HFC Midwest Gala Raises $820,000
By Maggie Shea, Financial Correspondent
CHICAGO (HedgeWorld.com) – Trying out a new locale at Chicago’s Millennium Park, Hedge Funds Care’s fifth annual Open Your Heart to the Children gala on May 17 collected around $820,000. The money raised by Hedge Funds Care’s Midwest chapter at the event will help organizations in the Midwest dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect.
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Four hundred and thirty-eight guests attended this year’s event, which was co-sponsored by Hedge Funds Care’s Committee of Hearts, the Junior League of Chicago and Tina Rzepnicki of the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. Last year’s gala brought in $750,000.
The event, held at the Four Seasons hotel in previous years, had a new look this year on Millennium Park’s Rooftop Terrace, underneath a large white tent. The inside was adorned with candles, flowers and sheer curtains. Instead of a sit-down meal, attendees snacked on hors d’oeuvres and buffet-style tastings and sipped cocktails while musicians positioned throughout the tent played live music.
The guest speakers were Shari Shink, a child advocacy attorney and the founder and executive director of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center, and J.C. Coble, a 16-year-old child abuse survivor. Guests were invited to participate in a raffle and a “Make a Grant” cash call. They bid on items in both silent and live auctions ranging from Chicago Cubs tickets, to an electric guitar signed by Bruce Springsteen, to a trip to the Tirolmitte region in Austria.
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The 2007 overall fundraising goal for Hedge Funds Care’s Midwest chapter is $1 million, said Melinda Kramer, co-chairwoman of the Committee of Hearts and managing director and chief technology officer of Grosvenor Capital Management LP. The chapter has now raised more than $3.5 million since its first benefit in 2003.
Hedge Funds Care is an alliance of alternative industry professionals that raises money and offers grants to organizations that treat and prevent child abuse. Upcoming events include the Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament in July, a summer bike ride fundraiser and a fall cocktail event, said Ms. Kramer in an email.
(c) 2007 Daily News; White Plains. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.