Friends 'go to the races' to help out United Way

By day, Mike Abruzzini serves as president of the Buffalo Grove Bank & Trust, but this Saturday, he tests the waters as a television commentator, broadcasting live in between races at Arlington Park.

Not that he will be analyzing races, instead Abruzzini will talk about a subject he knows firsthand: the Northwest Suburban United Way, and the many health and human services it serves.

Abruzzini is the president-elect of the social service agency, based in Mount Prospect. On Saturday, he will join Marcia McMahon, chief professional officer of Northwest Suburban United Way, to describe how the agency impacts the suburbs.

The pair will host the charity's sixth annual "Day at the Races," Saturday, when more than 260 guests gather in the track's International Room, overlooking the final stretch of the racetrack.

Guests will open their afternoon with a gourmet lunch buffet, before perusing the silent auction items -- and the various racing guides. During the event, members of the youth board will make a presentation, before Abruzzini and McMahon go live with their interview.

Their television debut features their live interview, filmed at the outdoor studio overlooking the paddock area. It will air over the track's closed circuit television station, which is considered to be one of the largest of its kind in all of sports.

"It's a great way to let all of the people at the track know a little more about the United Way," said Penni Jess, program coordinator.

Since 2004, Northwest and North Suburban United Way agencies have consolidated efforts to support a broader number of organizations that make a real impact on suburban communities, officials said.

Board members with Northwest Suburban United Way now allocate about $2.1 million of donated funds to support 55 health and human services agencies located in our service area of 18 communities, said current President Leon Gopon of Buffalo Grove.

Its communities include Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Half Day, Inverness, Lincolnshire, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, Palatine, Park Ridge, Prairie View, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Rosemont, Skokie and Wheeling.