Purple Tie Ball celebrates WINGS' 25 years of helping women
The ballroom at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center was a glow in purple Saturday night, and it's no wonder.
From striking lavender gowns on the women to purple vests and cummerbunds on the men, nearly every guest wore some variation of the shade. Even lighting in the room was awash in purple.
The occasion was the 25th anniversary of Women In Need Growing Stronger, or WINGS, and its signature Purple Tie Ball, which raises money for victims of domestic violence.
Nearly as important, however, was word that the WINGS resale shop would be reopening in Palatine in about two weeks. They just signed a lease for a property at 1315 N. Rand Road, located in the Park Place Shopping Center next to T.J. Maxx.
To underscore the resale shop's vitality, Executive Director Rebecca Darr and Board President Silvia Manetti of Arlington Heights, as well as the rest of their leadership team, all wore gowns purchased from another of their resale shops.
Manetti paid the most for hers: a whopping $12.
In all, some 240 guests attended, including municipal leaders, major donors and dedicated volunteers.
Local mayors included Kenneth Nelson of Rolling Meadows, site of WINGS' safe house emergency shelter for women and children, as well as Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod and Hanover Park Mayor Rodney Craig.
Congresswoman Melissa Bean attended the event as well as some state legislators, including Illinois state Sen. Matt Murphy.
John and Mary Jo Boler, of Inverness, renewed their commitment to the cause, making another generous donation. Two years ago, they made a $1 million donation to help establish an endowment fund for the organization.
"I went to the Safe House and interviewed some of these women," John Boler said. "I was so impressed with the counselors and the programs. But some of the stories these women told, you just can't believe it's happening.
"But I learned something that just because (domestic violence) is not happening in your own family," he added, "doesn't mean it's not happening in the community."
Also on hand to celebrate were Ed and Jean McCabe, of Park Ridge, who donated the first house to WINGS, to be used as transitional housing for women trying to regain their self-sufficiency.
"There was a such a need," Jean McCabe said, "and it was something we could do to help."
WINGS now has homes in Barrington, Schaumburg, Park Ridge and Skokie, and another 20 apartments in the Northwest suburbs, as well as its Safe House emergency shelter in Rolling Meadows.
The ball took a slightly different spin from previous years, when instead of dancing after dinner, guests sat back to be entertained by concert pianist Randall Atcheson, who will make his 10th appearance at Carnegie Hall in November.
Wearing a purple sequined outfit, naturally, Atcheson took his seat at a Steinway grand piano and played a set that included classical, pop, gospel and patriotic numbers. The crowd's favorite had a certain ring to it: "Wind Beneath My Wings."