'Garden Party' a fun way to aid a serious cause
Dealing with the death of a loved one can be overwhelming in the best of circumstances.
The strain brought on by pay cuts, job loss and foreclosure can make it worse.
Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice's groups for bereaved people are now almost always full, said Kathy Melone, development director.
And that's why a lighthearted "Garden Party" luncheon is so important to the agency.
The annual event, set for 10 a.m. Friday at the Q Center in St. Charles, brings in about 25 percent of the money needed to run the hospice.
And just who are the 700 or so people that can attend a middle-of-the-workday party?
"Everybody from society ladies to working women," and a few men, Melone said. People feel strongly enough about the hospice that they make the time for this, she said. Many have received service from the hospice, or do volunteer work with it.
Tickets to the luncheon are $60.
There's a raffle to win one of 18 themed "baskets" of prizes, totaling nearly $70,000 in value. (And "basket" is a misnomer; most of the packages could easily fill a storefront window.)
New this year is a "Go Green" package of environmentally-friendly products, and a week's vacation stay in the Wisconsin woods. A "Girls Night Out" party package alone is worth $9,700.
There's also silent and live auctions. One of the prizes is hard-to-get tickets to see a taping of the "Oprah!" show.
"It's been a really phenomenal response" of donations from merchants and others, Melone said, especially considering the state of the economy.
And then there's the raffle prize: four box seat tickets to the June 17 Cubs-White Sox game.
Fox Valley Volunteer Hospice, based out of Geneva, is a nonprofit organization offering support for those with life-threatening illnesses, and the bereaved, in Kane and Kendall counties and parts of DuPage, Cook and McHenry counties. The hospice offers all its services for free.
To buy tickets to the "Garden Party," or raffle tickets for the Cubs-Sox game, call (630) 232-2233. For more information, including a list of basket contents, go to fvvh.org.