23rd annual Alexian fundraiser was no zoo (even thought it was in one)
With monkeys chattering and a waterfall crashing nearby, guests of the Alexian Brothers' Ball de Fleur knew they weren't in Kansas, er, the Northwest suburbs, anymore.
The hospital network's 23rd annual black tie gala was Saturday at Brookfield Zoo, in a tent adjacent to Tropic World, one of the largest indoor animal exhibits in the world.
The event raised more than $300,000. Proceeds were earmarked for the first phase of the $100 million capital campaign, launched in 2007, which includes the new Alexian Brothers Children's Hospital on the campus of St. Alexius in Hoffman Estates.
Going into Saturday's event, Alexian Brothers officials had raised more than $19 million toward their capital campaign goal, including $12.4 million for the Children's Hospital. They have said they will begin construction when they have 75 percent of the goal.
Officials said the first phase of the capital campaign includes the expansion of Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, with its new tower featuring all private rooms, which will be dedicated May 21.
This was the first year hospital officials moved their major fundraising event from a more traditional banquet facility, to an outdoor venue.
Their gamble paid off. The $300 per plate ball sold out at 800 tickets, prompting officials to estimate they had raised more than $300,000.
"It's not very often that you can combine glamour with a jungle adventure to create an out-of-this-world event," said Mark Frey, president and CEO, Alexian Brothers Hospital Network, based in Arlington Heights.
"It is especially fitting, as we work to raise money for a new Children's Hospital at Alexian Brothers, that we host such an important event at a venue like the Brookfield Zoo that also reaches out to children in our community," added Melanie Furlan, advancement vice president of the Alexian Brothers Foundation.
The adventure started when they arrived. Once through the zoo's south arches, guests boarded safari trams that took them past the bear grottos and the swamp to their destination: the home of the primates.
The opening cocktail reception took place inside Tropic World, where guests were free to roam South America, Asia and Africa, where they met orangutans, gorillas, black-handed spider monkeys, as well as pygmy hippopotamus and African lions.