Food fundraiser raises cash for GlenOaks

One thing is certain about a food fundraiser that will benefit Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in Glendale Heights: If you are there, you will definitely find something to your liking.

With 21 area restaurants representing a variety of flavors and ethnicities, organizers say even the pickiest eaters should not have a problem scarfing down some delicious delights to their stomach's content.

“If you come to this event, if you leave hungry, that's your fault, said the event's co-chairman Keith Knautz, who is Glendale Lakes Golf Club's director of golf course operations. “The food is fantastic and it's a very relaxed atmosphere.

The fourth annual Fall Festival of Flavors takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Medinah Shrine Center, 550 Shriners Drive in Addison. Tickets for the event are $50 and can be purchased by calling (630) 545-3942.

The event is one of several that will attempt to raise capital money for the hospital in an effort to buy digital mammography equipment, which will cost about $300,000.

GlenOaks Hospital Foundation Executive Director Michelle Kallevik said the group chooses a capital project to raise money for every year.

“We look at the needs of the hospital and usually support the capital fund because it's the hardest thing to come by these days, she said. “We have a very strong (festival) committee and a lot of engaged folks support our hospital.

With nearly 300 tickets already sold, the fundraiser has seen at least a 35 percent jump in attendance from last year. The secret, officials said, is a heavily targeted marketing campaign that focused on the restaurants that would participate, a tactic not used last year.

The restaurants, which range in taste from RoccoVino's Ristorante & Pizzeria in Carol Stream to the Mandarin Bistro in Bloomingdale and all tastes in between, will also donate gift certificates to a raffle that night.

Although the event will primarily serve as a fundraiser, the opportunity for networking and customer recruitment is not lost on business owners.

Rosanna DeFrenza, who also co-chairs the event and is part owner of RoccoVino's, said people appreciate the businesses that give back to the community.

“In today's economy, there is no better marketing than when you can put a sample of your entree in someone's hand to taste, she said. “You're not only doing something good for the business, but giving back to the community. People want to support people that support what they believe in.