20 years of the Shining Star Ball

Clearbrook supporters donned black tie formalwear Friday night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the agency's biggest fundraiser: its Shining Star Ball.

Set against the elegant backdrop of the grand ballroom at the Four Seasons hotel in Chicago, 300 guests mixed with business leaders and celebrities. Some of those included Kathy Hart of WTMX, The Mix, and Ravi Baichwal, ABC-7 weekend anchor, who joined in support of raising money for children and adults with disabilities.

Clearbrook board Chairman Michael Scholl paused before dinner to recognize the two founders of the event: Joanie McKenna and Carole Segal, whose vision has raised nearly $10 million over two decades for Clearbrook clients.

"Both are ambassadors for Clearbrook and its mission of being innovators in the field of developmental disabilities," Scholl said.

The women and their husbands reflect Chicago's most influential business circles. McKenna's husband, Andrew, serves as the non-executive chairman of McDonald's as well as on the boards of the Chicago Bears and the University of Notre Dame. He also serves as chairman of Schwarz Paper Co. in Morton Grove.

Segal and her husband, Gordon, founded the furniture and household goods retailer Crate & Barrel in 1962.

From the start, the pair designed the Shining Star Ball as a high-end event, capable of making a direct impact on the lives of Clearbrook's clients. Eventually, the ball raised enough money to create the Clearbrook Clinic, which continues to operate on revenue raised from the ball.

"We chose the therapies because they were not being covered by Medicaid," Segal said.

The Clearbrook Clinic covers a broad range of therapies including occupational, physical, speech and language therapies.

"The clinic is the key to what makes Clearbrook unique," said Clearbrook President Carl La Mell. "Virtually all of our parents would agree that the clinic is an outstanding component of our services."

Last year, the clinic provided more than 20,000 hours of services to Clearbrook clients in the areas of occupational, physical, speech and language therapies, along with counseling, behavioral supports and psychological consultations.