Bridge auction features artwork made from Hobson Oak

This spring, Bridge Communities' 6th annual A Chair Affair event is partnering with the Naperville Parks Foundation to feature five pieces of artwork made from Naperville's revered Hobson Oak.

The pieces, along with a dozen more creations from local artists, will be auctioned at the event's annual cocktail auction and gala June 13 at the Elements at Water Street event space inside the Naperville Riverwalk's Hotel Indigo.

Items made from the Hobson Oak this year include a raw edge coffee table, a curved console table, a living room chair, an end table and a sketch of the Hobson Oak encased in a frame made from the tree. All artists for the project were carefully selected and entrusted with the wood, which had been harvested and specially kiln dried in 2016.

"We're thrilled to have this partnership between Bridge and the Naperville Parks Foundation this year," says Vicky Joseph, community outreach coordinator at Bridge Communities. "The Hobson Oak is such a beloved piece of Naperville's heritage. It's an honor to have artwork made from this tree at our event, which celebrates community, philanthropy and the transformative power of art."

Starting May 24, all of the unique chairs, tables, desks and more will be on display throughout businesses in downtown Naperville. Online voting for the artwork will be available through June 13, when the pieces will be moved to Elements at Water Street for the main event.

Proceeds go directly to support the programs serving Bridge Communities families in the Naperville area, and the Hobson Oak items' proceeds will be split between Naperville Parks Foundation and Bridge Communities.

Early bird tickets are $50 until June 7 and $60 thereafter and include an hors d'oeuvres and dessert buffet, plus an open bar.

Tickets can be purchased at bridgecommunities.org.

Bridge Communities is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide housing, mentoring and supportive services to homeless families in DuPage County. Bridge Communities' vision is a community where all families have safe, sustainable and affordable housing and lifelong self-sufficiency.

In the past 31 years, the group has helped more than 850 families cross the bridge from homelessness to hope and self-sufficiency.