Through theater, sisters indulge their philanthropy

From agencies that cold-call during dinner to PBS telethons, to not-for-profits that mail out personalized address labels, humans are forever trying to make donating to good causes not only painless but enjoyable.

While some organizations have successfully made their fundraising events something to look forward to, it took a pair of sisters from Schaumburg to get it exactly right.

Chris Seminaro and Donica Seminaro Luzwick let their passion for the performing arts and their desire to improve people's lives lead them to create Helping Others Through Theater (HOTT) in 1995.

Over the course of 15 seasons, a variety of crowd-pleasing musicals from "42nd Street" to "Meet Me in St. Louis" have allowed HOTT Productions to donate more than $100,000 to many worthy local causes.

Both sisters work in early childhood development for Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54, where they attended school. With a dedication to education, their first and most recurring cause has been literacy.

For the first dozen years of HOTT Productions, the main beneficiary was the Evenstart Family Literacy Program whose funding was threatened back in 1995.

The program has since evolved into the Prevention Initiative, which is now one of various causes the twice-yearly shows support.

Other beneficiaries have included District 54's Run to Read, the American Cancer Society, the Northwest chapter of the Autism Society of America and more.

The money available for these groups has been made possible largely by the volunteerism of HOTT Productions' cast and crew as well as the thriftiness that comes from never throwing away costumes and props.

The rights to each show alone are $7,000-$10,000, and renting the Prairie Center for the Arts is nearly another $10,000, the sisters say. This creates a slim margin of something over $2,000 per show in proceeds which can be given away.

The thought that people in need are waiting for their donations is another strong reason why HOTT Productions is committed to doing shows that will be popular with the public rather than branching out too far into the odd and esoteric.

"Especially in this area," Chris said.

"And especially in this economy," Donica added.