Wheaton's 150th Birthday Gala keeps giving
The party itself is over, but money collected from Wheaton's 150th Birthday Gala ensures 15 local charities have a reason to celebrate.
Gala organizers say more than $150,000 was raised during the Feb. 21 black-tie event at Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton. As a result, each of the charities that the fundraiser supported will receive at least $10,000.
"I am so proud of this result," said Michelle Senatore, president of the West Suburban Foundation for Disabled Veterans, which hosted the gala.
"We wanted to raise as much money as we could for the 15 charities," Senatore added. "But more important, we wanted to highlight Wheaton's tradition of giving back."
Among the groups benefiting from the fundraiser are the Children's Memorial Foundation, Central DuPage Health Foundation, Outreach Community Ministries and Wheaton's Center for History.
The gala was organized as part of Wheaton's yearlong sesquicentennial celebration. Upcoming sesquicentennial activities include a kite-flying event in April and Poetry in the Park in June. The yearlong celebration will conclude with the Fourth of July parade.
Nearly 100 people, including an 18-member committee, were involved in planning the gala event.
"The core volunteers spent upward of about 10,000 volunteer hours to create this event," Senatore said. "Every single person who participated put their heart and soul into it."
More than 400 people attended the celebration, which included appetizers from 10 local restaurants, a dinner prepared by Arrowhead's executive chef, a silent auction and entertainment from Wheaton College.
Wheaton Sesquicentennial Awards also were presented to dozens of notable current and former city residents, including actress Gail O'Grady, film director Dennis Dugan and former NFL quarterback Kent Graham.
Partygoers got to participate in the creation of an interactive painting designed by Senatore. The image includes the depiction of 15 candles representative of the benefiting charities and a set of hands symbolic of the gift of giving.
"I just thought it would be a perfect fit for this event to be able to capture it forever on canvas," Senatore said.
What will happen to the completed 4-by-6-foot painting hasn't yet been decided. One possibility is to display it somewhere in the city so it can be viewed by members of the public.
In the meantime, there are plans to sell 1,000 replicas of the painting to help raise extra money for the charities. Commemorative cookbooks also will be sold at Arrowhead's pro shop and the DuPage Historical Museum in downtown Wheaton. So far, about 500 of the 220-page cookbooks are available.
Senatore said she hopes to present checks to the 15 charities in a ceremony during a city council or park board meeting.
"I want to get into their hands now," she said, "because I know all of these charities could use it."