Lazarus House, Rotary to hold 'Giving Gift of Hope' fundraiser

Lazarus House and the St. Charles Breakfast Rotary Foundation have teamed up for "Giving the Gift of Hope," a dinner/auction fundraiser set for 6 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at St. Charles Country Club.

Lazarus House is a community shelter serving individuals connected to mid-Kane County who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The Rotary is comprised of business and professional leaders who volunteer in their community, supporting a great variety of groups financially and with their time.

Tickets are $70. Interested people are asked to RSVP by Tuesday, April 14 by calling Lisa at (630) 232-6822 or Lazarus House at (630) 587-2144.

"At this time, so many people are in need of hope and we are doing our best to give that to them," said executive director Darlene Marcusson. "In March, we served an average of 71 people daily at our shelter. We helped 37 households pay their rent through our ongoing rental subsidy programs. We also helped seven other households with one-time emergency rent/utility/mortgage assistance. Funding to help us cover our basic expenses is of vital importance."

"When people donate items to the auction or buy a ticket to join us, they are giving hope to people in need," said Donna Bauer, Lazarus House special event coordinator. "Lazarus House wouldn't exist without the tremendous support of the community and we never forget that."

"We are grateful to the Rotary for their partnership," Marcusson added. "They are helping us tremendously by taking on a great deal of the work and risk of this event, but they are sharing profits with us."

"Some exciting donations have started to roll in," said Tassie Brautigam, Rotary event coordinator. "We've got a day of Lake Michigan sailing for up to 8 people on the 44-foot yacht Nordsea. The captained boat comes complete with snacks and beverages as well as lunch at the Chicago Yacht Club. We also have a fun-filled evening out for up to 14 people which includes complete transportation and gift certificates for Walter Payton's Roundhouse."

There are also fabulous sports tickets, another sailing venture, group wine tasting events, certificates for area restaurants and stores, beautiful infant gift items, fabulous artwork, gardening items and more.