also "found God" through a men's church group, of which he has been a member for seven years. Ultimately, he found an inner peace that has made him happier and kept him in the Fox Valley region.

"It changed my life," he added. "I really coincide the beginning of looking inside myself with going to TriCity Family Services, and more people need to know about the great things they do there."

And it was an effective message to share with a room full of nearly 300 supporters at an important fundraising event.

The mobile auction:

There were a couple of other interesting revelations at TriCity Family Services' recent gala, not the least of which was that a suit I have had for 30 years actually fit and was relatively still in style. Fashion police might beg to differ, but, hey, they let me in the place.

But there was a far more important revelation. Have you ever gone to an event or a dinner in which most people just spent the time looking at their phones? Well, get used to it. We have entered the new age of silent auction bidding at fundraising events.

A Westmont-based company called Gesture handled the technology that allowed participants to bid through their mobile phones as they glanced at various donated items on the tables at the event.

Your phone then kept you notified as to how your bid was holding up, while letting you know about other items that were lacking bids.

It meant most of us had to keep glancing at our phones, and those determined to win an item might have been staring at their small screens quite awhile.

If your bid held up, you could pay for it right through your phone to a credit card that Gesture linked to the program when you first entered the event.

I found this to be much better than filling out a sheet of paper at the table and running over to check it to see how the bid was holding up. It's a mobile world, and fundraising auctions just joined in.

And, mostly, it helps organizations possibly get higher bids and more donations, as the software also encourages participants to simply pledge a donation during the night.

Could it be furniture?:

The work crews have been busy at the empty Sports Authority site on Randall Road in Geneva, and the work permit on the window says it's being done on behalf of Ashley Furniture, the likely next tenant at that spot.

If the empty Dominick's store across Randall Road from Sports Authority eventually becomes the home of another grocery store such as Fresh Thyme, and sharing space with a clothing retailer, as current discussions indicate, then that's two big empty boxes back up and running for the city.

No more treasures?:

For the past four years, America's Treasures antique shop leased the storefront at 10 N. Third St. that for so long had housed the Erday's Men's Clothing store in Geneva.

But now it's more like a treasure hunt, as the antique shop is no longer there and the site is vacant again.

A week ago, city spokesman Kevin Stahr said the city had not yet conducted an exit interview with America's Treasures, so it wasn't clear whether it would relocate within the city again.

But another business might find it beneficial to land in that former Erday's spot, considering more foot traffic is likely with the growing popularity of nearby Gia Mia restaurant and the fact that Nosh is moving into a spot just north of it this summer.

Spelling it correctly:

After bragging about my spelling bee prowess a couple of weeks ago as a way to encourage folks to enter the Senior Spelling Bee contest at the St. Charles Public Library, the least I can do is mention who won the event and the last word that put him over the top.

John Wohlert won the event by spelling "bouillon" correctly. He and second-place finisher Laura Graf move on to a regional competition June 19 at the Glen Ellyn Public Library for the chance to compete at the Illinois State Fair in August.

dheun@sbcglobal.net